Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Announces Grants for Heritage Tourism and Education

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area representatives and partner organizations were joined by Congressman Paul Tonko at an event today to announce 17 Heritage Development Grant awards to regional historic and cultural institutions.  More than $60,000 was awarded to organizations in support of a variety of educational and interpretive programs that will showcase the area’s history and contribute to the region’s heritage tourism economy. The event was hosted by Mayor Kathy Sheehan at Albany’s historic City Hall.  Grant winners were also joined by Assemblymember Patricia A. Fahy, Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, and National Heritage Area Acting Director Mark Castiglione.   

Mark Castiglione, acting director of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area said, “Funding this diverse set of projects ensures that nationally significant cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley are recognized, preserved, and protected. These projects contribute to the tremendous investments New York State is making in tourism promotion and resource protection, and I applaud all the members of our Hudson Valley Congressional delegation for securing the resources that make these grants possible.”  
 
“These Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area grants will help to showcase the area’s history and contribute to the regional heritage tourism economy of the Hudson River Valley,” said Congressman Paul D. Tonko. “Thank you to the hard working staff members at all of these important historic sites who make sure residents and visitors to the Hudson Valley can experience its history first hand. I am proud to be a founding member of the National Heritage Area Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives to preserve these areas and ensure future successes of National Heritage Areas." 

“The Hudson Valley is rich in history and natural beauty,” said Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey. “As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have fought for National Heritage Area grants that enhance tourism and support our local economy.  In 2015, nearly $500,000 in federal funding to the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area was leveraged by public and private sources to produce an economic impact of $584 million, supporting 6,530 jobs. I will work to ensure that National Heritage Areas continue serving our local community.” 

The 2016 Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Heritage Development Grants awards are detailed below:

• $4,000 to Albany Institute for the printing of the Capital Region in 50 Objects Book that will feature images and information of all objects featured in the exhibition.
• $2,500 to Friends of Fort Crailo for the temporary exhibit “African Culture in the Dutch Atlantic World” that will travel to museums, university galleries, and public spaces.
• $3,500 to Historic Cherry Hill for their series of seven programs at five historic sites that will highlight the Capital Region's agricultural roots and continuing ties to the landscape.
• $4,000 to Friends of Schuyler Mansion for a digital library that will engage visitors in the process of choosing décor for the mansion’s Best Parlor.
• $5,000 to Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. to design six instructional developmentally appropriate programs for students in grades 4-12 that will increase knowledge about local Underground Railroad history.
• $2,500 to Thomas Cole National Historic Site to promote the opening of Thomas Cole’s New Studio—the only building that Cole designed and built.
• $5,000 to Friends of Clermont to expand a garden project that teaches students where their food comes from, community, agriculture, and healthy eating.
• $1,400 to North East Historical Society for a walking tour brochure that will capture Millerton’s historic significance.
• $3,000 to Dorsky Museum for a pilot project to create an online visual art exhibition drawn from the collections of Hudson Valley Visual Arts Collections Consortium.
• $5,000 to Historic Huguenot Street to establish fresh and exciting tours and programs to engage and educate audiences about Historic Huguenot Street.
• $5,000 to Dutchess Tourism to fund a Great Estates pass to encourage tourists to visit several of the major historic sites in the Dutchess County region.
• $2,000 to Hudson Highlands Land Trust to create a map/brochure that will increase awareness of the 2016 Take-A-Hike Program, a guided hike series that educates participants about the natural, cultural, scenic, and historic resources of the Hudson Highlands region.
• $4,000 to Putnam History Museum for an exhibition of authors Anna and Susan Warner and their lives at Constitution Island.
• $3,115 to Friends of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park for the production, purchase, and installation of five bilingual interpretive signs as a part of a History Trail.
• $3,000 to Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct for interpretive graphic panels at the visitor house and education center, offering insights into topics such as maintaining clean city water and environmental stewardship.
• $4,000 to Untermyer Gardens Conservancy for interpretive signage that will enhance the visitor’s experience of the garden and its history. 
• $4,000 to Friends of Philipse Manor Hall for an exhibit focusing on the immigration history of Yonkers, including photos, graphics, media players, a lecture series, and signage.

Priority was given to projects that featured a designated Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Heritage Site, connected multiple heritage sites thematically or geographically, were part of a larger local or regional heritage initiative, incorporated mechanisms for sustainability beyond the period of the grant, elements that increase diversity, and projects that involved partnerships with other heritage sites, municipalities, and for profit and not-for-profit organizations.  

The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area program was established by Congress in 1996 and is funded through the National Park Service and Department of the Interior. The mission of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area is to recognize, preserve, protect and interpret the nationally significant historic, cultural and natural resources of the Hudson River Valley for the benefit of the Nation.  The Hudson River Valley Greenway is the management entity for the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.