South Carolina: State located in the southeastern United States, known for its coastal beach towns, historic sites, and significant role in American history.
South Carolina Archives Secure Funding for Various Projects
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) in Columbia, SC, has received significant funding for various projects aimed at preserving and enhancing the state's historical records. The SCDAH was granted $80,000 to support the South Carolina Historical Records Advisory Board (SCHRAB) [RC103353-22, RC-103630-24], which includes a regrant program for projects focusing on education, program enhancement, preservation, or digital access.
Additionally, the SCDAH received $150,000 for a regrant project sponsored by the SCHRAB, with a focus on underserved populations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) [RC103112-21]. The SCHRAB also received $3,500 for travel and meeting expenses to carry out its grant review and statewide archival planning missions [RC102958-20].
Other institutions in South Carolina have also received funding for various projects. The University of South Carolina (USC), McKissick Museum, received $56,410 for a project to develop a website and records management program. Clemson University received $120,000 to plan for a digital edition documenting the role of Oglala Lakota tribal members' participation in "Wild West" performances, and $22,890 for the first year of a project to develop a records management and archival program for the university [RC102739-19].
Benedict College in Columbia received $44,068 to establish a website for the college's permanently valuable records. The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston received $60,000 for the Harriott Middleton and Susan Matilda Middleton correspondence, and $1,789,430 for the Papers of Henry Laurens [RD10180-15].
The University of South Carolina Press received $485,330 for subvention support for the Howard Thurman Papers, the Papers of Henry Laurens, and the Papers of John C. Calhoun. The USC in Columbia also received $921,523 for addressing digital publication and developing the Model Editions Partnership: Archiving Documentary Editions Project [RH100123-17].
The Sumter County Archives in Sumter received $1,800,000 for a project to digitize and preserve local government reports and decrees, chattel mortgages, index and conveyance, and index books [ED-104971-24]. The College of Charleston received $81,725 to support the "Digitizing 20th Century Civil Rights Collections Project" from the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture [RD10180-15].
Mark Malvasi, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Rochester, received a $25,000 fellowship for a historical editing project at the Papers of John C. Calhoun. The University of South Carolina in Columbia received $17,658 to support processing and digitization activities for the papers of William D. Workman, Jr., a prominent mid-20th century journalist, editor, and photographer [RH100123-17].
The University of South Carolina in Columbia also received $75,860 to support a collaborative project with the university libraries' Digital Collections department in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education to work with teachers to create Document Based Questions (DBQs) for U.S. history classes [DH50028-16]. The SCHRAB received $24,745 to analyze the current condition of historical records in the state [RC102958-20].
The University of South Carolina in Columbia received $98,822 to support a two-year project to process and describe 500 linear feet in three manuscript collections from textile mill owner Elliott White Springs, civil rights activist John Hurst Adams, and civil rights attorney John Roy Harper [RH50054-13]. The SCDAH received $12,000 to support a survey and four focus groups to gather information for a new strategic plan, with a focus group to share information about the needs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the state [RC102958-20].
The SCDAH also received $54,501 for a national meeting of the State and Territorial Historical Records Coordinators. The Coastal Carolina University in Conway received $270,237 to support the Gullah Geechee Digital Project, an archival collection drawn from three partner institutions that document the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people [RM102739-19].
Despite the latest NEH funding information from August 2025 mentioning projects in other states, no direct evidence from the latest publicly available NEH filings or reports shows new digitization or preservation grants awarded specifically to South Carolina archives as of mid-2025. Further updates might be found by contacting NEH or South Carolina cultural heritage agencies directly.
The funding received by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) extends beyond historical records, as they also received $80,000 for the South Carolina Historical Records Advisory Board (SCHRAB) to support projects in education, program enhancement, preservation, or digital access in the business sector. Meanwhile, the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia was granted $98,822 to process and describe valuable manuscript collections related to industries such as textile mills and civil rights activism.
