Historic Resource Study First State National Monument | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a National Park Service (NPS) Notice of Intent to Award for the project titled "Historic Resource Study - First State National Monument" under Funding Opportunity Number P14AS00284. The notice serves as a formal public announcement that NPS plans to make a single award without full and open competition as a continuation action under an existing cooperative agreement.

2) Is this an open grant solicitation? Can the public apply?

No. This is not an open call for applications and it is not seeking proposals from the public. It is a transparency notice stating NPS intends to proceed with a single-source continuation award to a specific recipient.

3) Who is the intended recipient of the award?

The intended recipient is the Organization of American Historians (OAH), a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. Aidan Smith is listed as the principal investigator/program manager.

4) How much funding is anticipated, and is a match required?

The anticipated award amount is $99,916.95. There is no cost share or matching requirement listed for this award.

5) What type of award is this: grant or cooperative agreement?

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. This means NPS expects substantial involvement in the project work, including active collaboration, coordination, and ongoing review.

6) What does "continuation" mean in this context?

"Continuation" means NPS is proceeding under an existing cooperative agreement and views this work as necessary to complete or continue activities already being funded. NPS cites the continuation criterion under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2), stating that competing the work would significantly disrupt continuity or completion.

7) What existing agreement is this award continuing?

This action is a continuation under Cooperative Agreement H2261100002 and is implemented through a task agreement identified as P14AC01550.

8) What is the project being funded?

The funded work is to produce a Historic Resource Study (HRS) for First State National Monument. The HRS is intended to assemble and synthesize available cultural resource information across disciplines into a narrative reference for use by park managers, planners, interpreters, cultural resource staff, and interested members of the public.

9) What is a Historic Resource Study (HRS) expected to do for the park?

The HRS is positioned as a foundational planning and management tool under NPS Cultural Resource Management Guidelines (NPS-28). It expands upon earlier NPS work, including a 2008 special resource study and a 2012 Woodlawn significance analysis, and is intended to directly support stewardship, planning, and interpretation at First State National Monument.

10) What is First State National Monument and why was it created?

First State National Monument is a newer unit of the National Park System created by Presidential Proclamation on March 25, 2013. It was established to preserve, protect, and interpret nationally significant cultural and historic resources tied to early Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and English settlement in the Delaware region, as well as Delaware's role in the founding of the United States, including its status as the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

11) What sites and areas are included in First State National Monument?

The monument covers about 1,108 acres and includes multiple sites: the Sheriffs House; the New Castle Court House and Green in New Castle; the Dover Green in Dover; and the Woodlawn property in the Brandywine Valley near Wilmington, plus contiguous acreage in southeastern Pennsylvania.

12) What specific stewardship direction is mentioned for the Woodlawn property?

The proclamation highlights stewardship of the Woodlawn property consistent with William Bancroft Poole's vision of a publicly accessible rural landscape that supports public health and well-being.

13) What is OAH responsible for under this agreement?

OAH is responsible for assembling and synthesizing cultural resource information into a usable narrative reference, recruiting appropriate scholar(s) to conduct the work, serving as the liaison between NPS and the researchers, collaborating with NPS to develop a detailed scope of work, and managing the project to professional scholarly standards. OAH is also expected to coordinate agency and peer review feedback and provide editorial services so the final product meets disciplinary expectations and NPS requirements.

14) What deliverables are required?

The notice describes the following deliverables:

• An interim narrative history and analysis focused on the Woodlawn property, due no later than fifteen months after award.
• An interim interpretive deliverable, designed with NPS, to communicate contextual narratives to general and diverse audiences and help engage stakeholders.
• A final publication-quality manuscript delivered as a PDF suitable for online access, plus 25 bound copies.
• Participation in a one-day workshop with park staff and community stakeholders to share findings for potential incorporation into public programming.
• Broad dissemination and promotion of the finished study through OAH membership and professional networks so the research informs teaching, scholarship, and NPS planning and management.

15) When is the interim Woodlawn-focused narrative due?

The interim narrative history and analysis focused on the Woodlawn property is due no later than fifteen months after the date of award.

16) What is the period of performance?

The period of performance runs from the date of award through 09/01/2017.

17) How will NPS be involved in the project?

NPS involvement is described as substantial and ongoing. NPS will co-develop the scope of work with OAH, participate in selecting the scholar(s), provide access to park records, reports, and databases, orient researchers to park resources and facilities, and assist in identifying oral history interviewees if needed. NPS will also coordinate information-sharing among related efforts, review progress for relevance and quality, and take responsibility for distributing and promoting the final report to park managers, the public, and other NPS units. NPS will also organize the one-day workshop with OAH and the researchers.

18) Will the HRS effort coordinate with other NPS studies or reports?

Yes. NPS will coordinate information-sharing between the HRS team and other related efforts, including teams working on the Sheriffs House Historic Structure Report and the Woodlawn property Cultural Landscape Report.

19) What program and authority are cited for this award?

The program is listed under CFDA 15.946, Cultural Resources Management. Statutory authority cited includes 16 USC 1(g), authorizing NPS to enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations to carry out NPS public purposes, along with references to National Historic Preservation Act authorities.

20) Why is there a closing date shown if this is not open for applications?

Although a closing date appears in the listing (September 3, 2014), the notice states this is not an application opportunity. The listing functions as a public notice of NPS intent to make a continuation award to OAH, not as a request for proposals.

21) Who can be contacted with questions about this notice?

The NPS point of contact listed is June Zastrow. Phone: 303-987-6718. Email: junezastrow@nps.gov.