Under the Administration’s budget request, the Teaching American History grants would now be part of a new program call “Effective Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education.” The administration is proposing $265 million in funding for the new initiative. Funds would support competitive grants to States and “high-need school districts” to improve teaching and learning in the arts, foreign languages, civics and government, history, geography, economics and financial literacy.

It is important to remember this is only part of the Administration’s proposed budget and Congress will have the final say with regard to funding priorities.

Please note below that for comparison purposes, the FY ‘09 budget number will be included in parentheses after the FY 2010 proposed amount.

Operating Expenses
$348.6 million ($339.7 million) +$8.9 million

Although the President is requesting decreased overall funding for NARA, he is seeking increased Operating Expenses (OE) funding of $348,689,000, up from this year’s appropriated level of $339,770,000, or a 2.6 percent increase. The OE base increase will fund the increased costs for staff, energy, security, building operations, and information technology requirements.

The OE increase will also allow NARA to hire 57 new full-time staff members to support a variety of programs. These include:

National Declassification Center: Resources have been provided to staff and operate the new National Declassification Center (NDC). The President established the NDC within NARA to overhaul the government’s system of declassifying material. For FY 2011, the Budget requests $5,100,000 and 28 Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) to establish the National Declassification Center (NDC) and hire contract support to design and develop an integrated interagency information technology declassification system.

The new IT system will need to be flexible enough to allow files from other Federal agencies to be entered, reviewed and declassified. Ideally this system will be able to store the classified records, and provide Freedom of Information, redaction, and declassification services.To design and develop the interagency information technology (IT) system, the Budget requests $2,800,000.

The Budget requests $2,300,000 to establish the National Declassification Center office at the National Archives College Park facility. These resources will support:

• Hiring staff to include a Senior Executive Service Director, Instructional Design Specialist, a training specialist, and three Archives Specialists;
• Office fit out costs to include furniture, phones, and equipment;
• Travel to other Federal agencies to obtain stakeholder support; and
• General office operational costs.

Holdings Protection Program: For FY 2011, the Budget requests $1,500,000 for 8 FTE to implement a comprehensive holdings protection program to protect NARA holdings from external and internal threats. A new “holdings protection team” has been created to protect NARA holdings from internal and external threats. This team will develop loss prevention training and conduct compliance inspections.

Controlled Unclassified Information Office: Staff resources under the Information Security Oversight Office have been increased for the Controlled Unclassified Information Office to support expanded mission requirements. For FY 2011, the Budget requests $1,200,000 for 9 FTE to increase the capability of the Controlled Unclassified Information Office in order to meet its increased responsibilities and expanded mission.

Increase Archival Staff: The increase in OE funding will support 12 new entry-level staff archivists, which will enable NARA to continue building a cadre of new archivists to address the agency’s growing records management workload. For FY 2011, the Budget requests $950,000 and 12 FTE to address the growing workload of records and build a cadre of Archivists for the future.

The President also recommends a 3.7 percent increase in the budget for NARA’s Inspector General to hire one additional auditor.

Electronic Records Archives (ERA) project–$85.5 million ($85.5 million) no change

For continued development and deployment of the Electronic Records Archives (ERA), the President is seeking $85,500,000, the same amount appropriated for the current fiscal year. Of the total Budget, the Administration is requesting that $23,743,000 be made available as one-year funding and the remaining $61,757,000 be made available as three-year funding.

Repairs and Restoration
$11.8 million ($27.5 million) -$15.6 million

For Repairs and Restoration (R&R) to NARA-owned buildings, the President is seeking $11,848,000, a decrease of 57 percent from the current year’s level. Of this, $6,848,000 is for base R&R requirements for NARA owned buildings, and $5,000,000 is for the top priority project on NARA’s Capital Improvements Plan, which calls for changes to the infrastructure on the ground floor of the National Archives Building in Washington.

These changes at the National Archives Building will enable the eventual creation of an orientation plaza to improve visitors’ ability to find their way to the Charters of Freedom, Public Vaults, Theatre, and temporary exhibit gallery. It will also create space for a new Freedom Hall gallery, expand the gift shop and create a MyArchives gallery area that will allow visitors a glimpse into the research side of the Archives. The Foundation for the National Archives has committed to raising $10 million in funding for the project, however it is contingent on the government’s decision to provide the core infrastructure to support the new development.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently held a hearing to inquire as to whether the National Archives is over-emphasizing its public education programs at the expense of its core mission of preserving records and making them accessible to the public. So the proposal to turn existing research space into public education areas may prove to be controversial during the upcoming appropriations process in Congress.

The President’s request includes $80,250,000 to enable the Endowment to fund grants in the study, preservation, public programming, and teaching of the humanities, including $2.5 million for a special initiative—Bridging Cultures—to enhance Americans’ understanding of their own cultural heritage as well as the cultural complexity of an increasingly interdependent world. An additional $14,050,000 is requested for matching grants, which leverage non-federal support for the humanities.

The budget would direct $38,515,000 to the 56 state and territorial humanities councils to continue activities that range from reading and discussion programs to educational institutes for teachers.

FY 11 Proposed NEH Funding by Program (FY 11 proposed vs. FY 10 enacted)
(Amounts in thousands)

• $2,500 – Bridging Cultures (new initiative)
• $40,370 – Federal/State partnership ($40,370) -$1,855
• $16,250 – Preservation and access ($17,116) -$866
• $14,750 – Public programs ($15,616) +$866
• $16,000 – Research programs ($16,866) -$866
• $14,750 – Education programs ($15,616) -$866
• $500 – Program development ($750) -$250
• $11,500 – We The People Initiative grants ($14,500) -$3,000
• $4,000 – Digital Humanities Initiatives ($4,866) -$866

$118,765—Subtotal Grants————-($125,700) -$6,935

$4,550 – Treasury funds ($4,800) -$250
$9,500 – Challenge grants ($9,500) no change
$14,050– Subtotal Matching Grants—-($14,300) -$250

$28,500 – Administration ($27,500) +$1,000

$161,315 – TOTAL HUMANITIES ($167,500) -$6,185

$2.17 billion is provided for the operation of the National Park Service (NPS). This represents a $21.7 million decrease over the FY 2010 level.

Funding for historical and preservation-related programs at the Park Service are summarized below. Please note below that for comparison purposes, the FY 10 appropriation will be included in parentheses after the administration’s proposed FY 11 number.

Historic Preservation Fund–$54.5 million ($79.5 million) -$25 million. The Fund includes:

• State Historic Preservation Offices–$46.5 ($46.5 million) no change
• Tribal Grants–$8 million ($8 million) no change
• Save America’s Treasures program–eliminated ($25 million) -$25 million: These funds are used to make small one-time grants for specific local historic preservation projects to preserve a building or artifact which might otherwise be lost.

National Recreation and Preservation–$51 million ($68.4 million) -$17.4 million. This account includes:

• Heritage Partnership programs–$9 million ($17 million) -8.8 million. These funds finance grants to local non-profit groups in support of historical and cultural recognition, preservation and tourism activities.
• Preserve America program—eliminated ($4.6 million) -$4.6 million: This program provides small grants to local communities in support of heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning activities.

American Battlefield Grants program–$6 million ($9 million) -$3 million. The program provides matching grants to State and local entities to preserve and protect American battlefield sites outside the national park system.

Cultural Programs–$25 million ($25 million) no change

The bill provides $5 million for the Park Partnership Project Grants program. It is a matching grant program that allows the Park Service to fund merit-based signature projects and programs throughout the park system. It allows the NPS to leverage, from non-federal sources, no less than 50 percent of the total cost of each project. The program was launched during the Bush administration to help celebrate the Park Service’s centennial in 2016. Congress provided $15 million for the program in FY 2010.

The Salaries and Expenses account covers salaries and benefits, rent, utilities, travel, routine maintenance, security and other operating expenses. This year, the Smithsonian requested an additional $3.6 million to partially cover mandatory salary increases and related costs, such as workers’ compensation, and an additional $147,000 for utilities, rent and other fixed operating costs.

A total of $1.5 million will be dedicated to staff and computer equipment to continue the process of digitizing the Smithsonian collections to making them accessible to researchers and people who cannot visit the museums by using the Internet and other technologies.

Facilities Capital funds for FY 2011 are requested for a variety of revitalization projects, which total $106.1 million. The National Museum of American History would receive $18 million to convert the parking garage into useable space for collections storage during the next renovation phase (west wing).

$20 million in the Planning and Design budget is included for the National Museum of African American History and Culture which is scheduled to open in 2015.

The President requested $213.5 million for the nation’s 123,000 libraries. Of that amount, approximately 80 percent ($172.5 million) is distributed through the Grants to States program to the State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and freely associated states, according to a population-based formula.

The President requested $35.2 million for programs that support over 17,500 museums nationwide. Museums for America, the Institute’s largest grant program for museums, would receive $19.1 million.

The Library of Congress would receive a $22 million increase for salaries and expenses in FY 11, up to a level of $461 million.

The Education Department will have $118.9 million available for awards which should fund approximately 120-125 projects.

For further information contact: Alex Stein, Margarita Melendez, or
Bonnie Carter, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 4W206, Washington, DC 20202-5960. Telephone: (202) 205-9085, (202)
260-3548, or (202) 401-3576 or by e-mail: TeachingAmericanHistory@ed.gov

If you use a TDD, call the FRS toll free at 1-800-877-8339.

The Grace Tully Archive is a collection of documents and memorabilia pertaining to President Franklin Roosevelt that is comprised of items that were gathered by his personal secretary throughout FDR’s private and public career as Governor of New York and as President. After Tully’s death in 1981, her collection of personal papers passed on through her niece into the hands of private collectors, and finally, to the current owner, Sun Times Media, which bought the collection for $8 million in 2001. Subsequently, Sun Times Media decided to donate the entire collection to the FDR Presidential Library.

In 2004, the National Archives asserted a claim of ownership to certain documents in the collection, arguing that those documents were Presidential records and should have originally been provided to NARA instead of staying with Grace Tully’s collection. Specific statues governing the maintenance and ownership of such records were not enacted until after the death of President Roosevelt.

Due to the Archives’ formal claim, Sun Times Media has been prevented from receiving any type of tax deduction for the donation. The bill removes the legal tax barriers preventing the donation of the papers.

The National Council on the Humanities council is NEH’s 26-member advisory body. Alexander was nominated by President Barack Obama on Sept. 29, 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 24, 2009. The National Council on the Humanities meets four times a year to review grant applications and to advise NEH’s chairman. Alexander is replacing Marguerite Sullivan on the council. Alexander will be sworn in at the February 2010 meeting; her term will run until Jan. 26, 2014.

Alexander is Adjunct Professor of History at George Washington University, where she has taught since 1983. She teaches classes on the history of slavery, the civil rights movement, and African-American women. Alexander has also taught at Howard University, University of Maryland-College Park, and Trinity College.

Professor Louis will be at the Kluge Center, from January through May. Louis is currently working on a history of the Oxford University Press.

Louis is the Kerr Professor of English History and Culture at the University of Texas (UT). He is also editor-in-chief of The Oxford History of the British Empire and director of the American Historical Association’s (AHA) National History Center.

The author and editor of approximately 30 books, Louis is best known for his work on the British Empire, focusing mostly on official British policy and decolonization in Asia, Africa and the Middle East in the period after the Second World War.

Louis became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1993, and in 1999 the Queen made Louis a Commander of the British Empire for professional achievement. He is also the former chairman of the U.S. State Department’s Historical Advisory Committee and former president of AHA.

Materials available at the College Park facility include:

• The textual release includes 5,500 pages declassified, in whole or in part, as the result of mandatory review requests from individual researchers. These documents essentially cover national security matters. Topics include the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, President Nixon’s visit to Europe in 1969 (including his meetings with French President Charles de Gaulle), US-West German discussions on the future of a divided Berlin, the Jordanian Crisis of 1970, the Oil Embargo of 1973, and U.S. relations with Brazil, Chile Egypt, India, Spain and the United Kingdom and the former USSR;
• Approximately 20,000 pages of formerly restricted materials from the White House Special Files and Staff Member and Office files. These documents comprise several memoranda by President Nixon, Charles W. Colson, Patrick J. Buchanan and H. R. “Bob” Haldeman on policy, campaign tactics, political matters and political appointments; Topics include liberalism and conservatism in the Nixon White House, Public Broadcasting, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Hoffa, Dan Rather, Katherine Graham, Dick Cavett, Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the political investigation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Busing, the Federal Reserve, and the appointment of a new Vice President in 1973. This release also includes handwritten notes made by White House staff members in 1971-72 that provide additional details on the attempted politicization of the Internal Revenue Service, the selling of ambassadorships, the covert surveillance of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy and the creation of domestic political espionage (i.e., Operation Sandwedge) and “dirty tricks” capabilities ahead of the 1972 campaign;
• Donated photographic materials of chief White House photographer Oliver F. Atkins. Comprising over 7,000 photographic negatives, transparencies, prints, contact sheets and related publications, this collection spans the important career of Mr. Atkins from the early 1940’s through the 1970’s. This is a major addition to the Nixon Library’s audio-visual collection. 5,400 of the image negatives are available on contact sheets for research, but 1,800 do not have contact sheets, but finding aids can be used.

Materials Available in Yorba Linda, CA:

• Approximately 40,000 pages of domestic policy materials from the Health, Education and Welfare and White House files of Frederic V. Malek. This collection includes materials on Mr. Malek’s role in systematizing the staffing of the entire federal government; on the Nixon administration’s commitment to environmental protection and welfare reform; as well as documents that further detail religious discrimination and the political investigation of the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1971;
• Approximately 75,000 pages from Mr. Malek’s files from the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), where he served as Deputy Campaign Manager in 1972. The Nixon Library received the CRP files as part of a large 2007 deed of gift of political and campaign materials from the Nixon Foundation;
• A small collection of Alexander M. Haig, Jr.’s staff member and office files.