Grants available for heritage groups, projects

A scaled down replica of a historical panel marking the donation and sale of land that is now the Venango County Fairgrounds by the Runninger family was shown to the public at the fair this week. The final marker, which is expected to be permentantly placed outside Runninger Hall this fall, was made possible in part thanks to the first-round the Oil Region Alliance mini-grants awarded earlier this year.
​

The Oil Region Alliance is offering a second round of mini-grant

Up to $4,700 is available from the original $26,000 set aside for small grants for non-profits and municipalities working on heritage projects in the Oil Region National Heritage Area.

“The ORA received a great response to the first round of the ORNHA Heritage Mini-Grant Program earlier this year, but we have a small amount of funding remaining to potentially help a few more projects and programs,” said Jenn Burden, ORA heritage program manager.

The grants can be used for heritage-related sites and organizations, as well as municipalities and counties, to develop new programs, partnerships, exhibits, tours, and other initiatives. To be considered, projects must be consistent with the Interpretation goals in the 2021 Oil Region National Heritage Area Strategic Plan report.

​Projects could include the following:

• Educational and/or media pieces that promote the heritage and/or history of the ORNHA
• New or revised educational brochures
• Videos highlighting the region’s history
• Development of curriculum units for grades K-12
• Creation of new wayside materials (interpretive panels, historical markers, etc.)
• Enhancement, repair, or creation of historical exhibits
• Materials to properly preserve/store historic artifacts for future use
• Arrangement of public historical events (speakers, demonstrations, workshops, tours, etc.)

Non-profit 501(c)3 organizations currently registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations, municipalities, and counties are eligible to apply.

​Projects must have a significant connection to the heritage of the Oil Region, which includes all of Venango County and Titusville, Hydetown Borough, and Oil Creek Township in Crawford County. Funding is made available from the Pennsylvania Heritage Areas Program fund, managed by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

Eligible entities may apply for more than one project as part of this grant application. These grants are specified only for small projects that are $25,000 or less, and grant requests cannot exceed $4,700, because that is all there is left in this fund.

Entities should list multiple projects in priority order in their application.

Applications are due September 1.

, which can be found online at OilRegion.org/the-alliance/rfps/,

Award announcements will be made by September 15.  

More information: Contact Burden at [email protected] or 814-677-3152.

First round winners are:

• Venango Fair – interpretive panel.
• Titusville Historical Society – oral history video and sound recording equipment.
• Crawford County Historical Society – archival storage materials for the Titusville Herald collection.​
• Benson Memorial Library – overhead scanner to digitize historical documents and artifacts.
• Titusville Renaissance, Inc. – heritage-based wraps on utility boxes in Titusville.
• Washington’s Trail 1753 – speaker costs for Annual Summit and design and printing of rack card.
• Rotary Club of Franklin – redesign and printing of Walking Tours of Historic Franklin booklets.
• Franklin Moving Forward – 4-sided informational kiosk.