Northwest Coast Arts Development and Training | NPS DOIP18AP00110

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS DOIP18AP00110

The "Northwest Coast Arts Development and Training" opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior notice of intent to award a grant, not an open call for applications. In other words, it is public notification that NPS planned to make a specific financial assistance award under Grants.gov Opportunity Number NPS-DOIP18AP00110 rather than run a competitive process. The anticipated award amount was $500,000 in federal funding with no required non-federal cost share, using a grant agreement as the funding instrument. The planned period of performance ran from 08/01/2018 to 07/31/2020. The legal authority cited is 20 USC 4451, and the assistance listing is CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Program). The primary named recipient for the award was Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), with NPS points of contact listed as Erica Cordeiro (Grants Officer) and Brinnen Carter (Grants Technical Representative).

The core purpose of the project is cultural and economic development through the strengthening of Northwest Coast arts traditions across the northwest Pacific coast region, broadly described as stretching from Oregon through Washington and up to Southeast Alaska. The program is designed to increase both the quality and the amount of publicly available Northwest Coast-style artwork (for example, prominent public works such as totem poles, house screens, and house posts, as well as museum and market-ready works). At the same time, it aims to help Northwest Coast artists build viable and sustainable livelihoods by expanding markets for Native arts and by offering structured training pathways. A distinctive emphasis is placed on sustainability: the program supports artistic practice that uses naturally sourced materials gathered through subsistence and other traditional practices while also stressing conservation so that these resources remain available for future generations.

From NPS's perspective, the public value centers on preserving and renewing an authentic, place-based American artistic tradition that visitors expect to encounter in the region's parks, communities, cultural centers, and museums. The grant frames Northwest Coast art as a unique cultural expression tied to specific Indigenous communities and geographies, and it argues that maintaining authenticity requires living traditions and intergenerational transfer of knowledge. Accordingly, the project is structured around education, mentorship, shared knowledge, and hands-on training that can carry these practices forward.

The work plan is anchored in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among three institutions: the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), and the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). Under that MOA, the program includes several interconnected components: visiting scholar activities; scholarships in Native art and museum studies; internships in Native arts and museum studies; and related training, research, exhibition, and publication efforts. The partner institutions also committed non-cash, in-kind support to help the program function, such as providing classroom and studio space, venues that can support arts markets and other commercial opportunities, access to archives and collections that document Northwest Coast artistic traditions, as well as low-cost housing or subsistence support for visiting artists and students, and staff support.

Sealaska Heritage Institute, as the recipient, is responsible for implementing the SHI commitments under the MOA and also reporting on accomplishments by IAIA and UAS connected to the agreement. The planned SHI activities include establishing a Native Artists Committee composed of master artists and culture bearers to guide program direction; running artist residencies and workshops to strengthen artistic practice and deepen connections between artists and the broader public; supporting "sustainable arts" that rely on responsibly harvested materials; and supporting Northwest Coast performing arts traditions such as dance, music, and oratory. The scope also covers research, exhibition, and publication of Native arts, including display and related programming at SHI's Walter Sobeloff building. Finally, the project supports the practical pipeline of developing new artists and cultural professionals through visiting master artists, internships paired with master artists, and scholarships spanning early learners through advanced students. The museum studies portion specifically focuses on building capacity for long-term stewardship of culturally significant objects, with training areas including collections care, exhibit design, exhibit fabrication, and conservation.

NPS characterized its role as limited because the instrument was a grant agreement rather than a cooperative agreement, meaning NPS did not anticipate substantial programmatic involvement in day-to-day execution. Oversight was expected to be primarily standard grant administration: monitoring performance and providing technical assistance if requested by the recipient.

A major administrative feature of this notice is that the award was intended to be single-source (non-competitive). NPS justified the lack of competition under its single source policy based on "legislative intent," stating that Congress, via Senate Appropriations Committee direction, intended the Department to consider funding the establishment of the Northwest Coast arts program as outlined in the MOA between IAIA and SHI. The notice positions the project as an example of the kind of multi-state, multi-organization collaboration envisioned under the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Culture and Art Development Act, which NPS used to support the rationale for directing funds to the named recipient rather than soliciting proposals from a broader pool. Eligible applicant types are listed generally as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education), but the notice makes clear that this specific posting was not a competitive opportunity and was instead a formal public notice of an intended award.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Northwest Coast Arts Development and Training" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 06, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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