Held in Trust: A National Convening on Conservation and Preservation

FAIN: PB-271362-20

FAIC (Washington, DC 20005-1704)
Eric Pourchot (Project Director: December 2019 to September 2022)
Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe (Project Director: September 2022 to present)

Funding details:
Original grant (2020) $500,000.00
Supplement (2022) $499,623.00
Supplement (2023) $0.00

A three-year cooperative agreement between the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) and NEH to evaluate the current state of cultural heritage conservation and establish a forward-looking vision for preservation in the United States. Designed to support and enhance NEH’s “A More Perfect Union” initiative, core activities would include a fall 2021 national convening, followed by a publication and associated resources detailing needs, opportunities, and next steps to preserve the nation’s cultural heritage.

The "Held in Trust" project will evaluate current national infrastructure and opportunities and challenges facing cultural heritage conservation, establish a forward-looking vision for the preservation of our nation’s cultural heritage, and identify future directions and resource priorities to ensure that our nation’s cultural treasures are available for future education and enrichment. These goals will be achieved through three primary activities: 1) Interdisciplinary research and expert working group discussions designed to shape the dialog and engage many diverse perspectives; 2) A National Convening and related activities to examine and strengthen the field of conservation in the United States for current and future practitioners; 3) Publication of a report documenting needs, opportunities, and next steps required to better ensure the preservation of our nation’s cultural heritage, to be disseminated to key decision-makers and stakeholders.