Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area seeks local partners; program brings federal matching grants

Leslie Konkiewicz, executive director of the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, presented an overview of the program’s mission, management plan and local grant activity.

Konkiewicz said the National Heritage Area was designated by Congress and, under its authorizing legislation, can receive up to $10 million over a 15‑year period; the heritage area currently has about $2 million in task agreements with the Department of the Interior. "All National Heritage Areas require an act of Congress," she said, and program funds must be matched dollar‑for‑dollar by local cash or in‑kind contributions.

Konkiewicz described grant programs that support partner projects, including heritage tourism mapping, interpretive signage, virtual trail tours and stewardship projects such as river cleanups. She said the heritage area passes about half its annual funding through competitive grants and a rolling small‑grant fund (small grants up to $10,000 available now), and that local entities — including county departments, cities and nonprofits — are eligible to apply.

Board members thanked the heritage area for river cleanups, trail signage and youth field trips and asked about grant cycles and application dates. Konkiewicz said the competitive round generally opens in April and closes June 1, with awards by August and project starts in September; rolling small grants remain open throughout the year.

Konkiewicz invited supervisors to subscribe to the heritage area’s newsletter and to consider project applications that support the management plan and regional stewardship goals.