Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00281
Apply for P15AS00281
- The National Park Service in the community development education environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Administrative History John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.946 Cultural Resources Management.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 10, 2015 and posted on Aug 10, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 20, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $74,937.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $74,937.00 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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Opportunity Summary:
This notice describes a National Park Service (NPS) intent to make a non-competitive cooperative agreement award for a specific project called "Administrative History, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site." It is explicitly not an open grant solicitation and not a request for applications; instead, it serves as public notification that NPS planned to fund identified work with a named recipient. The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00281 (CFDA 15.946, Cultural Resource Management) and is authorized under 54 USC 101702(a). The anticipated total award amount is $74,937.39 with no cost share or matching requirement, and the agreement period and performance window run from the date of final signature through 12/31/2017. The contact listed for the award is June Zastrow (303-987-6718, junezastrow@nps.gov).
The selected recipient is the Organization of American Historians (OAH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The work is framed as a task agreement under an existing cooperative agreement between NPS and OAH (Cooperative Agreement P15AC00289), with the project itself referenced as Task Agreement P15AC01451. The justification for making the award without full and open competition is "Continuation," meaning the funded activity is necessary to complete or continue work already underway, and competing it would disrupt continuity or completion. Because it is a continuation action under an established partnership vehicle, NPS determined competition was not practicable under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2).
The project focus is the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts, which preserves JFK's birthplace as his mother remembered it in 1966. The administrative history to be produced is meant to document how the site was established and how it has been managed by NPS over time. A central goal is to help the current park management team better understand how management philosophies, preservation rationales, and interpretive approaches have evolved, including how the perceived purpose and value of the site may have differed from one management era to another. By clarifying the context and intent behind earlier decisions, the park expects to make future stewardship and interpretation choices that are better grounded in an informed understanding of past practices.
The scope of work emphasizes a detailed narrative analysis of major events, activities, and recurring issues arising from NPS stewardship of the property. The required level of investigation is described as thorough in line with NPS guidance, relying on readily accessible primary and secondary documentary sources (without extensive travel), interviews with knowledgeable and readily available individuals (oral history as needed), and findings presented at a level of detail appropriate to the task directive rather than unnecessarily exhaustive. The stated public benefit is to support park staff as well as constituencies, partners, stakeholders, and affected communities by providing historical context for ongoing resource stewardship and interpretive questions that continue to shape decisions at the site.
Responsibilities are split between OAH and NPS. OAH is responsible for producing the administrative history as a scholarly product that meets both professional historical standards and NPS expectations, engaging an appropriate scholar or team of scholars to conduct the work, and serving as the liaison between the scholar(s) and NPS. OAH also commits to collaborating with NPS on a detailed scope and schedule, managing review processes (including agency and peer review), providing editorial services, and delivering final products in multiple formats: a publication-quality PDF suitable for internet access and 25 bound, color hard copies. In addition to the main report, OAH must produce a shorter two-to-three-page case study highlighting a key management issue identified by the project team. OAH also agrees to disseminate and promote the final report through its membership and professional networks to increase visibility and encourage use by historians and educators, and to highlight NPS use of the report in management and planning as part of OAH's mission to support informed public history practice.
NPS, in turn, agrees to collaborate on the detailed schedule and scope, participate in selecting the scholar(s), and provide access to relevant park materials such as records, reports, and databases. NPS will help orient the researcher to park resources and facilities, assist in identifying interviewees for oral history work when appropriate, and review research progress for relevance and quality. After completion, NPS is responsible for distributing the administrative history and making it accessible to park managers and the general public for planning and management use, as well as sharing and promoting the final work with related NPS units that may benefit from the findings.
Administrative details included in the notice show it was posted on August 10, 2015, with an original and current closing date of August 20, 2015, and an archive date of August 21, 2015. Although it lists an "eligible applicants" category typical of Grants.gov postings (501(c)(3) nonprofits), the document repeatedly clarifies that this particular announcement is only a notice of intent to award to OAH and is not open for competing applications.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this an open grant solicitation where my organization can apply?
No. This notice is explicitly not an open grant solicitation and not a request for applications. It is a public notice that the National Park Service (NPS) intends to make a non-competitive cooperative agreement award for a specific, identified project with a named recipient.
What is the purpose of this announcement if applications are not being accepted?
The purpose is public notification. NPS is announcing its intent to fund identified work with a specific recipient under a cooperative agreement action that will be made without full and open competition.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The selected recipient is the Organization of American Historians (OAH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
What project is being funded?
The project is titled "Administrative History, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site." The work will produce an administrative history documenting how the site was established and how it has been managed by NPS over time.
Which site does the project focus on?
The project focuses on the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts, which preserves JFK's birthplace as his mother remembered it in 1966.
What is an "administrative history" in the context of this project?
Based on the notice, the administrative history is a detailed narrative analysis of major events, activities, and recurring issues related to NPS stewardship of the property. It is intended to help park management understand how management philosophies, preservation rationales, and interpretive approaches have evolved over time.
Why is the award being made without competition?
The justification is "Continuation". NPS states the funded activity is necessary to complete or continue work already underway, and that competing it would disrupt continuity or completion. NPS determined competition was not practicable under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2).
What is the funding opportunity number and program identification?
The notice is listed under Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00281, with CFDA 15.946 (Cultural Resource Management).
What legal authority is cited for this award?
The notice cites authorization under 54 USC 101702(a).
How much funding is anticipated for this cooperative agreement?
The anticipated total award amount is $74,937.39.
Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No. The notice states there is no cost share or matching requirement.
What is the period of performance for the agreement?
The agreement period and performance window run from the date of final signature through 12/31/2017.
How does this project relate to other NPS-OAH agreements?
The work is framed as a task agreement under an existing cooperative agreement between NPS and OAH: Cooperative Agreement P15AC00289. The project is referenced as Task Agreement P15AC01451.
What level of research and investigation is expected?
The notice describes the investigation as thorough and consistent with NPS guidance, using:
- Readily accessible primary and secondary documentary sources (without extensive travel)
- Interviews with knowledgeable and readily available individuals (oral history as needed)
- A level of detail appropriate to the task directive rather than unnecessarily exhaustive
What are the main goals of producing this administrative history?
The central goals described include helping the current park management team understand shifts over time in management philosophy, preservation rationale, and interpretation, and clarifying the context and intent behind earlier decisions so future stewardship and interpretation choices are better grounded in past practices.
Who benefits from the completed work?
The stated public benefit is to support park staff and also help constituencies, partners, stakeholders, and affected communities by providing historical context for ongoing stewardship and interpretive questions that continue to shape decisions at the site.
What are OAH's responsibilities under this award?
OAH is responsible for producing the administrative history as a scholarly product meeting professional historical standards and NPS expectations. Responsibilities listed include:
- Engaging an appropriate scholar or team of scholars to conduct the work
- Serving as liaison between the scholar(s) and NPS
- Collaborating with NPS on a detailed scope and schedule
- Managing review processes, including agency and peer review
- Providing editorial services
- Delivering final products in multiple formats (publication-quality PDF and bound hard copies)
- Producing a shorter 2-3 page case study highlighting a key management issue
- Disseminating and promoting the final report through OAH membership and professional networks
What deliverables are required?
The notice requires:
- A publication-quality PDF suitable for internet access
- 25 bound, color hard copies
- A 2-3 page case study highlighting a key management issue identified by the project team
What are NPS's responsibilities in this cooperative agreement?
NPS responsibilities described in the notice include:
- Collaborating on the detailed schedule and scope
- Participating in selecting the scholar(s)
- Providing access to relevant park materials (records, reports, databases)
- Orienting the researcher to park resources and facilities
- Assisting in identifying interviewees for oral history work (when appropriate)
- Reviewing research progress for relevance and quality
- Distributing the completed administrative history and making it accessible to park managers and the general public
- Sharing and promoting the work with related NPS units that may benefit from the findings
Will the final administrative history be available to the public?
Yes. The notice states NPS will distribute the administrative history and make it accessible to park managers and the general public for planning and management use.
Why does the posting list "eligible applicants" if it is not open for applications?
The notice indicates that although the listing includes an "eligible applicants" category typical of Grants.gov postings (including 501(c)(3) nonprofits), the document repeatedly clarifies that this specific announcement is only a notice of intent to award to OAH and is not open for competing applications.
What were the posted dates (posting, closing, archive) shown in the notice?
The notice was posted on August 10, 2015. The original and current closing date is listed as August 20, 2015, and the archive date is August 21, 2015.
Who can I contact with questions about this notice?
The listed contact is June Zastrow, reachable at 303-987-6718 or junezastrow@nps.gov.
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