You might have missed this important preservation funding announcement last week amid the angst of snow storms, school closings and snow-laden roofs. 

At a gathering  in the Emancipation Room at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C. – a National Trust Historic Site and a Save America’s Treasures success story –  it was announced that  “Save America’s Treasures” grants would be awarded to 60 organizations from across the country. 

On February 1, 2011, the National Park Service and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities jointly announced the awarding of $14.3 million in federal competitive Save America’s Treasures grants. The grants are made in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Save America’s Treasures’ private partner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. With the grants, 60 organizations and agencies will conserve our country’s cultural and historic treasures.

Of special interest as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of  John F. Kennedy’s inaugration as the 35th President of the United States – is the award given to the JFK Library for the preservation of  First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy’s collection of scrapbooks, letters, memos, albums and other ephemera covering her time and her special projects while in the White House.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Collection, Boston – $150,000
Considered one of the most influential First Ladies, Jacqueline Kennedy used scrapbooks to chronicle her time in the White House, and her work on the restoration of the White House and numerous other projects and events. These materials are very fragile and SAT funding will enable the John F. Kennedy Library to conserve and preserve them, allowing first-time public access to the collection, which covers the years 1960-1964.

From the Johnn F. Kennedy Library Press Release (full text here):

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that it has been awarded a $150,000 Save America’s Treasures grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior to preserve the Jacqueline B. Kennedy Collection archived at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The collection, donated by Caroline Kennedy, President of the Kennedy Library Foundation, chronicles Mrs. Kennedy’s significant contributions to the nation’s cultural and historical heritage. The awarding of the grant requires that the Kennedy Library Foundation raise a dollar-for-dollar non-Federal matching share.

“The Jacqueline Kennedy materials are among the Library’s greatest treasures,” said Tom Putnam, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “Conserving this collection will allow greater public access to thousands of previously unseen documents, artifacts, and photographs relating to Mrs. Kennedy while also attending to their long-term preservation needs ensuring their availability for years to come. We are very grateful to the Department of the Interior for this award.”

Three other grants were awarded for Massachusetts preservation and restoration projects: Historic Alaska Native Kayaks and Related Collections, Cambridge – $283,685; Norman Rockwell’s Works on Paper, Illustrated Posters and Photographs, Stockbridge – $144,240; and, Reserve and Early American Bindings Collection, Worcester – $77,557.

The full list of awardees by state can be found here  at the National Trust for Historic Preservation site.