Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research (dba Ships of Discovery) was founded in 1989. It is a non-profit, publicly funded, archaeological research and educational organization. The focus of our work is terrestrial, maritime, and underwater cultural heritage management, archaeological research, and educational outreach. Under the direction of Dr. Donald H. Keith and Dr. Toni L. Carrell, Ships of Discovery:
- undertakes cultural heritage surveys and excavations nationally and internationally;
- works with local and international governments, agencies, and museums to inventory, document, promote, and preserve underwater cultural heritage;
- conducts conservation and analysis of artifacts;
- promotes education and better understanding of the past through scientific articles, popular books and lectures, the design and fabrication of museum exhibits, videos, trail guides, and public outreach programs.
It is a recognized 501(c)(3) under the US Internal Revenue Code and is a small business as defined by the Code of Federal Regulation, Title 13, part 121, as amended.
Ships of Discovery has received Federal grants from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program, National Park Service Historic Preservation Program, Department of Defense US Navy, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Humanities for the Arts, and others. Companies, foundations and organization grants or contracts include the Meadows Foundation, Dayton Foundation, New Jersey Community Foundation, Krieble Foundation, University of Hawaii Hilo, Coastal Environments Inc., Pan American Consultants, Turks & Caicos National Museum, Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, and the State of Texas, among others.
In an effort to maximize the impact and research outcomes from our work, Ships of Discovery’s policy is to limit indirect costs from sub-contracts and sub-awards through our organization to no more than 10%. For questions regarding this policy contact us at: ships@shipsofdiscovery.org.
