UCR's Historic Archiving Project Receives $350K In Funding Thanks To Endowment Grant

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The University of California, Riverside has earned a $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant for a historical archiving project, officials announced Wednesday.

Project Director Steven Hackel is leading the "Early California Population Project 2.0," which will involve adding approximately 20,000 records to a database documenting the residents of California from 1769 to 1850, as well as providing links to related primary source materials and expanding the functionality of the digital reference resource, according to the NEH.

The grant was part of $41.4 million in grants announced by the NEH on Wednesday for 81 humanities projects across the country.

The only other California project was a $284,235 grant to Cal State Northridge for archival materials documenting the careers of two U.S. congressional representatives and one state senator from California.

Acting NEH Chairman William English released a statement regarding the grants.

"Grants from the National Endowment support organizations and scholars working to illuminate and educate about the great ideas and events of the past," English said in a statement. "As we celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary this year, NEH is proud to help foster robust public engagement with our national history, ideals, and intellectual achievements through funding for an array of exhibitions, preservation projects, books, education initiatives, and advanced research."