NHSCA ARTS Conservation License Plate Grant

NHSCA ARTS Conservation License Plate Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
Amount: US $2,000 - US $30,000
Last Updated: March 17, 2026

Summary

The NHSCA ARTS Conservation License Plate Grant, offered by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, supports projects aimed at conserving publicly owned artworks and historic cultural facilities. This initiative ensures that significant cultural heritage is preserved for community access and enjoyment. Eligible applicants include municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies. The grant encourages projects that enhance public access to the arts, while maintaining the integrity of original artworks and facilities.

Overview

New Hampshire State Council on the Arts The State Arts Council was established in 1965 as the official state arts agency with legislation (RSA 19-A) designed "to insure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and play an ever more significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens." The NHSCA is advised by a 15-member council that meets at least four times a year. Councilors are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Executive Council. Funding for competitive grants and program services to benefit New Hampshire's citizens is made possible through appropriations from the New Hampshire State Legislature and from a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The State of New Hampshire also accepts private, tax-deductible donations and bequests that may be designated for the sole purpose of helping the Arts Council fulfill its enabling legislation. The NHSCA carries out its mission based upon a strategic plan developed through public input. The plan is reviewed and revised periodically to insure that the agency is responsive to changing economic, social, and cultural circumstances. The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is a Division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.The grants, programs, and services of New Hampshire State Council on the Arts are guided by our Strategic Plan for the Arts, which is developed through a process that factors in the voices of the people we serve; the economic, social, and cultural circumstances of the times; and aligns with the resources we have available. Conservation License Plate Program The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) provides grants under the Conservation License Plate Program, commonly called the “Moose Plate” program, for the conservation of publicly owned artworks, artistic elements of publicly owned historic cultural facilities that serve as sites for arts programming, projects that improve public access to significant publicly owned artwork or arts documents, and projects that make publicly owned historic cultural facilities and the arts programming that takes place in them, more accessible to the public. The NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) receives a percentage of the “Moose Plate” funds raised from the sales of Conservation License Plates. These funds are directed back into communities through grant programs facilitated by the State Library, Division of Historical Resources and the State Arts Council to promote, conserve, and protect New Hampshire's natural, cultural, and historic resources. Interested applicants should apply for funding from the Division whose criteria and eligibility requirements best match their project activities. In any given fiscal year, an organization can only apply to ONE Division (State Library, Historical Resources or State Arts Council) for a single project. Sample Projects Conservation cleaning and treatment for a Civil War memorial in a national historic site located in New Hampshire.Conservation and exhibition of 19th century White Mountain School oil paintings and pencil sketches owned by a town library.Purchase of archival materials to store a collection of historic recordings of a contra dance caller from the 1940s donated to a state college or university archives.Preservation of original hand-painted stage curtains or scenery designed in the early 20th century for local opera houses or town halls

Eligibility

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