Four Rivers Shares Key Dates for September/October
As we start the fall season, we are pleased to annnounce our Mini-Grant Program, the Call for Nominations for our Heritage Awards, the upcoming planning meeting for Maryland Day 2022 (dates are March 25-27, 2022), and key stakeholder meetings you won’t want to miss.
Fall 2021 (FY2022) Mini-Grant Opportunity Announced
Four Rivers Heritage Area is pleased to announce the start of our Fall FY22 Mini-Grant round! Visit the Mini-Grants tab on our Grants page to access the Application and Guidelines. Click on the Mini-Grants tab. Applications in the new grant cycle are due by October 6 and funding decisions will be announced by October 29, 2021.These Mini-Grants are available for new heritage and preservation-related programs, activities, products, and events. We encourage Mini-Grant proposals that include collaborative partnerships and enhanced heritage tourism, preservation, and/or the stewardship of historical, cultural, and natural resources.
Non-profit organizations and municipalities are eligible to apply for projects that will be located within the boundaries of the Heritage Area. The maximum award is $5,000 and applicants must provide a one-to-one match (any combination of Cash or In-Kind). This grant round is expected to be highly competitive; partial funding awards are likely.
Mini-Grant Workshop IMPORTANT: Applicants must send a representative to attend a mandatory zoom workshop on Thursday, September 23 at 3 p.m. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to register.
Call for Nominations for 18th Annual Heritage Awards
Do you know a great heritage practitioner? Perhaps a valuable staff member or dedicated volunteer you would like to publicly acknowledge? Four Rivers Heritage Area seeks nominations for its Eighteenth Annual Heritage Awards. These awards recognize individuals, organizations, partnerships, programs and products that contribute significantly to the community by interpreting, promoting, preserving, researching and/or supporting our historical legacy. In 2021, nominations are invited in ten categories, including Heritage Tourism Product Award, Heritage Volunteer Award, Heritage Partnership Award, Heritage Professional of the Year, Heritage Interpreter of the Year, Legacy Award, and Public/Private Initiative Award. Other categories include the Sponsor of the Year Award, the Stewardship Award, and the Heritage Leadership Award, which goes to an individual for significant and long-lasting contributions to local history and heritage. Self-nominations are accepted. Nomination forms are due on October 8, 2021 (E-mail submissions preferred.) Our ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 4 — stay tuned for further details!
Find more information about our Call for Nominations for 18th Annual Heritage Awards.
Maryland Day 2022
Are you interested in participating in our 3-day collaborative event known as Maryland Day in March? You are invited to the Four Rivers Maryland Day 2021 Recap and Planning for 2022 Meeting! The meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 14, at 9:30 a.m. We will meet virtually via Zoom. The dates for the 2022 Maryland Day weekend are March 25-27, 2022. Please check and mark your calendar now! Partner sites/organizations are invited to participate by offering one or more events for one dollar or free during that three-day span. Because Four Rivers has expanded our boundaries, we have new partners, and we look forward to interesting new activities to be offered this year. We all know that we have no way to predict what March 2022 will bring, but we do know that heritage activities are very much in demand! We can expect that visitors and residents alike will be very interested in what we can offer this coming year. Please contact us at [email protected] to receive the zoom link. Thank you, we look forward to seeing you on the 14th!
Save the Date of 9/21 for Site Directors and Managers Summit
Are you the Director or Manager of a heritage site, museum or park within our boundaries? If so, Four Rivers Heritage Area invites you to our Fall 2021 “Summit” meeting for heritage area site directors and managers (plus key partners) on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 9:30 a.m., via Zoom. Please save the Date! These summit meetings, held annually since 2004 but now planned to take place twice a year, are important opportunities for representatives from our regional heritage-related sites and organizations to exchange information about new programs and products, and learn about potential grant funding and future heritage initiatives. We look forward to welcoming our newest partner sites to the group! In addition to the traditional round-table information exchange, the agenda includes a brief overview of our own plans and projects. Please plan to attend and hear from your counterparts regarding their plans for this year, as well as future collaborations and partnerships. In our “Round Table” session, the director or her/his representative from each site will be invited to share their site’s latest plans and accomplishments; in the interest of time, we ask you to limit your remarks to 3 minutes. If you have upcoming programs that cannot be covered in that time frame, please plan to share materials via placing info or a link in the chat or sending them to our attention prior to the meeting. If you cannot attend, we hope you can ask someone to represent your organization in your place! The meeting will convene at 9:30 a.m. via zoom, and finish by 11:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing you on September 21! The link for the meeting will be sent in mid-September. Please RSVP to ensure that you receive that link.
Just Scheduled! Rebranding Project Brainstorming Meeting on September 29, 4-6 p.m. via Zoom
Please plan to join us for a fun and interactive brainstorming session as we get our Rebranding Process under way! The meeting is planned for Wednesday, September 29, 4-6 p.m., via zoom. Led by our consultants, Cyphers Agency, we will engage in activities designed to learn more about what the new name for our expanded heritage area should be so we can move our process forward! RSVP’s are required. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to reserve your spot and receive the zoom link. Thank you!