Making History at 250: A Stronger Historical Community for the Semiquincentennial (sole source grant)

FAIN: GA-271039-20

AASLH (Nashville, TN 37212-4342)
John Garrison Marks (Project Director: October 2019 to present)

The development of relevant resources for the commemoration of the nation’s 250th for small historical organizations.

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is seeking capacity-building support from the National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to strengthen its ability to provide resources and leadership to the history
community as the nation prepares for the 250th anniversary of American independence. As we approach the 250th,
AASLH plans to aid the efforts of history organizations to promote a deeper understanding of American history and
culture and to advance public knowledge about core principles of civic participation. AASLH is requesting $661,913
from 2020-2022 to fund 1) the development and delivery of resources and services related to the Semiquincentennial to
small and mid-sized local history organizations around the country; 2) the coordination of national, state, and local
efforts by history organizations in order to maximize the anniversary’s impact for the American public; and 3) the
development and execution of new data gathering and surveying projects on the state of the public history institutions,
where humanities scholarship and the public come together. No other organization is as strongly positioned as AASLH
to serve this role. AASLH’s national reach, its longstanding commitment to and affiliation with small, local history
organizations, and its proven ability to develop large-scale programmatic and commemoration efforts make the
organization singularly suited to advance this effort for the Semiquincentennial.