Professional Development for Heritage Educators

Grants Awarded

Request for Proposals - 2027 Grant Cycle

The Institute for Heritage Education (IHE) invites applications for its Professional Development Support Grants, offering up to $1,200 to strengthen cultural heritage education across the United States and its territories. These grants support high‑quality professional development for classroom teachers, museum educators, interpreters, and other cultural heritage practitioners. Funding may be used for workshops, online courses, peer mentoring, instructional materials, expert speakers, and other eligible costs. First‑time applicants are encouraged to apply.

Proposals are due November 13, 2026.

Download RFP

Submit Proposal

Professional Development Support Grants for Organizations and Individuals

2026 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
AR	Teacher Workshop with the Quapaw Nation	Arkansas Archaeological Society	Archeology Workshop for Middle and High School Teachers at Plum Bayou Archaeological Park	$978
IN	Project Archaeology Educator Workshop	Elkhart County Historic Museum	Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter workshop	$1,200
MD	Maryland Community Archaeology	Maryland Public Schools	Public educators bridging the gap between archaeologists and the public	$1,200
MI	Investigating a Midwestern Wickiup	The Homeschool Archaeologist, LLC	Project Archaeology workshop for educators	$1,200
Total				$4,578

Total applications received = 12
Total applications funded = 4
Funding rate = 33%

2025 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
AZ	Arizona Project Archaeology	Arizona Site Stewards Foundation	Project Archaeology workshops for school librarians	$1,200
AR	Plum Bayou Workshop	Arkansas Archaeological Society	Archaeology Workshop for Middle and High School Teachers in Arkansas	$1,200
HI	Maui Voyaging Workshop	ASM Affiliates	Hands-on workshop on the importance of woodworking in Hawaiian voyaging history	$1,200
MD	Maryland Community Archaeology	Maryland Public Schools	Public educators bridging the gap between archaeologists and the public	$1,200
MT	Professional Development for Local Teachers at Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump	Montana State University-Northern	Project Archaeology and heritage workshop for teachers	$1,200
NC	Amplifying Native Voices in American History	Alliance for Heritage Conservation	Teacher institute featuring culturally responsive materials	$1,200
Total				$7,200

Total applications received = 7
Total applications funded = 6
Funding rate = 85%

2024 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
AZ	Arizona Project Archaeology	Arizona Site Stewards Foundation	Project Archaeology workshop for educators	$1,200
CO	Molly Brown House Museum	Historic Denver, Inc.	Primary documents for educators	$1,200
FL	History of Seminole Watercraft	Florida Atlantic University	Enhancing understanding of historic and modern Seminole watercraft	$1,200
IN	Investigating a Roman Villa	Purdue University	Project Archaeology workshop for teachers	$1,200
NC	Amplifying Native Voices in North Carolina History	Alliance for Heritage Conservation	Teacher Institute featuring culturally responsive materials	$1,200
ND	History and Healing: From Assimilation to Reclamation at Fort Totten Boarding School	State Historical Society of North Dakota	Workshop for teachers on the history of the Fort Totten Boarding School and current issues	$1,200
Total				$7,200

Total applications received = 11
Total applications funded = 6
Funding rate = 55%

2023 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
CO	Molly Brown House Museum	Historic Denver, Inc.	Primary documents for educators	$1,200
KS	Archaeology of Shelter and Migration in Western Kansas	Kansas Anthropological Association	Project Archaeology workshop for teachers	$1,200
MN	Little House on the Prairie Project Archaeology	Minnesota Project Archaeology, LLC	Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter workshop for teachers	$1,200
NC	Amplifying Native Voices in North Carolina History	Alliance for Heritage Conservation	Teacher Institute featuring culturally responsive materials	$1,200
NC	Bringing Catawba Archaeology and Culture to Carolina Educators	Research Laboratories of Archaeology, UNC, Chapel Hill	Introducing teachers to exhibits on Catawba archaeology and culture	$1,200
Total				$6,000

Total applications received = 10
Total applications funded = 5
Funding rate = 50%

2022 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
AR	Gathering, Gardening, and Agriculture curriculum	Arkansas Archaeological Survey	Distribution of curriculum and supporting materials through workshops for teachers	$840
MN	Minnesota Rock Art	Minnesota Project Archaeology, LLC	Rock Art workshop for teachers	$1,200
NC	Amplifying Native Voices in North Carolina History	Alliance for Heritage Conservation	Teacher Institute featuring culturally responsive materials	$1,200
UT	Utah Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter and Investigating Rock Art	Southern Utah University	Support Bureau of Land Management funded workshop with stipends for participants.	$1,200
Total				$4,440

Total applications received = 6
Total applications funded = 4
Funding rate = 66%

2021 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
CO	Amache: WWII Japanese-American Internment Camp	Nicholas Dungey	Online workshop for educators to learn more about Amache garden archaeology and lessons about heritage management.	$1,000
NC	Exploring Joara	Exploring Joara Foundation	Development of online workshops for educators based on existing activities for the Joara Archaeological Site.	$1,000
UT	Project Archaeology: Investigating Rock Art Summer 2021 Workshop for K-12 Teachers	The John Wesley Powell River History Museum	First professional development workshop for teachers at the Museum; both online and in-person components.	$1,000
UT	Utah Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter and Investigating Rock Art	Southern Utah University	Support Bureau of Land Management funded workshops with stipends for participants.	$1,000
Total				$4,000

Total applications received = 6
Total applications funded = 4
Funding rate = 66%

2020 Grants

State	Name of Project	Recipient	Description	Amount
AL	Exploring Alabama Archaeology in K-12 Classrooms	University of South Alabama Archaeological Museum	Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter workshop for educators	$1,000
AZ	Arizona Project Archaeology Workshop for Educators	Arizona Site Steward Program Foundation	Project Archaeology workshop for Arizona educators	$1,000
AR	Professional Development for Teachers	Arkansas Archaeological Survey	Series of workshops for Arkansas educators featuring Project Archaeology activities and Arkansas specific materials	$1,000
CO	Project Archaeology Train the Trainer Workshop	Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance	Project Archaeology training for the Friends of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument	$400
IL	Professional Development at Cahokia Mounds	Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville	Project Archaeology: Investigating Nutrition workshop for educators	$1,000
MO	Project Archaeology: Investigating a Midwestern Wickiup	Missouri Archaeological Society	Project Archaeology: Investigating a Midwestern Wickiup with GIS Story Maps	$1,000
Total				$5,400

Total applications received = 15
Total applications funded = 11 (Five projects were not conducted because of the Covid-19 pandemic and are not listed here.)
Funding rate = 73%