Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) are available to assist organizations in solving problems, increasing professionalism and building capacity. Matching funds are not required. The grants are administered on a competitive basis and the awards are made throughout the year based on review by PHMC staff and representatives from the program administrators. Applications are submitted through the PHMC eGrant system.

The TAG program is jointly administered by PHMC and two Statewide Organization partners: Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations and Preservation Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations administers the consultant selection process and grant awards for museum, collection and archive and records related technical assistance. Please contact Janet MacGregor of PFMHO at 717-909-3995 or janet.macgregor@pamuseums.org for more details.

Preservation Pennsylvania administers the consultant selection process and grant awards for historic preservation related technical assistance. Please contact Mindy Crawford of Preservation at 717-234-2310 or mcrawford@preservationpa.org for more details.

Availability of Funds. Grant awards are subject to the annual availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding is based on the state fiscal year, July through June.

Who May Apply
Organizations with general operating budgets of less than $250,000 may apply for technical assistance. Organizations with general operating budgets over $250,000 may apply if they are acting as a mentor for a smaller group that does not have IRS 501(c)(3) status, or has not been in existence for the required two year period, or if they are applying for activities that are normally not part of their mission.

The following are the types of organizations that are eligible to apply.

• Colleges and universities
• Conservancies
• Historical societies
• Local governments
• Museums
• Preservation organizations
• Schools and school districts

Who May Not Apply
Organizations and others that are not eligible to apply include:

• Museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission;
• Associate Groups at museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission;
• Museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies;
• Associate groups at museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies;
• State government;
• Federal government; and
• Individuals.

Eligibility Requirements
To apply for a Technical Assistance Grant, an organization must meet the following requirements:

• Must be located in Pennsylvania;
• Must have tax-exempt status (501(c)(3)) with the Internal Revenue Service or be an entity of local government;
• Must have been incorporated and accessible to the public for at least two years prior to the submission of the grant application; and
• Must be registered with the Pennsylvania Commission on Charitable Organizations, as required.

General Conditions
There are two general conditions for Technical Assistance Grants.

• Grant awards will not exceed $1,500. A cash award will not be given to the grantee but will be made to individuals or organizations incurring the expenses or providing the services.
• This grant is not awarded annually; rather, institutions may apply for it at any time. The applications are subject to review on at least a quarterly basis, and awards will be made on a similar time frame.

Categories of Support
There are three broad categories of support for Technical Assistance Grants. Awards may be made to:

• Pay honoraria and travel expenses for site visits and consultation between the grantee and professionals whose expertise is required; (Consultants will be selected by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission through a review panel process.)
• Pay registration fees for staff to attend training workshops to acquire skills helpful to the recipient organization; and
• Pay matching costs to the American Association of Museums for Museum Assessment Program (MAP) and Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) reviews, or reviews by other bona fide survey programs.

Technical Assistance Grants are intended to help small organizations acquire needed skills, not to pay consultants to undertake projects for the organization. Examples of eligible projects include:

Museum Related Activities

• Staff, board and institutional development;
• Collections management issues;
• Archives and Records management issues;
• Pre-MAP preparation, CAP, MAP or other certified reviews;
• Long range planning, including capital campaign and fund raising training;
• Developing a project scope in preparation for applying for a PHMC grant (concept development, not application preparation);
• Registration costs for conferences and training workshops;

Preservation planning

• Organizational Development;
• Long range planning, including capital campaign and fund raising training;
• Preliminary Building Assessment
• Historic Resource Survey training for staff and volunteers
• Seminars to introduce preservation tools to municipal officials
• Project development for public programming such as architectural tours and homeowner workshops
• Main Street training for preservation programs
• Community visioning
• Registration costs for conferences and training workshops;

Grant Period and Implementation Timetable
Technical Assistance Grants may be applied for throughout the year. Applications are generally reviewed at least on a quarterly basis. Consultants are selected shortly thereafter, and projects are implemented in a timely manner.

Maximum Number of Awards
Applicants may apply for and may receive more than one Technical Assistance Grant in any one year.

Eligible applicants may also apply for and may receive under the Pennsylvania History and Museum Grant Program one type of Project Grant and one type of General Operating Support Grant. The applicant may also serve as the lead partner of a collaborative grant.

Applicants meeting the relevant eligibility requirements may also apply for and may receive one grant under the Certified Local Government Grant Program and one grant under the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program.

Please take the time to read the material on this website to determine if you are eligible to receive other grants from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Applications
Applicants for Technical Assistance Grants are required to use the web-based electronic grant application process. Exceptions are generally only made for those applicants who do not have access to the necessary equipment. Exceptions must be discussed in advance with the appropriate grants manager. (See the section entitled " PHMC Grants Staff " for names, telephone numbers and email addresses.)

The electronic grant application process has been in use for several years now and provides a mechanism for you to complete your grant application on-line. It is a relatively simple process that allows you to submit your application as late as midnight of the appointed deadline date. Commission staff can also review your application while in progress and are available to assist you and answer questions.

To download a PDF of the Technical Assistance Grants Application Click Here.