2025 Catalyst Grant Application Cycle Key Dates
- November 1: Application Portal Opens
- January 31: Application Portal Closes (5:00 PM Central Time)
- May: Award Recommendation approved by the SAA Foundation Board Meeting
- May: Awardee notifications and distribution of funds
Overview
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) Foundation Catalyst Grant program (formerly, Strategic Grant Fund) program provides funding to support complex archives projects. The foundation prioritizes applications that demonstrate how the project will both advance one or more of the strategic goals of the SAA and SAA Foundation and articulate how the project can benefit the archival profession at large.
The Catalyst Grant program differs from the SAA Foundation’s Opportunity Grant Fund in that it is designed to support planned, complex projects, whereas the Opportunity Grant fund is designed to provide timely support for unplanned opportunities. Visit the Opportunity Grant Fund site for more information.
A Catalyst Grant can support:
- Complex projects developed over long periods, such as the processing, cataloging, and digitization of archives, if the project(s) may serve as a model for the archival profession at large and help develop best practices.
- Development of guidelines and best practices that will be useful for the archival profession or for preliminary studies intended to advance them.
Examples of past projects funded by the SAA Foundation Catalyst Grant program:
| Project 1: Testing and refinement of the Maturity Model for Reparative Description (MMRD) to benefit a wider range of archivists across a variety of institutions and contexts. |
| Project 2: A study to understand how members of the U.S. archival community using artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) tools to facilitate access to digital archival materials and to help develop more sophisticated understandings AI/ML limitations and opportunities. |
Project 3: A workshop series focused on developing and preserving archival collections of literary organizations and under-resourced cultural heritage organizations that center and serve writers of color and their works. |
Basic Facts
- Awards will be between $500 and $5,000, with no match required.
- Applications that demonstrate how the project will advance one or more of the goals of the SAA Foundation and benefit the archival profession will be prioritized.
- Applications must clearly identify the project portion to be supported by the Catalyst Grant Program.
- The SAA Foundation solicits and accepts Catalyst Grant program applications once annually, with applications accepted beginning in November and funding decisions made in May.
- Applications must be submitted online.
Eligible applicants
- Non-profit archival repositories that have stewardship over collections that are open to the public and are located within the United States
- Repositories located outside of the United States may apply if they hold SAA Institutional membership.
- Archivists who reside within the United States and are affiliated with non-profit archival repositories that have stewardship over collections that are open to the public
- Archivists outside of the United States who are associated with non-profit archival repositories may apply if they hold Individual SAA membership.
- Non-profit organizations of archivists based in the United States
- Applicants who have previously received SAA Foundation funding must have submitted a final report for their last project before applying for a Catalyst Grant.
Exceptions
- Projects requesting assistance with emergency preparedness or recovery efforts from major disasters are not eligible for Catalyst Grants. The National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives exists to support such projects.
- Financial support to attend the SAA Annual Meeting is not eligible for Catalyst Grants. The Annual Meeting Award Program exists to support such requests.
Eligible expenses
- Salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits should apply only to project activities proposed and to the time spent on project work (e.g., a percentage of salary based on time spent on a specific project). SAA Foundation may pay benefits if they are specifically indicated in the budget.
- Fees and honoraria. Consultant fees and honoraria paid to archivists, conservators, or consultants should apply only to the project activities proposed and to the time spent on project work.
- Internships and training opportunities. The SAA Foundation may provide funding for internships or training and work experience that prepare graduate students or early-career archivists for careers in archives.
- Project-related domestic travel. SAA Foundation grant funds may be used to pay for travel that is directly related to project activities (e.g., travel to donor site to appraise a collection). This includes domestic airfare, hotel, meals, mileage, and per diem at any standard rate if the rates do not exceed current federal rates for the local area.
- Supplies and equipment. SAA Foundation may pay for archival supplies and equipment needed to support project activities and goals. The SAA Foundation does not pay for the purchases of general equipment, such as computers and printers.
- Postage. Mailing costs related to the proposed activity may be included. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of bulk-mail postal rates whenever possible.
- Capital expenses. Funds may be used for construction, preservation, or renovation projects, if it can be demonstrated that the project(s) will serve as model for the archival profession at large or help develop best practices.
Ineligible Expenses
- Overhead or indirect costs
- Fellowships, scholarships, or prizes
- Lobbying and fundraising activities
- Expenses incurred before the grant was awarded
- Food or beverages, except as necessary expenses based on per diem guidelines when staff or project members are traveling for the grant-funded project.
Application Process
Applications for grants will be considered and decided by the SAA Foundation Board of Directors. The program will be administered under the direction of the Board, its appointed Grant Review Committee, and the SAA Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The application and grant process will follow standard guidelines established by the SAA Foundation Board. For more information, please see SAA Foundation Grant Funding Policy.
- Application submission: The application portal will be open for submissions from November 1 through January 31.
- Application confirmation: Applicants will be able to view the status of their application in the SmarterSelect application utilized by the SAA Foundation. Applicants will have access to their application after the program deadline.
- Application review: SAA Foundation Grant Review Committee will begin reviewing applications on February 15.
First, the SAA Foundation’s CEO or designee will conduct an initial administrative review of each proposal to ensure that it:
- Meets baseline requirements for funding according to the Fund’s criteria and guidelines
- Conforms to the mission, resources, and granting priorities of the SAA Foundation
The CEO or designee will forward requests that meet those criteria to the Foundation’s Grant Review Committee. The CEO or designee, in consultation with members of the Grant Review Committee, will advise the applicant if additional information or due diligence documents are needed.
The Grant Review Committee will conduct a detailed evaluation of each grant application and make funding recommendations to the SAA Foundation Board.
- Application approval: To be approved, grant award recommendations must receive a majority vote of the SAA Foundation’s Board of Directors at its May board meeting.
- Application notification: All applicants will be notified regarding the approval status of their application by May 31.
- Applicants approved for awards will receive, by email, an approval letter for their records and further instructions for payment, evaluation, and reporting.
- Applicants not selected for the grant award will receive notice after all approved applicants have accepted their awards. We anticipate notification by August 1 or earlier if possible.
Distribution of funds: Awardees will receive funds upon receipt of all necessary due diligence documentation (as early as June 30).
Application Elements
All applications must be submitted through the application portal. The application includes brief narrative responses, the lengths of which are set forth within the application. The portal enables applicants to upload necessary supporting documentation, including information needed to evaluate an organization’s ability to carry out the activities described in the proposal. Key sections of the application follow:
| Section | Description | Type |
| Project summary | Title, abstract, hosting institution | Required |
| Work plan and methodology | Goals, methods, timelines, roles/credentials of project leaders and/or sponsoring body, expected products | Required |
Purpose and significance
| Ways in which the project advances the SAA Foundation's mission and vision or the archives profession with reference to SAA's strategic plan or other professional call to action | Required |
| Impact and outcomes | Benchmarks and assessment criteria that will be used to measure impact and performance, dissemination plan, sustainability measures | Required |
| Budget and resources | Cost of (budget for) full project
A brief narrative that:
- Describes how Catalyst Grant funds will be used to support the project
- Identifies any in-kind contributions and other income sources (highly encouraged)
- A budget spreadsheet detailing:
- Allocation of requested grant funds by program activity or resource (or by budget line)
- Allocation of in-kind contributions or other funds by program activity or resource (or by budget line)
| Required |
| Attachments | Project leader résumés, 501(c)(3) status determination letter, endorsement letter from officer or sponsoring organization | As applicable |
| Due diligence information | Financial reports or audited statements, list of trustees or directors, annual report and/or Form 990 or 990EZ, diversity data report | If requested |
Questions?
Please contact us at foundation@archivists.org.
Originally adopted by the SAA Foundation Board of Directors, March 14, 2015. Revision adopted in August 2016, November 2016, November 2018, August 2021, September 2024.
