Opportunity Information: Apply for NOIP17AC00981
The Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (CHYO) Historic Resource Study grant opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement focused on producing two major, closely related research products for the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, Ohio. CHYO was established by presidential proclamation on March 25, 2013, and includes Colonel Charles Young's home and adjoining farmland. The monument's mission is to preserve and protect these resources while commemorating and interpreting Young's life and accomplishments, along with the broader story of the Buffalo Soldiers, including their service, struggles, and achievements in the U.S. Army.
At the center of the award is the need for a professional historian with deep expertise in African American military history to develop a Historic Resource Study (HRS) and to update the site's National Historic Landmark (NHL) documentation. The HRS is described as a monograph-length baseline study that will establish an authoritative historic context for the park at both regional and national scales. In practical terms, it is meant to become the foundational narrative and analytical history the park can rely on for interpretation, resource management, and future planning. Alongside that, the project will revise and strengthen the NHL nomination for the Colonel Charles and Ada Young Home. The existing NHL designation dates to 1974 and is considered incomplete because it does not fully capture the multiple dimensions of Young's national significance; the update is intended to incorporate newer scholarship and present a more complete statement of why the place matters at the national level.
The scope of work emphasizes producing original scholarship and compiling sources in a professionally rigorous way that will be useful both to NPS and to academic researchers. The study is expected to treat Charles Young not only as an Army officer, but also as an educator and civil rights leader, addressing the broader historical landscape that shaped his life and the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers. The final information is also intended for public use and distribution through multiple channels, including web-based media, making the deliverables relevant for both internal NPS needs and external education and outreach.
The recipient's responsibilities are laid out in concrete, production-oriented steps. The Principal Investigator (PI) must begin with documentary research and deliver a comprehensive, detailed outline that guides the full study. Using the scope as a baseline, the PI is also expected to address additional relevant topics when appropriate, rather than treating the scope as a hard limit. The PI must then write a multi-chapter HRS that includes analysis of relevant historical sources using accepted historiographical methods. A GIS cultural resource base map is also required, and it must be adapted from an existing CHYO Cultural Landscape Report that was in a near-final (95-percent draft) stage at the time of the notice. In addition, the PI must complete oral history interviews, digitally record them, and provide typed transcripts, adding firsthand testimony to the documentary record. The NHL update is a separate printed product from the HRS, indicating that the project is not just a single narrative report but a set of coordinated deliverables tailored to different NPS purposes (park baseline history versus landmark nomination documentation).
Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, NPS is not simply issuing funds and waiting for a final report; it is positioned as an active partner in shaping and supporting the work. NPS commits to collaborating on the study concept and jointly developing the scope and activities. The agency will help the recipient gain access to archives and information through CHYO staff and will share relevant information being developed through an NPS Special Resource Study on the Buffalo Soldiers. NPS also plans to provide additional peer review by MWRO (Midwest Region) History Program historians, support the NHL research process, and supply preliminary research previously completed by a WASO (Washington Support Office) NHL intern. Finally, NPS will provide GIS maps from the CHYO Cultural Landscape Report for adaptation into the HRS base map. A program coordinator will serve as the liaison to keep the work aligned with NPS needs and standards.
A notable feature of this opportunity is that it is justified as a single-source award rather than a fully competitive process. The notice cites Department of the Interior and NPS policy requirements for explaining why competition is not practicable. NPS reports that it considered three historians with relevant experience, but selected the proposed PI due to unique qualifications, including recent work as a visiting curator for a military exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the PI's distinctive perspective as both a retired African American officer and a scholar of African American military history. The justification frames these attributes as providing a rare combination of subject-matter expertise, professional credibility, and interpretive voice well-suited to a project about Young and the Buffalo Soldiers.
Administratively, the opportunity is identified as NOIP17AC00981, issued by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.946. The opportunity was posted in late August 2017 with an early September 2017 closing date. It anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $126,277. Eligible applicants are listed broadly as "Others" (with additional eligibility details referenced but not included in the excerpt), which is consistent with the project-specific, expert-driven nature of the work described.Apply for NOIP17AC00981
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (CHYO) Historic Resource Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.946.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 29, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 08, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $126,277.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the CHYO Historic Resource Study (HRS) grant opportunity?
This opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS) discretionary cooperative agreement to produce two closely related research products for the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument (CHYO) in Wilberforce, Ohio: (1) a Historic Resource Study (HRS) and (2) an update to the National Historic Landmark (NHL) documentation for the Colonel Charles and Ada Young Home.
2) Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS).
3) What is the funding instrument and what does it imply?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. In this structure, NPS is an active partner rather than a funder that simply waits for final deliverables. NPS plans to collaborate on the study concept, jointly develop the scope and activities, assist with access to archives, provide information and peer review support, and supply certain GIS materials to be adapted for the project.
4) What are the main deliverables under this award?
The award centers on two major deliverables:
- A monograph-length Historic Resource Study (HRS) that establishes an authoritative historic context for CHYO at regional and national scales.
- A revised and strengthened National Historic Landmark (NHL) update for the Colonel Charles and Ada Young Home, produced as a separate printed product from the HRS.
5) What is a Historic Resource Study (HRS) in this context?
The HRS is described as a baseline, monograph-length study intended to become the foundational narrative and analytical history that CHYO can rely on for interpretation, resource management, and future planning. It is meant to establish authoritative historic context at both regional and national levels.
6) Why is the NHL documentation being updated?
The existing NHL designation dates to 1974 and is described as incomplete because it does not fully capture the multiple dimensions of Colonel Charles Young's national significance. The update is intended to incorporate newer scholarship and provide a more complete national-level statement of significance for the Colonel Charles and Ada Young Home.
7) Where is the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument located and what does it include?
CHYO is located in Wilberforce, Ohio. It includes Colonel Charles Young's home and adjoining farmland.
8) When was CHYO established?
CHYO was established by presidential proclamation on March 25, 2013.
9) What is the monument's mission as described in the opportunity?
The mission is to preserve and protect the monument's resources while commemorating and interpreting the life and accomplishments of Charles Young, along with the broader story of the Buffalo Soldiers, including their service, struggles, and achievements in the U.S. Army.
10) What kind of expertise is required for the Principal Investigator (PI)?
The opportunity emphasizes the need for a professional historian with deep expertise in African American military history. The work also calls for the ability to produce original scholarship, apply accepted historiographical methods, and develop research products that are useful to both NPS operations and academic researchers.
11) What topics is the HRS expected to cover?
The scope calls for treating Charles Young in multiple roles, not only as an Army officer, but also as an educator and civil rights leader. The study is also expected to address the broader historical landscape shaping his life and the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers.
12) Is the scope of work meant to be strictly limited to the listed topics?
No. The PI is expected to use the scope as a baseline and address additional relevant topics when appropriate, rather than treating the scope as a hard limit.
13) What are the key production steps the recipient is responsible for?
The recipient responsibilities are described in concrete, production-oriented steps, including:
- Beginning with documentary research.
- Delivering a comprehensive, detailed outline that guides the full study.
- Writing a multi-chapter HRS with analysis of relevant sources using accepted historiographical methods.
- Completing oral history interviews, digitally recording them, and providing typed transcripts.
- Producing a GIS cultural resource base map adapted from CHYO's Cultural Landscape Report (noted as a near-final 95% draft at the time of the notice).
- Producing an NHL update as a separate printed product from the HRS.
14) Are oral histories explicitly required?
Yes. The scope requires oral history interviews, including digital recordings and typed transcripts to add firsthand testimony to the documentary record.
15) Is a GIS component required?
Yes. A GIS cultural resource base map is required. It must be adapted from the existing CHYO Cultural Landscape Report that was in a near-final (95-percent draft) stage at the time of the notice.
16) What support will NPS provide during the project?
NPS commits to active collaboration and support, including:
- Collaborating on the study concept and jointly developing the scope and activities.
- Helping the recipient gain access to archives and information through CHYO staff.
- Sharing information being developed through an NPS Special Resource Study on the Buffalo Soldiers.
- Providing additional peer review by MWRO (Midwest Region) History Program historians.
- Supporting the NHL research process and supplying preliminary research completed by a WASO (Washington Support Office) NHL intern.
- Providing GIS maps from the CHYO Cultural Landscape Report for adaptation into the HRS base map.
- Assigning a program coordinator as liaison to keep the work aligned with NPS needs and standards.
17) How will the final information be used?
The deliverables are intended to support internal NPS needs (interpretation, resource management, and planning) and to be useful externally for education and outreach. The opportunity also notes public use and distribution through multiple channels, including web-based media.
18) Is this a competitive grant opportunity?
The notice describes it as a single-source award. It states that competition was considered not practicable under Department of the Interior and NPS policy requirements, and it explains that NPS reviewed multiple historians but selected a proposed PI based on unique qualifications.
19) Why does the notice justify a single-source award?
According to the notice, NPS considered three historians with relevant experience and selected the proposed PI due to unique qualifications. The justification highlights recent work as a visiting curator for a military exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with the PI's perspective as both a retired African American officer and a scholar of African American military history.
20) What is the opportunity number and program identification?
The opportunity is identified as NOIP17AC00981. It is listed under CFDA 15.946 as a discretionary cooperative agreement.
21) What is the anticipated award amount?
The opportunity anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $126,277.
22) When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted in late August 2017 and had an early September 2017 closing date.
23) Who is eligible to apply based on the excerpt?
Eligible applicants are listed broadly as "Others." The excerpt notes that additional eligibility details are referenced but not included in the provided information.
24) What makes the HRS and NHL update "closely related"?
Both products are intended to strengthen CHYO's historical foundation and documentation. The HRS establishes an authoritative historic context and baseline narrative for the park, while the NHL update revises and strengthens the national-level landmark documentation for the Colonel Charles and Ada Young Home using newer scholarship and a fuller statement of significance.
25) Does the opportunity specify the format of the NHL update?
Yes. The NHL update is described as a separate printed product from the HRS, indicating distinct deliverables tailored to different NPS purposes.
26) What role does peer review play in this cooperative agreement?
NPS indicates it will provide additional peer review through MWRO (Midwest Region) History Program historians. This is presented as part of NPS's active partnership to keep the work aligned with NPS needs and standards.
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