FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2026
CONTACT
Lauren Craig
Membership Engagement & Social Media Coordinator
membership@newporthistory.org
Newport Historical Society Awarded $245,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities
Grant will fund digitization of Revolutionary War-era archives, expanding access to Newport’s rich history
NEWPORT, RI – The Newport Historical Society announced today that it has received a$245,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), awarded through the agency’s “Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition” initiative. The grant will fund Newport’s Archives of the American Revolution, a project to rehouse, catalog, and digitize 2,000 18th and 19th century documents from the NHS’s vast collections.
The NHS is one of just two Rhode Island recipients of Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition funding.
“This exciting award allows us to advance research and dramatically increase public access to one-of-a-kind documents and resources,” said Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand.
“Every document we digitize presents an opportunity for us to preserve Newport’s history locally and simultaneously open it up to the world.”
With the funding, the NHS will purchase a scanner and use of an AI-powered translation tool built to capture physical documents in a readable, digitized format. The funding will also enable two additional years of remote research support.
The award comes as Newport marks the semi-quincentennial of American independence, a milestone that has drawn increased attention to the city’s outsized role in the nation’s founding.
“Rhode Island played a leading role in our nation’s founding, and the Newport Historical Society has been a trusted steward of that legacy,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee who leads the effort each year to fund the NEH and protect it from cuts. “By digitizing the impressive archive of Revolutionary War-era documents and materials at NHS, this federal NEH grant will expand the Historical Society’s extraordinary work helping researchers, patrons, and lifelong learners better understand everyday life, commerce, culture, customs, and folkways here in Newport and throughout our state during the American Revolution.”
“This award recognizes the Newport Historical Society’s nearly two centuries of thoughtful, dedicated preservation work. Digitizing these archives means that an important part of Rhode Island’s role in the American story will be told clearly and accurately for generations to come,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
“As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary and Rhode Island’s role in igniting the American Revolution, we have an essential responsibility to preserve our history,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “This award will ensure the Newport Historical Society can continue to safeguard and share its rich archives.”
The NEH award is among a series of grants supporting efforts to preserve and share Newport’s history. The rehousing, cataloging, and digitization of the document collection is currently ongoing.