The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded Marist College's Hudson River Valley Institute a highly competitive $500,000 challenge grant for strengthening teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.

The grant was among the largest amounts awarded in the agency's 2008 grant cycle. NEH challenge grants support work in education, public programming, scholarly research, digital technology, and preservation in the humanities. HRVI and Marist were among 248 successful applicants awarded $15.7 million in five categories. As a challenge grant, the NEH award requires that Marist raise three times the amount of the grant, or $1.5 million, from nonfederal sources over four and a half years.

The grant will be used to enhance HRVI's programs, which include a digital library; sponsorship of lectures, conferences, and other public programming; publication of the Hudson River Valley Review; and development of resources for use in K-12 classrooms.

Founded in 2002, HRVI designs its resources and programs to promote understanding and appreciation for the history, literature, landscape, art, and culture of the Hudson River Valley. HRVI is the academic arm of the congressionally designated Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.