New York has served as a leader in confronting social, economic and political issues of broad national importance. The New York State Archives holds many of the oldest and most important archival treasures in the nation.  

The Archives Partnership Trust was founded in 1992 to build an endowment and provide project support to enhance humanities programs, increase access to these outstanding treasures, and continue the preservation of New York's historical records. Since its founding, the Partnership Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has supported exceptional projects and programs. These include the Research Residency Program, the Student Research Awards Program, history conferences, special exhibitions, public education programs, book signings and lectures, publications, teacher training institutes, preservation projects, and more.

Mission Statement

The New York State Archives Partnership Trust will help preserve and make accessible the archives from 350 years of New York’s colonial and state governments, so that they may be used for the benefit of the public.  The Trust will address this mission by better informing the public about the importance of these records, by building a network of friends and advocates for the State Archives, and by obtaining increased public and private resources for work in the State Archives.

History

In 1992 a significant grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities served as the catalyst for enabling the Archives Partnership Trust to establish early and important leadership. 

Today the Partnership Trust is governed by a Board of citizens selected for their leadership and commitment to education and cultural affairs.

The H. W. Wilson Foundation and Furthermore...The Publication Program of The J. M. Kaplan Fund provided important support of the Archives publication program. Additional priorities were funded by Booth Ferris Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Inc., The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, J. P. Morgan Charitable Trust, The Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, Inc., Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, Inc.

In 1997-98 the Governor included $7.5 million in his budget for the New York State Archives Research Center that opened in 2004. The facility provides new educational, public services, and a state-of-the-art and safe environment for New York's archival treasures.