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Call for Applications 2024-25
MEAP invites applications for its seventh cohort of projects to document, digitize, and make accessible collections at risk from environmental conditions, political uncertainty, inherently unsustainable media, inappropriate storage, or communal and social change.
MEAP is committed to fostering open access to cultural and historical materials from around the world as a challenge to politicized and nationalized historical narratives that minimize or silence multiple voices and perspectives. We provide funding for digitization as a form of preservation for at-risk cultural heritage from parts of the world with limited resources for archival preservation.
MEAP funds a diverse range of projects, including multiple media formats from countries and communities around the world. We seek applications that focus on preserving endangered collections from the 20th and 21st Centuries that reflect community voices, cultural expression, and historical experiences that have been left out of national narratives and archives.
The 2024-25 Call for Applications is available for download in Arabic(opens in a new tab), Bengali(opens in a new tab), English, French(opens in a new tab), Indonesian(opens in a new tab), Portuguese(opens in a new tab), Spanish(opens in a new tab), Swahili(opens in a new tab).
Available Grants
MEAP offers three grants during this application cycle: Regional Grants, Project Grants, and Planning Grants.
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Regional Grants
Opportunity to expand on previous MEAP digitization. Create digital collections that include cultural heritage materials from three or more institutions, families, or archival repositories. - about
Project Grants
Funding for digitizing and documenting archival content or curating already-digital assets. - about
Planning Grants
Funding to evaluate and prepare materials for digitization.
Application Cycle 2024 - 25
MEAP has a two round application process. All applicants must submit a Preliminary Application through our online application system available at meap.smapply.io(opens in a new tab). All applications must be submitted in English.
Applications open September 10, 2024 | Apply online now(opens in a new tab)
Applicant Webinar October 17, 2024 | View Recording and Slides(opens in a new tab)
Preliminary Applications due November 15, 2024
Preliminary Application decisions communicated December 2024
Detailed Applications (for invited applicants) due February 14, 2025
Awards announced Summer 2025
Open Access Requirement
MEAP is an Open Access program. All content created through grant funding must be shared openly online on the MEAP website and UCLA Digital Library(opens in a new tab). This includes surveys or inventories for Planning Grants and digital images, audio, film, or video files for Project and Regional grants.
Project teams are responsible for securing necessary permissions for open access publication. Project and Regional Grant applicants must provide evidence of permission for publication at the detailed application phase. Planning Grant projects may build in time to explore rights-related questions.
Application Resources
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Program Guidelines
These guidelines define the scope and eligibility requirements for the MEAP grant program. - default
MEAP Applicant Handbook 2024-25
The updated MEAP Applicant Handbook includes details about the MEAP application process and shares resources for drafting a strong application. - default
MEAP Application Checklist (2024-25)
Need some guidance working through the MEAP Application Process? Download the 2024-25 Application Checklist. - default
MEAP Preliminary Application Template (2024-25)
Template for Application Planning Purposes. Applications are due November 15, 2024 via the MEAP online application portal. *Note that the Preliminary Application has been edited for 2024-25.