2024 Preservation Technology and Training Grants

The Preservation Technology and Training (PTT) Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community. The 2024 PTT Grants are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, and cultural resources. The Grants should be seen as pushing the field of preservation forward and any application should be innovative in nature. The Grant’s scope should disseminate to the broadest audience and impact national, regional, and/or local preservation practices. 2024 Priorities. While all innovative applications will be reviewed, NCPTT’s 2024 program prioritizes grant applications with the following themes:Innovative grant applications related to the utilization of augmented reality and machine learning for innovative approaches within the field of cultural resources are strongly encouraged.Innovative grant applications involving climate change response to fire related and inland hydrological (too much water, too little water) issues and their impacts on cultural resources are strongly encouraged.Innovative grant applications applying new techniques and technologies to the preservation field from descendant communities and underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged. While NCPTT encourages applicants to address these research priorities, all grant applicants that are innovative in the field of preservation technology will be considered. Programmatic GuidanceDigital Documentation: Any application for digital documentation of buildings or landscapes should go beyond the basic scanning of the cultural resource(s). Grant projects should investigate new ways to conduct, analyze, process, and disseminate digital documentation techniques, data, and use of final products. Projects that do not go beyond basic scanning of cultural resources will not be considered innovative. Symposia, conferences, and training: any application for symposia, conferences, or training, must consider how the content is disseminated to a wider audience beyond the event participants.Media: as PTT grants are federally funded, media (i.e., podcasts and webinars) should be made available for publication on NCPTT’s website for dissemination to as broad an audience as possible.  PTT Grants will support the following activities:Innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources (typically $20,000)Specialized workshops or symposia that identify and address national preservation needs (typically $5,000 to $15,000)Media: how-to videos, podcasts, best practices publications, or webinars that disseminate practical preservation methods or provide better tools for preservation practice (typically $5,000 to $15,000) PTT Grants will not fund the following:“Brick and mortar” grants.Publications for profit during the project funding cycle.Trainings that generate income to the applicant.Routine or well-established technologies.