GREAT BAY--The St. Maarten National Heritage Foundation and the Saba Archaeological Center Foundation have been awarded research grants by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to strengthen the preservation, documentation and public presentation of their respective islands' cultural heritage, with St. Maarten's project focusing heavily on slavery, forced labor, salt production and Indigenous history.
The two Caribbean institutions are among 16 recipients selected under NWO's 2026 Museum Grants program, announced on September 21. The awards are particularly significant because 2026 marks the first time the program has been opened to museum institutions across the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, creating new opportunities for regional heritage organizations to undertake research with financial support from the Netherlands.
On St. Maarten, researcher Staci-Marie Dehaney will lead a project examining the island's history of enslavement, forced labor and salt production through a combination of archival research, historical ruins, museum collections and oral histories. The work will also examine St. Maarten's Indigenous past, with the objective of developing more comprehensive and accessible museum exhibitions that reflect the experiences of communities whose histories have not always received adequate attention.
The research is expected to connect historical documents and physical evidence with memories and accounts passed down through generations, creating opportunities to tell a broader story about the people who shaped St. Maarten's development.
Particular attention will be given to the historical relationship between slavery and the salt industry, which was a major part of the island's economy. Salt production depended heavily on enslaved labor, and the remnants of that industry remain an important part of St. Maarten's physical and cultural landscape.
The St. Maarten National Heritage Foundation and Museum already maintains exhibitions and collections dealing with the island's history, including its Indigenous inhabitants, plantation economy, slavery, emancipation and salt production. The new research is intended to build on that foundation by introducing additional historical evidence, perspectives and interpretation into exhibitions for residents, students and visitors.
Dehaney also brings an academic background in colonial heritage research. She is listed as an external doctoral researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and has participated in research examining the ownership, value and legacy of colonial objects held in museum collections.
On Saba, the grant will support research led by Sharifa Balfour, director of the Saba Archaeological Center Foundation, known as SABARC. Her project will focus on establishing professional standards for museum collection management, storage and long-term preservation.
The work forms part of preparations for a new Saba Heritage Center, planned for opening in 2029, and is intended to ensure that the island's historical artifacts, documents and cultural collections can be properly conserved, organized and made accessible to future generations.
Balfour's organization has been active in archaeological research, heritage education and the preservation of Saba's cultural identity. Its activities have expanded to include community exhibitions, historical documentation and collaboration with regional heritage institutions.
The new grant will allow the foundation to strengthen the technical and research foundations needed to safeguard its growing collections as it prepares for the planned facility.
The Museum Grants program was established to strengthen scientific research within museums while developing the research skills of museum professionals. The program supports projects directly connected to museum collections, exhibitions and institutional research activities.
For the 2026 funding round, NWO made a total budget of €700,000 available, with individual institutions eligible to apply for grants ranging from €10,000 to €50,000. Projects may run for up to 18 months, an increase from the previous maximum of 12 months.
Under the program, museum employees conduct research with guidance from an experienced researcher affiliated with a recognized research institution. Findings must also be made publicly available through open-access publication, helping ensure that the knowledge generated extends beyond the institutions receiving funding.
For Caribbean institutions, the program's expansion is significant because museums on St. Maarten, Saba and the other islands can now compete for dedicated research funding previously unavailable to them under this scheme. Caribbean applicants are also exempt from the Dutch Museum Register requirement, provided their institutions meet specified standards concerning nonprofit status, collection preservation and public accessibility.
The awards come at a time when cultural institutions across the Caribbean are placing increased emphasis on documenting the region's history of slavery, colonialism, emancipation and Indigenous communities, while strengthening the professional care of historical collections.
For St. Maarten, the funding creates an opportunity to expand how the island's history is researched and presented, particularly the experiences of enslaved people and their descendants whose labor helped shape its economic and social development.
For Saba, the emphasis will be on ensuring that the island's collections are maintained according to professional standards as preparations continue for the next phase of its heritage infrastructure.
Together, the projects represent an investment in preserving Caribbean history and strengthening the ability of local institutions to research, interpret and present that history to their own communities and a wider audience.
The precise grant amounts awarded to the two Caribbean institutions were not specified in the information publicly available.
