NCPH-NPS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

In 2020 the National Council on Public History signed a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. On this page we’ll be occasionally releasing RFPs or Requests for Letters of Interest in search of principal investigators for contracts in fulfillment of this cooperative agreement. While the requirements and qualifications for submission will vary and will be included in individual RFPs, all letters of interest should be sent to [email protected].

While you do not need to be a member of NCPH to submit a letter of interest, if selected for a project through this NCPH-NPS collaboration we will ask principal investigators to join NCPH for the duration of your contract.

We also plan to build this section of the website out to update you on ongoing projects.

OPEN RFPS

There are no open RFPs at this time. Check back in Spring 2025.

PAST RFPS

Request for Letters of Interest – Women in the American revolution study
DEAdline extended! Letters of interest now due 11/25/24

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to produce a professionally researched study of Women in the American Revolution in the Northeast Region. The study will showcase inclusive, diverse, and place-based stories of women who lived and worked during the American Revolution to the public. The study will connect women’s history with contemporary contexts and to engage underserved communities and will build on thematic work accomplished to date and provide historical contexts to support history at historic sites in the Northeast Region and beyond. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with experience in early American history, women’s history, and/or NPS Special History Studies .

Compensation: $50,000. (This is the total compensation for the PI(s)/Lead Editor(s), and it includes travel. Additional funding is available should the PI/Editor choose to take on Section 508 compliance work. NCPH’s indirect rate for project management, publication expenses, and peer review are separate budget lines and do not come out of the PI’s funding.)

The project also has funding for the following:

$6,000 for an interpretive materials consultant (which could also be completed by the PI/Editor depending on skill, capacity, and interest – please address in your letter of interest if you wish to be considered for this work)
$50,000 for case study authors/researchers
$2,000 for advisory committee honoraria
$2,000 for copyright permissions.

Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: ~~October 30, 2024~~ November 25, 2024
Expected Date to Award Project: ~~November 15, 2024~~ December 11, 2024
Anticipated Start Date: ~~December 1, 2024~~ December 15, 2024
Timeline for Completion: July 1, 2027

Request for Letters of Interest – Special History Study of African American History at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to produce a Special History Study of African American History at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The Special History Study (SHS) should explore the roles that African Americans played during the War of 1812 — the first major conflict after the American Revolution, and one that saw African American historical actors embrace and serve in a variety of roles that reflected desires for freedom and equality. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with experience with African American history, genealogy, and/or NPS Special History Studies .

Compensation: $78,000.00. (This is the total compensation for the PI(s), and it includes $2,500 allocated for travel and $1,500 for copyright permissions. Additional funding is available should the PI choose to take on Section 508 compliance work. NCPH’s indirect rate for project management, publication expenses, and peer review are separate budget lines and do not come out of the PI’s funding.)

Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: October 30, 2024
Expected Date to Award Project: November 15, 2024
Anticipated Start Date: December 1, 2024
Timeline for Completion: July 1, 2027

Request for Letters of Interest – national heritage area program legislative history

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to produce a comprehensive legislative history with an executive summary compiled in a professional, publishable report. This project will detail the legislation history and analyze how each legislative action influenced how the program is managed by the National Park Service over time, to include how funding was distributed to the individual NHAs and to the NPS regional offices. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with experience with policy history, program administrative history, or institutional history.

Compensation: $52,000. (This is the total compensation for the PI(s), although additional support is available should the PI choose to take on Section 508 Compliance work. NCPH’s indirect rate for project management, publication expenses, and peer review are separate budget lines and do not come out of the PI’s funding.)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 1, 2024
Expected Date to Award Project: September 1, 2024
Anticipated Start Date: October 1, 2024
Timeline for Completion: May 15, 2026

Request for Letters of Interest – Historic Resource Study, Petersburg National Battlefield, Eastern Front Unit

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct a Historic Resource Study (HRS) for the Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield (NB), located in Petersburg, Virginia. This HRS focuses on the Eastern Front Unit and the three battlefield areas within it: Initial Assaults, Crater Battlefield, and Fort Stedman. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with experience with military analysis, prehistoric resources, and archaeology.

Compensation: $65,959.25 (This is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s) (PI), Research Assistants, travel, research expenses, and copyright permissions). An additional $5,900 is available for PIs who wish to handle copyediting, 508 compliance, design, and/or layout.
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: October 30, 2023
Expected Date to Award Project: December 1, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: January 2024
Timeline for Completion: November 2025

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – Historic Resource study Addendum on african american history, paterson great falls historical park

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct a Historic Resource Study Addendum on African American History at Paterson Great Falls Historical Park. The initial HRS was completed in 2019 and documented and analyzed Paterson’s history from the establishment of the S.U.M in the late 18th century through the decline of manufacturing and the impact of deindustrialization in the second half of the 20th century. This addendum project will address one of the primary research suggestions of the initial HRS – the addendum will expand the African American history context. Please read the full narrative in PDF format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with African American history and community engagement work.

Compensation: $74,100 (This is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s), RAs, travel, research expenses, and copyright permissions). An additional $5,050 is available for PIs who wish to handle copy editing, 508 compliance, design, and/or layout.
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: October 15, 2023
Expected Date to Award Project: December 1, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: January 2024
Timeline for Completion: March 2026

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – Historic Resource study of african american communities on the antietam battlefield and in sharpsburg

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct a Historic Resource Study of African American experiences on the Antietam National Battlefield and National Cemetery and in Sharpsburg, MD. This study will incorporate historical research and community and descendant engagement efforts to understand the meaning of freedom for African Americans at Antietam throughout the history of the battlefield and cemetery. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample. Please note that we are particularly looking for PIs or project teams with experience with African American history and community engagement work.

Compensation: $77,812 (this is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s), RAs, Section 508 Compliance, travel, and research expenses)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: November 1, 2022
Expected Date to Award Project: December 1, 2022
Anticipated Start Date: January 2023
Timeline for Completion: March 2025

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – COLTSVILLE HISTORIC RESOURCE STUDY

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct the first Historic Resource Study (HRS) for Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford, Connecticut. The HRS will expand earlier analyses of park resources and will provide essential information which will inform decisions about the preservation, management, and interpretation of historic and cultural resources at the park. The study will synthesize all available cultural resource information from multiple disciplines in a narrative designed to serve managers, planners, interpreters, cultural resource specialists, and the interested public as a reference for the history of the region and the resources within the park. It will build on thematic work accomplished to date and provide the necessary historical contexts for completing key park plans and reports, including a Long-Range Interpretive Plan, cultural resource inventories, and updating National Register documentation. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Compensation: $84,739 (this is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s), RAs, Section 508 Compliance, travel and research expenses)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: November 1, 2022
Expected Date to Award Project: December 1, 2022
Anticipated Start Date: January 2023
Timeline for Completion: May 2025

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – Special History Study of Black History at the Vassal Estate

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct a Special History Study for Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site in Cambridge, MA. Focusing on Black history, this study will document and analyze the Black experience during and after John and Elizabeth Vassall’s occupancy (about 1769-1861). This project will uncover the lives and communities of enslaved and formerly enslaved people who worked at the Vassall House and lived in the surrounding community of Cambridge before, during, and after the American Revolution. The information produced from this study will greatly expand existing baseline information and will influence different aspects of the park, including interpretation and education programming, and influence how the park’s significance is presented to visitors and the public. In addition to a complete, peer-reviewed, edited, formatted, and publication-ready manuscript of a Special History Study, this project will also involve engagement with the site’s known descendant community (about a dozen individuals) and, we hope, identification of more descendants for future outreach. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Compensation: $80,650 (This is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s), RAs, Section 508 Compliance, travel, copy editing and formatting, and research expenses)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: November 1, 2022
Expected Date to Award Project: December 1, 2022
Anticipated Start Date: January 2023
Timeline for Completion: September 2025

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – NPS DISABILITY HISTORY HANDBOOK LEAD EDITOR

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History’s objective with this Request for Letters of Interest (RLoI) is to select a Lead Editor who will oversee the research, writing, and editing of a scholarship-based official National Park Service (NPS) Handbook on the history of people with disabilities in the United States. The Handbook is not a manual or how-to guide. Rather, it will be an anthology comprised of thematic and chronological essays, an introduction, an afterword, and a bibliography. Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word form for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Lead Editor Compensation: $17,500.00
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: January 21, 2022
Expected Date to Award Project: February 7, 2022
Anticipated Start Date: February 2022
Timeline for Completion: September 1, 2023

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE SOUTHWESTERN NATIONAL MONUMENTS GROUP

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to research and write a monograph-length narrative about the Southwestern National Monuments group, 1923-1957, using primary and secondary source research and working closely with the NPS Western Archeological and Conservation Center and the legacy Intermountain Regional Office. The project historian(s) will also collect research documents that relate to museum collections and resources projects. Lastly, the project historian(s) will prepare a Transfer of Knowledge (TOK) product, to be decided upon between the historian, NCPH, and NPS staff. Please read the full narrative for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Compensation: $115,765.00 (this is the total compensation for the principal investigator(s), including all travel and research expenses)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 1, 2021
Expected Date to Award Project: September 1, 2021
Anticipated Start Date: October 2021
Timeline for Completion: By December 31, 2024

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HERITAGE CITIES CRITERION ESSAYS

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks subject matter experts in the history of the World War II home front or mid-twentieth century American history to research the Congressionally-established criteria for the American World War II Heritage City program and develop historic context for these criteria that can be used to aid the National Park Service in the evaluation of Heritage City nominations. We seek authors to write essays for each of the eight criteria; a ninth essay on trends in memorialization and historic preservation of the home front; and a tenth and final essay to be mutually decided upon between the author, NPS, and NCPH. Each of the ten essays will be about 2,500 words in length and will be compensated at the rate of $2,500 per essay. Potential authors or teams are welcome to submit letters of interest for the full run of essays or as few as one. Please read the full narrative for a description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as a brief exploration of Congress’s criteria and instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Compensation: $2,500 per essay for each of ten essays; authors will be paid per-essay upon completion of the essay and should specify in their letter of interest how many essays they want to take on
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 15, 2021
Expected Date to Award Project: September 15, 2021
Projected Start Date: October 1, 2021
Timeline for Completion: October 1, 2022

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – WORLD WAR II HOME FRONT PARK UNIT WORKING GROUP FACILITATORS

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS), the National Council on Public History seeks two historians with subject matter expertise on the World War II home front or 20th century U.S. history to facilitate a working group that will convene representatives of NPS sites related to the World War II Home Front for sustained conversation and connect them with home front scholars outside NPS. An iteration of this working group will convene virtually in the fall and meet in-person or virtually concurrently with NCPH’s annual meeting in the spring for the next three years (spring 2022, spring 2023, and spring 2024). While ideally at least one of the two facilitators will see the project through for the full three years to provide continuity (with $27,000 compensation over three years), we anticipate some turnover in working group participation from year to year. For this reason, we ask prospective facilitators to let us know what your ideal commitment would be; you can indicate interest for just this year or for multiple years. Please read the full narrative for a description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and more information about the NCPH working group format.

Compensation: $9,000 per facilitator per year, for up to three years
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: ~~September 1, 2021 extended to~~ September 10, 2021
Expected Date to Award Project: September 15, 2021
Projected Start Date: October 1, 2021
Timeline for Completion: June 2022 (for the first year); June 2024 for the full run of three annual working groups

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – Civil War Defenses of Washington Administrative History

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct an Administrative History of the Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW), a network of seventeen Civil War forts, batteries, rifle trenches, and one national cemetery that encircle the city of Washington, DC. This document will describe how the CWDW were individually and jointly conceived and established, their NPS development and operational history, and how they have been managed by NPS to the present day. It will particularly focus on the conception and administration of these sites as a cohesive group, and the major issues that have shaped their past and current management philosophies. It includes an oral history component.

Please read the full narrative in PDF or Word format for the description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as instructions for submitting your letter of interest and professional writing sample.

Compensation: $68,874.55 (This is the total compensation for the PI(s) and any additional Project Historians, including travel). There is an additional $2,000 available for 508 compliance and $800 for publication expenses available for project teams interested in taking on that work.
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 1, 2023
Expected Date to Award Project: September 1, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: October 15, 2023
Timeline for Completion: May 31, 2026

REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST – Pecos National Historical Park Administrative History

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks a qualified historian (or team of historians) to conduct an Administrative History of Pecos National Historical Park. In addition to the Administrative History, this project includes a substantial oral history component with its own budget. Pecos was initially managed as Pecos State Monument by the state of New Mexico between 1935 and 1965. It became a national monument in 1965 and then a national historical park in 1990. The park has never had an administrative history done before and has no oral history collection. This administrative history should cover the years from 1935 to 2022.

Compensation: $139,891.00. This is the total compensation for the PI(s), comprising $34,590 for component A (oral histories); $84,800 for component B (the administrative history product); $15,000 for travel ($5,000 for component A and $10,000 for component B); $2,000 for Section 508 compliance; $1,501 for supplies; and $2,000 for map preparation. (NCPH’s indirect rate for project management and publication expenses for copyediting, peer review, and tribal review come from separate budget lines.)
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 1, 2023
Expected Date to Award Project: September 1, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: October 1, 2023
Timeline for Completion: July 1, 2026

Request for Letters of Interest – Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site Special History Study

Compensation: $39,250 (This is the total compensation for the PI(s), including travel, 508 compliance, and copyright permissions.) There is an optional additional $2,000 for an outside copy editor, which can be redirected to the PI if they are part of a larger organization that has internal copyediting capacity if the selected PI(s) have team capacity.
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 15, 2023
Expected Date to Award Project: September 1, 2023
Anticipated Start Date: October 1, 2023
Timeline for Completion: November 1, 2026
Questions? Email [email protected]