Rehabilitation of the Death Valley Scotty Historic District through web-based videos | P17AS00225

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00225

This National Park Service (NPS) funding notice centers on keeping the public connected to the recovery of the Death Valley Scotty Historic District (commonly known as Scottys Castle) after a major natural disaster. On October 18, 2015, a flash flood tore through Grapevine Canyon and overwhelmed the historic district, pushing mud and debris (in places up to about four feet deep) into buildings, patios, and courtyards. The flood also caused widespread infrastructure failures, including roughly eight miles of road damage and the loss of essential utilities such as water, power, phone, and internet service. Critical site systems were heavily impacted or destroyed, including the wastewater treatment system and major building systems like heating, cooling, and fire sprinklers. Because of the scale of the damage, the site was closed to the public while park managers planned a multi-year rehabilitation effort aimed at reopening in 2019.

A key reason this site matters is its interpretive value and the integrity of its historic interiors. Scottys Castle is unusual among historic house museums because it contains many of the actual original objects associated with the propertys owners during its period of significance. Before the flood, ranger-led tours were a major visitor experience, using the buildings, collections, and stories to illustrate early twentieth-century themes such as westward expansion, mining culture, the prosperity and consumerism of the 1920s, the early development of the national park system, and the effects of western settlement on tribal cultures. Losing access to the site therefore did not just interrupt tourism; it cut off a major storytelling and education platform that helps visitors understand regional and national history through a specific, tangible place.

The opportunity also highlights the long-standing support role played by the Death Valley Natural History Association (DVNHA), a nonprofit partner that helps sustain operations, maintenance, and museum collection needs at Scottys Castle. Maintaining a remote historic complex is expensive and logistically difficult, and the DVNHA has historically contributed through fundraising and direct support. One recurring example is its benefit organ concert series held in the Castles music room, with proceeds helping fund upkeep of the 121-pipe Welte theater organ (a type of instrument associated with silent film accompaniment) and supporting an intern team that performs an annual cleaning of the site under the park curators direction. Beyond routine support, DVNHA has also raised money for specialized curatorial work, such as conserving and cleaning fragile historic textiles including hand-made leather draperies.

Even with the site closed for more than a year, public interest remained high, creating a steady stream of questions to park staff and a communication challenge: it is difficult to convey the sheer scale of the flood damage and the complexity of rebuilding through written updates alone. In response, the park and DVNHA found that short web-based videos were an effective way to show what happened and what recovery looks like in real time. Shortly after the flood, DVNHA sponsored two video shorts explaining the event and its immediate aftermath, published on YouTube and promoted through the parks website and social media. Those videos became a practical outreach tool that staff could point stakeholders to, and they collectively drew significant attention, with view counts exceeding 50,000.

The proposed project in this notice is to continue that strategy by producing additional video shorts that document and interpret the rehabilitation process as it unfolds. The intent is to keep visitors, community stakeholders, and potential donors informed and engaged during the long closure period, while also helping audiences understand why the work takes time and what it involves. The suggested video topics cover the full arc of recovery: moving and protecting the museum collection; restoring water and repairing utilities for the complex; repairing buildings and completing historic preservation work; treating collection items while in storage; repairing and preserving the cultural landscape; returning the collection to the site; and ultimately documenting the grand reopening.

Administratively, the notice is a cooperative agreement under the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, categorized under natural resources (CFDA 15.954). It is labeled as a discretionary opportunity, but the announcement explicitly states it is a Notice of Intent to Award and not a request for applications. In other words, this posting functions as public notification that NPS plans to fund the project through an agreement with DVNHA rather than opening a competitive application process. The listed eligible applicant type is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (other than institutions of higher education), consistent with DVNHAs role. The funding opportunity number is P17AS00225, the creation date is May 11, 2017, and the stated award ceiling is $56,077, with expected awards listed as 0 because the action is a directed intent-to-award notice rather than a typical competitive grant cycle.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rehabilitation of the Death Valley Scotty Historic District through web-based videos" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD. This is NOT a request for applications. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project with Cooperative Agreement with DVNHA. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $56,077.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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