Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area launched its new grant program this week, which aims to increase audiences and access to the organization’s partner sites. Underscoring FFNHA’s core values of fostering tourism and economic development along the Kansas-Missouri border, Freedom’s Frontier Accessibility Grants are open to partners through January 30, 2025.
Freedom’s Frontier Accessibility Grants offer up to $3,000 to organizations located within the heritage area’s 41 counties that interpret one of FFNHA’s three themes: the settlement of the western frontier, the Kansas-Missouri Border War and Civil War, and the enduring struggle for freedom. Specifically, the program focuses on increasing access for visitors with disabilities.
Suggested proposals include:
- Site modifications for easier physical access
- Translations or braille content
- “Leveled” or lower reading options or activities for children, ELL programs, and school groups
- Modernizing language
- Fixing or creating sidewalks or user-friendly trails
- Sensory-friendly materials such as headphones or “social story” materials
- Staffing at an event for a specific audience (opening for a low-sensory timeslot, hiring translators/interpreters, etc) or learning opportunities to improve staff’s understanding of these audiences
- Media to promote the above options at the site
Applications are open now and must be submitted by January 30, 2025. FFNHA partners can apply online at freedomsfrontier.org/grants/accessibility-grants.