In every geographical area of the world, there are disasters created by humans and nature. The ICA Disaster Relief Fund was established in 2018 to aid in the stabilization and recovery needs of archival institutions affected by these catastrophic events.
The fund will
- Provide small grant monies to any repository or collection of repositories that holds archival records or special collections. Monies may be used for the direct recovery of damaged or at-risk materials; such services as freeze drying, storage, transportation of materials, and rental facilities; supplies, including acid-free boxes and folders, storage cartons, cleaning materials, plastic crates, and protective gear; and to defray the costs for volunteers or other laborers who assist with the recovery.
- Provide advice and assistance, via consultation with experts, to archive repositories seeking information about response and recovery; such as setting up triage areas, drying wet material, conservation and preservation of damaged material.
- Provide monies to support the deployment (when the disaster region is deemed safe to enter) of a group or team of archival experts to provide hands-on guidance in response and recovery.
A review committee comprised of at least three representatives from ICA (Chair of PCOM, Chair of Expert Group on Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness, Chair of Expert Group on Archives Buildings and Environments or their designates) will review applications and select grant recipients. The committee will score applications based on pre-defined criteria and monies available. Within three months of receiving aid (monies or services), the recipient must submit a report detailing how the aid was used.
The Disaster Relief Fund is supported by monies from ICA and its members.
The ICA Disaster Relief Fund is chaired by the Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Expert Group chair and managed by the ICA Secretariat.
Eligibility: Any repository holding archival records is eligible to apply for a grant. Grant monies may be used for the direct recovery of at-risk archival materials: including such services as freeze drying, storage, transportation of materials and rental facilities; supplies including acid-free boxes and folders, storage cartons, cleaning materials, plastic milk crates and protective gear and to defray the costs for volunteers or other labourers who assist with the recovery.