CLIR digitization grants program info.

 

Amplifying Unheard Voices Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices Call for Applications Opens August 5  The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) will begin accepting initial applications for the fourth cycle of Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices on August 5, 2025. This regranting program supports the digitization of rare and unique materials that deepen the public understanding of underrepresented communities, including people of the global majority, disabled populations, indigenous voices, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, displaced persons, the incarcerated, and other perspectives currently underrepresented in scholarship and media. CLIR will award grants ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 to successful applicants for projects scheduled to begin January 1, 2027. Funding is made possible through the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.   The initial application is open to eligible nonprofit collecting organizations located in the United States and Canada. The deadline for submission is October 20, 2025. Applicants whose initial proposals are selected by an independent review panel will be invited to submit a final proposal in early 2026. More information about the application process can be found on the program’s Apply for an Award page.     CLIR Funds 21 Digital Reformatting Projects Through Recordings at Risk  The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has awarded $814,332 in grants to digitize rare and unique audio and audiovisual materials through its Recordings at Risk program. The program’s twelfth cohort of 21 projects will begin work on September 1, 2025. This diverse group of projects will digitally preserve groundbreaking experimental music, rare Latin American recordings, historic speeches from college and university campuses, and many more voices and experiences from across the US and beyond. Among the unique collections that will be preserved are documentary footage from the Muhammad Ali Museum, LGBTQ+ oral histories from Ohio, regional news recordings from Hawai‘i, documentation of Asian American communities in Southern California, and folk music recordings from West Virginia.  "Each cycle of Recordings at Risk reminds us how fragile yet vital our recorded heritage is," said Charles Henry, president of CLIR. "These grants ensure that people can experience voices, performances, and stories that might otherwise fall silent. These preserved recordings will offer future generations a chance to build deeper understanding across time, place, and identity, ultimately strengthening our shared cultural fabric. We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their steadfast support and to our partner organizations for their dedication to preserving our collective memory."  Since its inception in 2017, the Recordings at Risk program has awarded nearly $6.75 million for over 200 projects led by libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural organizations that hold audio or audiovisual materials. These grants provide essential resources to preserve stories, languages, and artistic expressions that define communities and connect generations, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive and inclusive historical record.  The next call for proposals, open to eligible organizations in the US and Canada, will open in November 2025. Those interested are encouraged to sign up for CLIR’s Grants and Programs Newsletter for updates. The most recently awarded projects are listed below. For a complete list of funded projects and more information about the program, visit the Recordings at Risk Funded Projects page. About CLIR The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning. Learn more at clir.org.  About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.