2027-28 Conservation/Preservation Discretionary Grants
2027-28 Conservation/Preservation Discretionary Grants support New York libraries, archives, and historical societies in preserving significant research materials to promote long-term care and accessibility.
Funder: New York State Education Department
Due Dates: November 20, 2026 (Questions) | December 18, 2026 (Optional NOI) | January 15, 2027, 5:00 pm Eastern Time (Application) | July 15, 2028 (Final reports)
Funding Amounts: $2,500–$45,000 per award; $500,000 anticipated total funding; July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028
Summary: Supports preservation of significant research materials held by eligible New York libraries, archives, historical societies, and cooperating agencies.
Key Information: Nonprofit applicants must be registered and prequalified in the Statewide Financial System before applying.
Description
The New York State Education Department, through the New York State Library’s Conservation/Preservation Program, provides modest financial support for preserving significant library research materials across New York State. The program encourages proper care and accessibility of collections, development and use of preservation standards, and growth of local and cooperative preservation programs.
Supported work includes environmental surveys and controls, special storage, microform and selected audiovisual reformatting, physical conservation treatment, disaster recovery, and preservation research. Research proposals may investigate media or materials, improved conservation techniques, or collection environments, with a dissemination plan or broadly applicable results. Materials must have significant informational value and long-term historic significance; age, appearance, deterioration, or monetary value alone does not establish research value.
