Supporting History

Introducing Archaeological Assessment Grants:
A New Program Creating Plans for Preservation

March, 2002

The Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund (SHF) is pleased to announce the creation of a new grant program designed to provide funding for archaeological assessments. These non-competitive grants with a maximum request of $10,000 provide funding for the collection and evaluation of archaeological information from a specific site or area for the purpose of creating a plan for preservation or additional work on a site. Applications for these grants have no deadline; they are accepted at any time during the year.

Who needs 'em?
SHF applicants are probably familiar with Historic Structure Assessment Grants. Like the Historic Structure Assessment Grants (HSA), which assess the condition of historic structures, Archaeological Assessment Grants assess the condition and archaeological potential of prehistoric or historic sites. Further, the Archaeological Assessment Grants provide an opportunity to plan for anticipated archaeological resources for applicants who plan to apply for a future SHF grant.

Having a completed building assessment always makes a General Grant application more competitive because it assures the SHF staff and the grant applicant that the work proposed is timely, properly prioritized, and is likely to be performed at a reasonable cost. Thoroughly assessing the condition of a structure above ground is a logical first step to preservation. Similarly, the Archaeological Assessment Grants provide a logical first step to preservation by assessing the likelihood of important archaeological resources in the ground upon which a historic structure sits-or-assessing the potential for important historical or pre-historical resources on a site. These non-competitive assessment grants give applicants for SHF General Grants a comprehensive look at their historical resources before jumping into any preservation projects.

What do they do?
It is important to note that these grants are to study or plan for groundbreaking, not for interpretation or intensive investigation of a site. These assessments may include a literature review, the analysis of existing conditions, surface reconnaissance, limited testing, or any combination of these activities.

Why did the SHF create this new grant?
The answer is simple: when state funds are being used on a project where archaeological resources may be affected, the law requires that appropriate archaeological methods be applied. Yet until this grant was created, it was not always easy for an applicant to know what kind, or level, of archaeological assessment was necessary when applying for a general SHF grant.

Sounds great! Where can I find more information?
These new Archaeological Assessment Grants are described in detail in the recently updated SHF Guidelines, available on-line or through the mail by calling 303-866-2825.

It is strongly recommended that a professional archaeologist be closely involved with the preparation of an application. Any archaeological work conducted under the grant must be performed by a professional archaeologist. And as with all SHF grants, only non-profit applicants or public entities are eligible to apply directly for the grant. If the site or area that is the subject of the assessment is privately owned, the owner should call the SHF applications staff or Staff Archaeologist Tom Carr for advice at 303/866-2825.

BY RACHEL SIMPSON, Technical Advisor, State Historical Fund