ST. JOHN VALLEY, Maine — Maine Acadian Heritage Council is beginning its annual grant process. This year the council will distribute over $51,238.00 of funds received from the National Park Service in the form of grants to participating members.
The four grant opportunities are the Heritage Trail Guide Grant, the Preservation Grant, the Acadian Heritage Speakers and Performers Grant, and the Education Resource Development Grant.
The Heritage Trail Guide Grants’ budget of $26,524 is earmarked for St. John Valley member museums and historical sites. This grant supports hiring, training, and retaining personnel at local museums and historical sites. At these sites, personnel will be available to welcome visitors, bus tours, and school groups. The maximum award to any single historic site is $4,500.
The Preservation Grant was developed to help historic sites and member societies in the St. John Valley. This year, MAHC grants will award $19,500 to help historical societies preserve Acadian culture and heritage. This grant is intended for the preservation of and repairs to historic buildings, and to help preserve artifacts and documents. Historic sites and societies awards will be a maximum of $3,000.
The Council will distribute a $1,970 Acadian Heritage Speakers and Performers Grant to support local festivals. MAHC has developed a program to support local speakers and performances at festivals and other venues in the St. John Valley. This grant is specifically for experts in Acadian/St. John Valley history, culture, music, and traditional arts, to be performed at public events in the St. John Valley. The maximum award to any applicant is $700.
The council has earmarked Education Resource Development Grants totaling $3,244 to support projects that teach Acadian heritage and culture to residents of the St. John Valley. These grants will help bring Acadian culture, history, language, and art to the classroom or other public areas, exploring themes such as traditional Acadian folklore, cuisine, language, music, dance, ethnography, history, material culture, architecture, and historic and cultural landscapes. Maximum amount awarded will be $1,500.
Appointed committees will evaluate applications based on completeness, administrative capability, community support and project narrative, in addition to information specific to each type of grant requested.
The council requests an accounting of spending of funds and requires that any publicity for the tourist activities at the site of the grant recipients will name the Maine Acadian Heritage Council as a financial supporter of the activities.
A public announcement of the awarded grants is made at the Council’s annual dinner and meeting. This year’s annual dinner will be held in August, at the Lakeview Restaurant.
Applications can be found on the MAHC website maineacadian.org, the Facebook page or by calling 728-6826.
