Preservation Funding for Government Agencies

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes representing African American cultural heritage.
• The fund supports work in four primary areas: Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum level are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $50,000 to $150,000. Cash match is NOT required.
• Letters of intent are due in January. If accepted, applications are due in May. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• Battlefield Preservation Fund grants serve as a catalyst to stimulate efforts to preserve battlefields, viewsheds, and related historic structures. Priority is given to battlefields that have limited access to other specialized battlefield funding programs.
• Funds may be used for legal and research fees to mitigate development threats, fund-raising and media plans, feasibility studies for endangered buildings and sites, archeological studies, landscape research and planning, viewshed protection, easement planning, and interpretation and heritage education activities.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due February 1, June 1, and October 1. If the first of the month falls on a weekend, applications will be due on the following Monday. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors provides grants to assist in the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of historic interiors.
• Funds may be used for professional services and advice for projects such as developing an interior restoration plan, conservation plan for textiles, or a historic furnishings plan; or to sponsor a workshop on the preservation of historic interiors, for instance.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Individuals and for-profit businesses may apply only if the project for which funding is requested involves a National Historic Landmark. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $2,500 to $15,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due in March. Confirm application deadlines every year with National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• Intervention funding is awarded in emergency situations when immediate and unanticipated work is needed to save a historic structure.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum level are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000. Cash match is NOT required.
• Applications can be submitted at any time. Contact grants@savingplaces.org for information.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• The Hart Family Fund for Small Towns assists preservation and revitalization initiatives in small towns with populations of 10,000 or less by providing grants for preservation planning and education efforts.
• Funds may be used to obtain professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, fund raising, organizational development and law, and preservation education activities to educate the public.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $2,500 to $15,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due in May. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• The Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation provides grants for projects that foster appreciation of our nation’s diverse cultural heritage and preserve the livability of the nation’s historic communities.
• Funds may be used for professional services and advice, conferences, workshops, and education.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Individuals and for-profit businesses may apply only if the project for which funding is requested involves a National Historic Landmark. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due in March. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• National Trust Preservation Funds provide grants for preservation planning and education efforts. Priorities for funding include building sustainable communities, reimagining historic sites, promoting diversity and place, and protecting historic places on public lands. This program includes the Fondren Fund for Texas.
• Funds may be used to obtain professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, fund raising, organizational development and law, and preservation education activities to educate the public.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due February 1, June 1, and October 1. If the first of the month falls on a weekend, applications will be due the following Monday. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• The National Trust, through its Rosenwald Schools Initiative, has a goal of saving Rosenwald Schools as vital hubs of community activity and revitalization. 
• Three grant funds exist, but funding is not currently available from the Rosenwald School Centennial Fund, which provided for the restoration and rehabilitation of Rosenwald School buildings. The Richard E. Deutsch Memorial Fund for Rosenwald Schools provides grants for preservation planning.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply.
• Awards range from $500 to $5,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications can be submitted at any time.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

• Grants from the National Trust’s Southwest Intervention Fund are intended to further preservation efforts of the traditional cultures of the Southwest region, including West Texas. The fund provides support for preservation planning efforts and enables prompt responses to emergency threats or opportunities. Strategic opportunities to save sites or help jumpstart preservation projects are eligible for the fund’s small, catalytic grants.
• West Texas is defined as: west of U.S. 281 from the Oklahoma border to San Antonio and north of U.S. 90 from San Antonio to Del Rio.
• Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. National Trust members at the Forum or Main Street levels are eligible to apply. 
• Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000. Cash match is required.
• Applications are due February 1, June 1, and October 1. Confirm application deadlines every year with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Website: texasagriculture.gov

• The CDBG Program for Rural Texas aims to develop viable communities by providing decent housing and suitable living environments, and expanding economic opportunities for persons of low to moderate income.
• Grants are available to non-entitlement city or county governments, which do not receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and typically include cities with a population of less than 50,000 and counties of less than 200,000.
• See United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under Preservation Funding for Homeowners for more information on the CDBG program.

Website: texasagriculture.gov

• The Downtown Revitalization Program is intended to stimulate economic growth through the funding of public infrastructure improvements to aid in the elimination of slum and blight conditions in the historic downtown areas of rural communities.
• Awarded cities receive funds to make public infrastructure improvements in the designated historic downtown business district. Funds may be used for public infrastructure improvements; acquisition of needed land; water and sewer facilities/lines; road/street construction/improvements; natural gas line construction/improvements; electric, telephone, and fiber optic line construction/improvements; traffic signals and signs; drainage improvements; sidewalk construction/improvements, including lighting, ADA ramps and rails; public parking lot construction/improvements; and other construction activities required to eliminate architectural barriers for the handicapped.
• Grants are available to non-entitlement city governments, which do not receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and typically include cities with a population of less than 50,000.
• Awards range from $50,000 to $350,000.
• Applications are due in May.

Website: texasagriculture.gov

• The Main Street Improvements Program is intended to stimulate economic growth through the funding of public infrastructure improvements to aid in the elimination of slum and blight conditions in the historic downtown areas of rural Main Street communities, as identified by the Texas Historical Commission. 
• Awarded cities receive funds to make public infrastructure improvements in the designated Main Street business district. Funds may be used for public infrastructure improvements; acquisition of needed land; water and sewer facilities/lines; road/street construction/improvements; natural gas line construction/improvements; electric, telephone, and fiber optic line construction/improvements; traffic signals and signs; drainage improvements; sidewalk construction/improvements, including lighting, ADA ramps and rails; public parking lot construction/improvements; and other construction activities required to eliminate architectural barriers for the handicapped.
• Grants are available to non-entitlement city governments, which do not receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and typically include cities with a population of less than 50,000.
• Awards range from $50,000 to $350,000.
• Applications are due in May.

Website: texasagriculture.gov

• The Infrastructure Development Program funds public infrastructure primarily in Texas’ rural communities and counties in support of projects that create new jobs for low-to-moderate income persons.
• Funds may be used for public infrastructure improvements to include: water and sewer facilities/lines; pre-treatment facilities; road/street construction/improvements; natural gas line construction/improvements; electric, telephone, and fiber optic line construction/improvements; harbor/channel dredging; purchase of real estate related to public infrastructure improvements; traffic signals and signs; drainage improvements; and railroad spurs.
• Grants are available to non-entitlement city or county governments, which do not receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and typically include cities with a population of less than 50,000 and counties of less than 200,000.
• Awards range from $50,000 to $1.5 million.

Website: texasagriculture.gov

• The Real Estate Development Program provides no-interest loans to fund the acquisition or renovation of an existing building, new construction, or land acquisition, primarily in Texas’ rural communities and counties. The program supports projects that create new jobs for low- and moderate-income persons. 
• Funds may be used for purchase and/or renovation of an existing building, new building construction or land acquisition, or private infrastructure.
• Loans are available to non-entitlement city or county governments, which do not receive direct funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and typically include cities with a population of less than 50,000 and counties of less than 200,000.
• Awards range from $100,000 to $1.5 million, and must be repaid by the business within 20 years.

Website: thc.texas.gov

• Certified Local Government (CLG) grants provide funding to participating city and county governments to develop and sustain an effective local preservation program critical to preserving local historic resources. Cities and county governments that have been individually certified by the National Park Service as CLGs (prior to the time of their grant application) are eligible to apply.
• Grants can be used for local historic preservation projects, including surveys of historic properties/districts, preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and other community-based preservation projects.
• Awards range from $2,000 to $30,000 and require a one-to-one local cash or in-kind match. Only non-federal monies may be used as a match, with the exception of Community Development Block Grants.
• Applications are due in early November. Confirm deadlines every year with the THC.
• Contact the CLG program at 512-463-9063.

Website: thc.texas.gov

• The Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program provides partial matching grants to Texas counties for the restoration of their historic county courthouses.
• To participate in the grant program, counties must submit a master preservation plan for renovating and maintaining their historic county courthouse. Once a master plan is approved, the owner of the courthouse is eligible to apply for rehabilitation funding under this program.
• Contact Suzan Tietz at 512-463-5860 or susan.tietz@thc.texas.gov.

Website: thc.texas.gov

• State university systems and other state institutions of higher education may participate in the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program for a limited time. House Bill 1003, passed during the 85th Texas Legislative Session in 2017, eliminates the depreciation and non-tax-exempt use provisions for such institutions.
• Only qualified expenses incurred by the property owner or long-term lessee between June 14, 2017 and January 1, 2022 count towards the credit.
• For more information on the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, see Preservation Funding for Businesses.

Website: thc.texas.gov

• The Texas Preservation Trust Fund provides matching grants to qualified applicants for the acquisition, survey, restoration, preservation, planning, and heritage education activities leading to the preservation of historic properties and archeological sites. 
• Competitive grants are awarded on a one-to-one match basis and are paid as reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred during the project.
• Awards are up to $30,000.
• Applications follow a two-part process, with the initial applications due at the end of January. Confirm application deadlines every year with the THC.
• Contact Lisa Harvell at 512-463-6047 or lisa.harvell@thc.texas.gov.

• The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acts as a silent partner in hundreds of communities across the state through its grant, assistance, education, and outreach programs. From the largest metroplex to the smallest rural community, these programs help to build new parks, conserve natural resources, preserve historical sites, provide access to water bodies, and develop educational programs for youth.
• Local Parks Grants include five individual programs that can fund land acquisition and park development. Recreational Trails Grants fund acquisition, construction, and improvements to trails. Maximum awards vary by grant type from $75,000 to $1 million.
• Grants are available to municipalities, counties, municipal utility districts, and other local units of government.
• Applications are due in various months, depending on the grant for which you are applying. Deadlines can be found at tpwd.texas.gov/business/grants/recreation-grants/copy_of_grant-deadlines

Website: rd.usda.gov

• Community Programs provides grants and loans to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population.
• Funds may be used to develop essential community facilities by constructing, enlarging, or improving community facilities for health care, public safety, and community and public services.
• Grants and loans are available to public entities such as municipalities, counties, and special-purpose districts, as well as nonprofit corporations and tribal governments. In addition, applicants must have the legal authority necessary for construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed facility and also be unable to obtain needed funds from commercial sources at reasonable rates and terms.
• For grants, the amount of assistance for project costs depends upon the median household income and the population in the community where the project is located and the availability of grant funds.
• For direct loans, there are three levels of interest rates available (poverty, intermediate, and market) each on a fixed basis. For guaranteed loans, the interest rate is the lender’s customary interest rate for similar projects. Loan repayment terms may not exceed the applicant’s authority, the useful life of the facility, or 40 years.

(See Preservation Funding for Businesses)

• The Economic Development Administration’s (EDA’s) mission is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for economic growth and success in the worldwide economy. The EDA supports development in economically distressed areas of the United States by fostering job creation and attracting private investment.
• Under the Economic Development Assistance programs (EDAP), the EDA makes construction, non-construction, and revolving loan fund investments under the Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs. Grants and cooperative agreements made under these programs leverage regional assets and support the implementation of economic development strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities.
• Eligible applicants include state, county, and city governments, public and private institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments, and nonprofits.

• Under the Planning program, the EDA assists eligible recipients in creating regional economic development plans designed to stimulate and guide the economic development efforts of a community or region. As part of this program, the EDA supports Partnership Planning investments to facilitate the development, implementation, revision, or replacement of Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies. 
• The Local Technical Assistance program strengthens the capacity of local or state organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible recipients to undertake and promote effective economic development programs through projects such as feasibility analyses and impact studies.
• Eligible applicants include state, county, and city governments, public and private institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments, and nonprofits