OVERVIEW
The National Film Preservation Foundation invites applications for its Partnership Grants. Through this program, nonprofit and public archives can receive grants for film preservation work at laboratories and post-production houses donating services to the NFPF. These grants generally award between $3,000 to $18,000 in laboratory services and may include a cash supplement.

Registration Deadline: May 23, 2008

Application Deadline: July 11, 2008

Grant Period: September 1, 2008 to November 1, 2009

ELIGIBILITY
Grants are available to public and nonprofit archives in the United States, including those that are part of federal, state, or local government. The grants target films made in the United States or by American citizens abroad and not protected by commercial interests. Materials originally created for television or video are not eligible.

The grant must be used to pay for new laboratory work involving the creation of:

	New film preservation elements (which may include sound tracks) and
	Two new public access copies, one of which must be a film print.

The funds can be applied only to work commissioned after the grant start date.

HOW TO APPLY
1. Identify film or footage collection to be preserved
Identify materials in your collection that meet the criteria listed above and decide what laboratory work needs to be done.

2. Register with the NFPF
E-mail the NFPF at grants@filmpreservation.org regarding your archive's interest in applying and provide your name, institution, phone number, fax number, mailing address, e-mail address, and a brief description of your project. The NFPF will then call you to discuss your project and refer you to a participating lab suited to your preservation needs. Please do not call the labs directly regarding the NFPF grant program. The NFPF registers all potential applicants and directs each to a lab partner specializing in services appropriate to the archival project. The registration deadline is May 23, 2008.

3. Contact lab partner
Call or e-mail the laboratory partner referred by the NFPF and discuss the project with the lab's designated contact person. Obtain a written estimate from the laboratory (by letter, fax, or e-mail) outlining the total lab costs for your project. The NFPF can provide a short checklist to help you describe your project to a laboratory participant.

4. Complete letter of application
Write a proposal in the form of a letter (4 to 6 pages), with the laboratory estimate. Your submission should cover the following points and may include illustrations or tables as appropriate:

a. Research significance
Why is the film material in your proposal important for cultural, artistic, or historical study? If your material pertains to a particular region, locale, or culture, please explain how this material is an example of broader national trends or is a significant illustration of your organization's cultural mandate. Please check Films Preserved Through the NFPF for examples of regional films funded in past years.

b. Physical film description

	What is the title, length, gauge, and subject matter of the proposed film or collection?
	How did your organization acquire the material?
	From what type of source material will your archive be working?
	Does your archive have permission to show this material for on-site researchers and/or on-site public screenings at which no admission is charged? Be sure to indicate if there are any other relevant donor restrictions regarding public access to the proposed material. (These are important considerations, given the public access mission of the NFPF.)

For more information on handling film, please consult The Film Preservation Guide: The Basics for Archives, Libraries, and Museums.These PDF files also include a Print Condition Report worksheet.

c. Uniqueness of your archive's film copy

	What organizations, databases, and other resources have you checked to make sure that your archive's copy represents the "best surviving material" for that film and that the proposed work does not duplicate efforts by others in the public/nonprofit sector?
	Are rental or video copies of this film available through commercial distribution or video channels?

d. Description of preservation work and cost estimate

	What laboratory work is requested? For sound films, indicate how you propose to preserve the sound.
	Include the lab's cost estimate for the proposed work.
	If you are collaborating with another institution, include a letter from that institution briefly outlining its involvement with the project.

e. Storage
Describe your archival storage facilities (including temperature and humidity levels) and confirm that any new preservation masters created through the project will be stored under archivally acceptable conditions. If your organization does not have an archivally acceptable storage area for film, please include your plans for off-site storage.

f. Access plans
Indicate if your institution plans to exhibit this material or participate in the film's public dissemination on video, television, or the Internet.

g. Public service mission
Briefly summarize your institution's mission, collections, and public programs; include your Web site address and any brochures.

h. Tax-exempt status
Nonprofits, list your institution's tax identification number; government/public sector archives, provide some record or a letter demonstrating that your institution is part of state, regional, or local government.

i. Costs exceeding grant amount
For projects estimated to cost more than the amount of the laboratory donation, indicate how your archive plans to fund the remainder of the laboratory bill.

j. Contact information
Provide the name, title, phone number, fax, mailing address, e-mail, and professional biography of the project coordinator (one paragraph).

5. Submit application
All applications are due in hard copy at the following address by July 11, 2008:

National Film Preservation Foundation
870 Market Street, Suite 1113
San Francisco, CA 94102

NOTIFICATION
Applicants will be notified regarding grant decisions in September 2008. Grantees must submit their materials to their designated laboratory partner no later than December 31, 2008.

TERMS
Successful applicants must sign an agreement affirming the responsibilities of the grant. Nonprofit grant winners may be asked to provide a copy of the IRS determination letter verifying their status as a publicly supported 501(c)(3) organization.