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Public Law 109:441: Preservation of Japanese American Confinement Sites What should the evaluation criteria be for determining which proposals receive consideration for funding (when it is available) through the grant program? Respondents provided numerous suggestions related to criteria that should be used to evaluate grant proposals, including: • High priority should be given to projects with urgent needs, such as building stabilization and oral histories. • Projects should improve the conditions of the sites. • Projects should achieve long-lasting results, high visibility, and reach a large audience. • Projects should have an educational and outreach component, and be effective at conveying the stories of the confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II. • Applicants must demonstrate the ability to effectively manage the project in a cost effective manner and complete the project on-time. • Projects should have strong and broad support by stakeholders, including local communities, former internees, partners and concerned citizens. Do you have any additional comments? In addition to the suggestions made above, respondents also provided comments about other aspects of the grant program, including: What We Heard " .. .I feel strongly that this project. .. should encourage a deeper understanding of the causes of the confinement and what detainees experienced in point of physical, economic and psychological hardships. It should strive to encourage in the public their responsibility to try to prevent this type of violation of civil and human rights, which undermines the very foundations of a democratic society." "I also would hope that there would be ample opportunity to hear, via oral interviews, the words of those who were confined, to see artifacts of their lives ... their life in the bitter cold of winter with the wind biting into every "home" and the blistering heat of summer, concentrated by the exterior tar paper of the barracks . . .. " • Establish a system to provide support to applicants. • Form an advisory committee to help: ~ encourage collaboration and minimize competition between different groups working towards similar goals. ~ ensure that people who are knowledgeable about confinement can advise the NPS about the future of the grant program and to help in the evaluation of grant applications. "The funding should go to projects that are long-term and sustainable including interpretation and restoration of the sites, disseminating virtual information, constructing museums, performing oral interviews of former internees, and if necessary acquiring the remaining land." • Make all information produced through this program available and accessible to the public. • Ensure that the evaluation and selection process is inclusive and transparent. A more detailed summary of the public comments is available on the NPS public comment website at: http://parkplanrung.nps.gov/ imro. Please select "Grant Program for Preservation ofJapanese American World War II Confinement Sites." The report is included in the "Document List" link and is titled "Summary of Public Comments. doc." 3 "I would like to have all emphasis placed on collecting oral histories from the survivors of these camps, whatever ethnicity, since we are aging and there are fewer and fewer of us. Many of us have artifacts we would like to see placed for public viewing, not tucked into Smithsonian vaults."