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Archives of Michigan receives $274K grant to expand on Save Michigan History program

Grant will allow Archives of Michigan to improve collection management, disaster preparedness

LANSING, Mich. – Today, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) announced that the Archives of Michigan has received a $274,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to build on the established Save Michigan History program. The program addresses the unique challenges of local organizations caring for public records in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Upper Peninsula, and surrounding islands, many of which are in remote areas prone to extreme weather.

"The Archives of Michigan is thrilled to receive our first grant from the Mellon Foundation,” said Mark Harvey, state archivist of Michigan. “The grant funds are going to allow us to expand on the Save Michigan History program and ultimately allow us to prepare and respond when a disaster strikes and puts Michigan’s public records at risk.”

The funds will be used towards two different initiatives during a two-year program – individualized onsite consultation from a professional archivist and six in-person, hands-on emergency response workshops provided by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC). During these workshops, NEDCC will educate and train 150 volunteer “first responders” that will specialize in emergency response and salvage recovery, specifically for cultural heritage repositories, across the state.

The program is expected to begin in spring and summer of 2026 and will improve collection management and disaster preparedness while developing a network of cultural heritage “first responders” that can be engaged when natural disasters and weather-related emergencies jeopardize historical collections.

Learn more about the Archives of Michigan by visiting their website and stay up to date with the latest happenings on their Facebook page.

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