Preservation Funding for Nonprofit Organizations

The list of organizations that provide preservation funding resources for nonprofit organizations. Click on the buttons under each organization to learn more about their individual programs and initiatives.

1772 Foundation

Email: maryanthony@1772foundation.org
Website: 1772foundation.org

  • The 1772 Foundation offers grants related to historic properties redevelopment programs (revolving funds). 
  • Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Applications can be for feasibility studies for redevelopment programs or to increase the capacity of existing historic properties’ redevelopment programs.
  • Organizations that wish to be considered should send a one-page letter of inquiry.

American Express

General Inquiries
American Express Corporate
20022 North 31st Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85027
1-800-528-2122
Website: about.americanexpress.com

  • American Express supports organizations and projects that preserve or rediscover major historic sites and monuments for current and future generations to experience, with an emphasis on preservation of sites that represent diverse cultures.
  • Supported projects will have a focus on public access and interaction with historic places, the preservation of historic places for future or innovative use, or creating systems to manage increased visitor activities and environmental impacts to historic places. 
  • Grants are available to 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (2), or (3) nonprofit organizations.
  • Applications are accepted by invitation only.

AT&T Foundation

208 S. Akard, Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75202-4206
800/591-9663
Email: Foundation@att.com
Website: about.att.com/csr

  • The AT&T Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and programs that address quality-of-life issues, with an emphasis on improving education and advancing community development. Funding priorities include community revitalization and arts and cultural programs.

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Contact your local Bank of America branch.
Website: about.bankofamerica.com, bankofamerica.com/foundation; Email: foundation@bankofamerica.com

  • The Bank of America Charitable Foundation supports efforts to address critical issues facing neighborhoods and communities. Funding priorities include community development, education, and workforce development.
  • Neighborhood preservation efforts include providing affordable housing, offering neighborhood residents home retention and foreclosure counseling, and promoting neighborhood stabilization.
  • The Neighborhood Builders program strengthens the capacity and infrastructure of select nonprofit groups to promote the professional development of their leaders. 
  • Economic Mobility focused on needs of community (affordable housing, small business, neighborhood revitalization). Applications accempted: 5/31/2021 - 6/25/25/2021 (or see website for future deadlines)
  • Grants are available to nonprofit organizations in the Amarillo, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio markets.
  • Applications are due in June.

BNSF Railway Foundation

2500 Lou Menk Dr.
Fort Worth, TX 76131-2830
817-867-6458
Email: BNSFFoundation@bnsf.com 
Website: bnsffoundation.org

  • The BNSF Railway Foundation is dedicated to supporting the communities served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and offers grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of civic, cultural, educational, health and human service, and youth activities.
  • Proposed projects are highly unlikely to considered unless they include significant BNSF employee participation, be related to the railroad industry, be in close proximity to a BNSF main line, or if BNSF is the only railroad or major corporation in your area of the state.
  • No limit on the amount for which you may apply. Grants generally range from $1,000 to $10,000.
  • No application deadline, but grants require between three months and one year for a decision.

The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence

130 Prospect St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-8404
Website: rudybruneraward.org

  • The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence seeks to discover special places and celebrate and publicize their achievements. These places often transcend the boundaries between architecture, urban design, and planning. They are born through processes of transformation―the renewal of something old, or the creation of something new that resonates in the history of community life. The award seeks to illuminate the complex process of urban placemaking, so it may be strengthened to better reflect the balance between form and use, opportunity and cost, and preservation and change.
  • The project must be a real place, not just a plan or program.
  • Since site visits are integral to the award process, the project must have been in operation for a sufficient amount of time to demonstrate success.
  • One Gold Medal Award of $50,000 and four Silver Medal Awards of $10,000 are awarded each biennium. The next call for entries will be in 2021.
  • For support with submission process, please contact support@submittable.com or 855-467-8264.

The Getty Foundation

1200 Getty Center Dr., Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1685
310-440-7320
Email: GettyFoundation@getty.edu
Website: getty.edu

  • The Getty Foundation supports institutions and individuals committed to advancing the understanding and preservation of the visual arts. The majority of funding is through initiatives that target a particular issue or region, and that are carried out in collaboration with the other Getty programs.
  • Apart from residential fellowships, most applications are by invitation rather than through open competition.
  • Keeping It Modern is a grant initiative focused on supporting model projects for the conservation of modern architecture. Nonprofit or charitable organizations from around the world are eligible to request support. Buildings must be significant, publicly owned, and serve a public function. Grant support is not available for privately held or commercial properties. Applicants must submit a preliminary letter of inquiry to keepingitmodern@getty.edu.

Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts

4 West Burton Place
Chicago, IL 60610-1416
312-787-4071
Email: info@grahamfoundation.org
Website: grahamfoundation.org

  • The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts makes project-based grants to individuals and organizations and produces public programs to foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.
  • Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, publications, exhibitions, installations, conferences/lectures, films, new media projects, and other public programs. Capital improvement (bricks-and-mortar) projects are ineligible for this grant. 
  • Deadline for grants to individuals is in September. Deadline for grants to organizations is in February.

Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation

6131 Westview Dr.
Houston, TX 77055
713-681-7868
Website: herzsteinfoundation.org

  • The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation supports charitable efforts that offer individuals opportunities for advancement through education and enrichment of the human spirit, and contribute to the quality of life in our society.
  • Grants are only available to qualified nonprofit organizations. The Foundation does not make grants to individuals.
  • Applications should be in the form of a written request made to the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation.
  • There are no deadlines. Proposals are accepted year-round.
  • Preference is given to eligible organizations in the Houston area or within the State of Texas.

Meadows Foundation

National Endowment for the Humanities

(See Preservation Funding for Government Agencies)

  • Collaborative Research Grants
  • Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants
  • Preservation and Access Education and Training
  • Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
  • Public Humanities Projects
  • Research and Development
  • Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

National Park Service

(See Preservation Funding for Government Agencies)

  • African American Civil Rights Grants
  • American Battlefield Protection Program: Battlefield Planning Grants
  • Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants
  • Japanese American Confinement Sites
  • Preservation Technology and Training Grants
  • Route 66 Cost-Share Grant Program
  • Save America's Treasures Grants

National Trust for Historic Preservation

(See Preservation Funding for Government Agencies)

  • African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
  • Battlefield Preservation Fund
  • Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors
  • Emergency/Intervention Funding
  • Hart Family Fund for Small Towns
  • Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation
  • National Trust Preservation Funds
  • Richard E. Deutsch Memorial Fund for Rosenwald Schools
  • Southwest Intervention Fund

Ed Rachal Foundation

555 N. Carancahua St., Suite 700 
Corpus Christi, TX 78401
361-881-9040
Email: info@edrachal.org
Website: edrachal.org

  • The Ed Rachal Foundation supports charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes.
  • Grants are only available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or governmental entities and must be used for charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes. Grants are not made to individuals.
  • All grant funds must be expended for exempt purposes within the state of Texas.
  • Submit a written application at any time of the year. Submissions from the same organization are considered only once every fiscal year.
  • Only grant applications using the Ed Rachal Foundation Grant Application Form will be accepted.
  • Awards range from $5,000 to $50,000.

The Summerlee Foundation

5556 Caruth Haven Ln.
Dallas, TX 75225
214-363-9000
Email: gnsmith@summerlee.org
Website: summerlee.org 

  • The Summerlee Foundation provides grants to research, promote, and document all facets of Texas history.
  • Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or governmental entities. 
  • Prior to submitting a proposal, grantseekers should contact the Program Officer in Texas History (see contact information above) to schedule a discussion of the proposed project before submitting a letter of inquiry.
  • Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time, and the schedule of the Summerlee Foundation’s meetings to consider submissions can be found on the Foundation’s website.
  • Grants are not made to individuals, for religious purposes, for monuments and memorials, for courthouse restoration, for lobbying efforts, nor for organizations that do not share the mission of the Summerlee Foundation.
  • The average grant amount is $10,000.

Texas Historical Commission

(See Preservation Funding for Businesses and Preservation Funding for Government Agencies)

  • Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program 
  • Texas Preservation Trust Fund

Texas Historical Foundation

P.O. Box 50314
Austin, TX 78763
512-453-2154
Email: admin@texashistoricalfoundation.org
Website: texashistoricalfoundation.org

  • The Texas Historical Foundation funds bricks-and-mortar restoration projects, events promoting Texas history to the general public, publications and scholarly research in Texas history, Texas history educational curriculum development and implementation, as well as curatorial and archeological projects. 
  • The Foundation shows preference toward rural preservation projects in communities with populations of less than 30,000.
  • Applications should show a strong record of community support and the ability to obtain the financial resources necessary to ensure the project’s completion.
  • Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, religious organizations, and city/county/state historical agencies based in Texas.
  • Grant applications must be received by the first day of March, June, September, or December.
  • There is no standard requirement that grant funds be matched.
  • Grant requests between $1,000 and $5,000 are suggested.

Union Pacific Foundation

1400 Douglas St.
Omaha, NE 68179
402-544-5600
888-870-8777
Email: upf@up.com
Website: up.com

  • The Union Pacific Foundation supports the communities the Union Pacific Railroad serves. Grants should improve quality of life and address a critical challenge. Funding priorities include grants for community spaces, including museums, libraries, and historic places.
  • Grants are available to nonprofit organizations.
  • Awards range from $2,500 to $25,000.
  • Applicants must first complete an eligibility survey in April or May. If accepted, applications are due in May.

United States Department of Agriculture

(See Preservation Funding for Government Agencies and Preservation Funding for Businesses)

  • Community Facility Direct Loan & Grant Program
  • Rural Business Enterprise Grants

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

(See Preservation Funding for Homeowners)

  • Community Development Block Grants 

United States Economic Development Administration

(See Preservation Funding for Government  Agencies)

  • Economic Development Assistance Programs
  • Planning Program and Local Technical Assistance Program

 

Back to Funding for Preservation Projects