Past Grant Projects
The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) has awarded over $400,000 in funding to Utah’s non-profit, local, and state government institutions which supports records preservation and access. The Board’s grant program is funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives, whose mission is to promote the preservation and use of America’s documentary heritage essential to understanding our democracy, history, and culture.
2025 Grant Recipients
Carbon County Clerk’s Office, $4,680k
Digitize more than 13,000 marriage licenses and applications (1930–2020) for genealogy, dual citizenship, and local history research.
Digitize water company records, including ledgers, stock books, articles of incorporation, photos, and the History of the Emery County Project.
Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), $7,500
Digitize archival materials from RDT’s 60-year history, including rehearsal footage, interviews, photos, and educational resources.
Weber County Clerk’s Office, $6,663
Preserve 150,000 marriage licenses and applications (1888–present) by rehousing over 300,000 records in archival-quality boxes.
2024 Grant Recipients
American Fork Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum, $641
Built a custom cabinet to preserve and display two historic maps of Lake City Fort (1853 and 1868). The project safeguards rare records of pioneer families and makes them accessible for future research and public viewing.
Digitized over 1,200 hours of Channel 6 News broadcasts (1989–2000), preserving local stories on uranium mining, economic shifts, and community history. The tapes are now accessible online for public research and viewing.
Reportory Dance Theatre, $7,500
Assessed and cataloged 58 years of dance videos, rehearsal clips, and records, preserving the history of modern dance in Utah and the U.S. The project ensures long-term access to RDT’s archival materials and highlights the cultural legacy of American modern dance.
Southern Utah University, $6,752
Rehoused seven historic photo and negative collections (1878–2004), documenting student life, community history, and the growth of Iron County. The project preserves images of people, events, and landscapes, greatly enhancing their long-term research value.
Digitized photos, slides, and negatives from the Sundance Film Festival and Labs (1998–2000), preserving the history of independent film and making it accessible online. The project highlights the creative process and cultural impact of Sundance and its artists.
2023 Grant Recipients
Preserved historic ski and snow sports footage, VHS tapes, DVDs, and records (1950s–2000s), including Ski Hall of Fame events and early museum archives. The project makes these materials digitally accessible to support the museum’s mission.
The Emery County Archives, $4,152
Digitized irrigation company records (1886–1957), including policies, stockholder lists, canal maps, and water rights disputes. The project preserves local water history and makes the records publicly accessible online.
Completed digitization of Kendall Webb’s photo collection (1940s–1970s), capturing Park City’s transition from mining town to ski resort. The project preserves local history and makes thousands of images publicly accessible online.
Digitized 1,200 hours of Channel 6 News broadcasts (1989–2000), preserving stories of uranium mining, economic change, and community history. The collection is now accessible online for public research and viewing.
Tooele County Clerk’s Office, $2,250
Preserved historic marriage certificates dating back to 1867, providing valuable genealogical and community history records, including family details, occupations, and signatures of notable religious leaders.
Weber State University Stewart Library, $7,200
Cataloged and digitized over a century of records from Utah’s first African American church, New Zion Baptist (1916–2020), including baptisms, memberships, photos, and memorabilia, making them publicly accessible online.
2022 Grant Recipients
Reorganize and rehouse records in the Chas Nickerson collection, the Jolene Despain collection, and the Big Cottonwood Community Association (BCCA) collection.
Heritage Museum of Layton, $2,765
Reunited re-discovered drawings and other architectural design materials with the existing William Allen collection.
Natural History Museum of Utah, $7,435
Scan and digitize historical archeological and anthropological maps from the oversized map collection
Digitize for preservation and access the Kendall Webb Negative Collection, 1952–1954 and 1960–1966
USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, $7,500
Rehouse maps, plans, and other records related to significant paleological discoveries in Utah
Cache Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1,250
Digitize and index pioneer historical records and portraits
2021 Grant Recipients
Hutchings Museum and Institute, $7500
Process and digitize photos and other historical records from Broadbent Collection
Southern Utah University Archives, $4627
Digitize for preservation and access historic film footage from 1940-1970 documenting the history of the University and Southern Utah
Salt Lake County Archives, $2240
Digitize Salt Lake County Commission meeting minutes dating back to 1852
Cache Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1,700
Digitize and create online index for Cache Valley pioneer histories
Duchesne County Library Board, $4,000
Migrate electronic historical cemeteries database from obsolete desktop-based software program to a cloud platform for digital preservation
Process and digitize approximately 20,000 images from the Fran and Terby Barnes Photograph Archive
2020 Grant Recipients
Cache Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1700
Digitize and create online index for Cache Valley pioneer histories
Process and digitize approximately 10,000 images from the Fran and Terby Barnes Photograph Archive
Southern Utah Museum of Art, $3143
Preserve and digitize the Jimmie F. Jones Scrapbook Collection and Julius Moessel Collection
Uintah County Regional History Center, $1732
Process, preserve, and create finding aid for the Local Civic Clubs Scrapbook Collection
Digitize for preservation and access the Kendall Webb Negative Collection, 1957-1959
Southern Utah University Archaeology Repository, $7500
Process and digitize the records in and institutional legacy of the Archaeology Repository Archives
Lehi Historical Society and Archives, $2966
PArrange, describe, rehouse, and create finding aid for the John Haws Historical File Collection
2019 Grant Recipients
Image: Don Ramey Logan, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Process historical Marriage License and Application, Oaths of Office, and County Official Bonds/Surety Bonds
Image: Tricia Simpson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Digitize the Emery County Progress, 1940-2004
Image: Manway, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Digitize and create online index for Cache Valley pioneer histories
Image: Utah State Archives, Kendall Webb Collection, Park City Historical Society and Museum
Digitize for preservation the Kendall Webb Negative Collection, 1955-1959
Image: Image: Boyd Norton, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain
Digitize and create online index for Cache Valley Pioneer histories
Image: awmcphee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, $2500
Transcribe, edit, and complete processing of audio and text from two oral history projects
2018 Grant Recipients
Image: Rcsprinter123, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Lehi Historical Society and Archives, $4821
Digitization of the Lehi Free Press, 1932-1977
Image: Tricia Simpson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Uintah County Library Regional History Center, $5000
Uinta Basin historic map stabilization, processing, and online index; digitization of select collection pieces
Image: U.S. National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Old Spanish Trail Association, $2631
Organize and preserve Association records; digitize photographs and significant documents
Image: Manway, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Digitize the Emery County Progress, 1918-1940
Image: Tracie Hall, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Morgan Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1000
Purchase archival supplies and shelving and create online finding aids for historical scrapbooks and roll and minutes books
Image: uvuphotos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Process the Shirley H. Platt Deaf Athletics Collection and create online finding aid
Image: awmcphee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cache Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1700
Digitize and create online index for Cache Valley Pioneer histories
2017 Grant Recipients
Image: Ntsimp, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Box Elder Museum Foundation, $6938
Digitize 60 rolls of microfilm of Box Elder newspapers from 1890-2016. Provide access through the Utah Digital Newspapers site.
Image: Tracie Hall, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cache Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, $1006
Digitization of 40 framed portraits, 100 unframed portraits, and 75 historic documents that relate to the early settlement of Cache Valley.
Image: U.S. National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nations, $3940
Organize and properly house final phase of tribal records. Place inventory online.
Image: LizMartinSLC, Wikimedia Commons
Salt Lake Community College, $2000
Digitization of 800 institutionally significant photographs documenting events from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Image: Bureau of Land Management (mypubliclands on Flickr), Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Southern Utah, University, $1100
Process and properly house collection of materials documenting the local history around the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Photographs from the collection will be digitized.
Image: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Uintah and Ouray Ute Tribe, $7400
Project UteTube to digitize 200 photographs and place photographs and 10 videos online through newly created website.
Image: D.fletcher4, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Weber State University Library, $7499
Process and digitize Red Cross of Northern Utah collection. Index and images available online.