April 2009—The National Park Service (NPS) has announced that Japanese American Confinement Sites grant applications are now available for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.
Grants will be awarded to organizations and entities working to preserve historic Japanese American confinement sites and their history, including: private nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and state, local, and tribal governments, and other public entities. Ten War Relocation Authority camps, such as Tule Lake, Heart Mountain and others, are specifically included in the legislation, although Department of Justice, Army and temporary detention sites where Japanese, German and Italian Americans and Latin Americans were interned may also be considered. The legislation makes clear that projects funded must concentrate specifically on the Japanese American experience, although mention may be made of other ethnicities interned.
Grants will be awarded through a competitive process and require a non-Federal match in at least a 2:1 ratio ($2 Federal to $1 non-Federal match). For Fiscal Year 2009, Congress appropriated $1 million for the use of this grant program.
Please visit the following website for information about the grant program, program contact information, and to download grant application forms and instructions:
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/hpg/JACS/ Applications must be received by MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2009.
Informational meetings about the grant program will be held across the nation during the next two months. Please visit the grant website or contact one of the NPS regional offices about times and locations.