The Eagles Mere Museum in Sullivan County (top) and The Oldest House in Laceyville, Wyoming County (above) are heritage sites that have benefited from state funding facilitated by the Endless Mountains Heritage Region in recent years. Pre-applications for a new round of funding are now being accepted.
Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) is now accepting applications for grants to further projects and programs that support heritage tourism, historic preservation, outdoor recreation, education and interpretation, agricultural promotion, and scenic landscapes or byways in Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties.
Successful applicants in the past have received funding for the restoration of historic buildings, enhancing pedestrian access to heritage areas, trail development and signage, and development of interpretive centers. EMHR has administered such grants since 1998 with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Heritage Areas Program.
EMHR will solicit pre-applications through Friday, Dec. 23. Forms can be downloaded via www.emheritage.org, where the agency’s priority areas are identified, and additional instructions are easily accessible. Non-profit groups, municipalities and units of government interested in planning and implementing projects serving community or heritage development, historic preservation, or resource conservation/enhancement goal are encouraged to apply. Selected programs will be included in EMHR’s 2017 annual request for state Heritage Area program funding.
Employing a 50/50 match component, EMHR is able to provide funding and technical assistance to project partners throughout the four-county region. EMHR typically funds six to ten projects with grants that range from $1,000 to $25,000. the final number of projects funded will depend on the applications received and the state’s funding allocation for heritage areas in the 2017-18 budget. Note that the funding is available only for projects that begin in 2018.
Applications receiving the most attention will be those matching EMHR’s highest priorities, which include interpretive and educational projects that spur economic development, identification of and enhancements to tourist and recreation destinations, and those that parallel EMHR’s agricultural theme, “Living With the Land.”
The grant committee also looks favorably on efforts to develop interpretive materials, such a brochures; host programs, such as walking tours and traveling exhibits, workshops, and lectures; document scenic and geological resources of the Endless Mountains; and identify anchor heritage sites that have the potential to become community or regional heritage centers.
Community planning projects, such as feasibility studies for adaptive reuse of historic structures; comprehensive preservation and conservation plans, development of relevant training courses for municipal and business leaders; and partnerships that foster entrepreneurial potential and identify heritage-related small business opportunities are also of great importance to the Heritage Region.
All applicants are invited to take advantage of the wealth of expertise in developing and implementing worthwhile projects offered by EMHR, such as grants and funding research, grantwriting and funding proposals, contract administration and documentation, and integration with related projects and initiatives. EMHR staff is available to discuss project plans, identify common goals and potential funding sources, and to help form partnerships.
For additional information not found at www.emheritage.org interested readers may contact Hillary Robinson at 570-265-1528 or send an email to hrobinson@emheritage.org.
The Home Textile Tool Museum in Orwell Township, Bradford County (above) and the Clifford Childrens Garden in Susquehanna County (below) have also been EMHR grant recipients
