Provide Interns with Experiential Learning Opportunities in Historic Preservation | P17AS00376

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00376

The grant opportunity titled "Provide Interns with Experiential Learning Opportunities in Historic Preservation" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00376) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, focused on natural resources and listed under CFDA 15.945. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the National Park Service expects to be actively involved in the project’s direction or implementation rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The opportunity was created on June 15, 2017, with an original application closing date of June 25, 2017, indicating a short application window and a targeted, time-sensitive recruitment and planning effort.

At its core, the project is built around the National Park Service Vanishing Treasures (VT) Program partnering with the University of Pennsylvania Department of Historic Preservation to create internship placements that give students hands-on, practical experience in historic preservation. The internships are meant for students who want deeper exposure to the real-world craft and decision-making involved in preserving traditionally built historic structures, especially where specialized knowledge is needed to maintain or stabilize older materials and construction methods. The emphasis is not just academic understanding, but learning through doing, in environments that reflect the challenges preservation professionals face when working on heritage resources.

The training focus is described in three main tracks. First is preservation craft, meaning practical, field-oriented skills tied to traditional building methods and hands-on conservation work. Second is preservation technology, referring to technical approaches and applied methods used to preserve resources, with examples explicitly tied to preservation engineering, historical architecture, and architectural conservation. This suggests interns may engage with assessments of structural behavior in old buildings, documentation of historic fabric, analysis of deterioration, treatment approaches, and other technical workflows that help inform responsible interventions. Third is pedagogy of preservation, which points to how historic preservation theory and practice are taught, learned, and communicated. That component implies an interest in not only producing practitioners, but also strengthening the educational methods and learning tools that prepare the next generation of preservation professionals.

A key requirement is that every intern completes a special project as part of the internship. These projects must fall into one of the program’s stated areas: preservation craft, preservation technology, or preservation pedagogy. This special project requirement signals that the internships are designed to produce tangible deliverables or documented learning outcomes, not just general participation. Depending on the setting, a special project could take the form of documenting a traditional repair technique, developing or testing a preservation treatment approach, producing technical guidance, creating instructional materials, or otherwise contributing something concrete to the preservation field while meeting the internship’s educational objectives.

Funding for the opportunity is modest and tightly scoped, with an award ceiling of $40,683 and an expectation of a single award. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning with the partnership described and suggesting the program is geared toward an academic institution capable of administering internships, supervising students, and coordinating with the National Park Service. Overall, the grant is designed to build capacity in historic preservation by supporting structured, experience-based internships that blend field craft, technical preservation methods, and the teaching of preservation practice, while producing student-led project outputs that reinforce learning and contribute to preservation work.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Provide Interns with Experiential Learning Opportunities in Historic Preservation" 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 15, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2017. (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 $40,683.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P17AS00376

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