If you are a proud owner of a historical, picturesque landscape or an ancient architectural marvel building, site, or structure, then you can procure a legal grant from the historic preservation fund to restore, revamp or secure the property. The National Historic Preservation Act offers a complete set of guidelines and blueprints for the federal, state, and local governments to work by nonprofit establishments and public organizations to tender support and financial aid in preserving historical sites. The monetary aid is released to the states by the National Park Service that administers and monitors the endowment. As a result, the monetary grants are dispensed to the private applicants. In addition to that, you can also broaden your horizons and look for private funding sources; however, you need to fulfill the preliminary eligibility criteria to secure a financial grant.
How to apply for a historical grant?
To apply for historic home restoration grants in the US, you need to apply at State Historic Preservation Office or the National Trust Preservation Fund. If your property passes eligibility criteria, your property will become part of the National Register for Historic Places, and then you can get a historic home restoration grant.
Historical buildings and architectural wonders from the past are an integral pillar in shaping up the perceptions of culture and local identity over time and are essential in understanding the future. Respecting, observing, and analyzing historical places help us learn about the past and acknowledge our lineages’ accomplishments. The landscapes and ancient establishments are consequently valuable assets that demand protection, restoration, and refurbishment. However, the process of securing and reestablishing historical assets or buildings is a costly project and involves a huge budget. Certain organizations work towards maintaining and repairing historic buildings. Still, monetary assistance can only be achieved by applying grants from various government or private establishments that work by catering monetary aid and funds to secure historical sites.
The owners must complete a fundamental application with the State’s Historic Preservation Office or the National Trust Preservation Fund to acquire historical rebuilding contributions.
Eligibility requirements
Historic property needs to meet at least one criteria:
- The property reflects unique characteristics, represents the work of a master, possesses high artistic values, etc.
- Significant historical figures lived on the property
- Provide insights that contribute to important historical events in the past.
- Property shows information important to the history
If the property successfully fulfills at least one criteria, then the National Park Service will move the application further and recommend it for entry into the National Register for Historic Places. So, if your property meets at least one criteria, you can easily get a grant for restoration, for example, grants for victorian houses.
If you are interested in acquiring a substantial amount of monetary aid from the government or private organizations, then you need to prove that the linked property is a well-known structure from history. The establishment only accepts providing the grant if the property is renowned in history and is meaningfully associated with historical figures, people, or noteworthy incidents that are momentous in history. Getting into the official list of the National Register for Historic Places is the basic condition to garner public funding. The eligible owners will receive monetary funding through state agencies, universities, and local bodies, including cities, towns, counties, and nonprofit institutions. In addition, there are other methods and sources available for restoration purposes for owners of private property.
After fulfilling the eligibility criteria, the application will be moved ahead. An application or a formal request to the State Historic Preservation Office or the National Trust Reservation Fund should be made. The formal submission or the application should include minor details, including the name of the property, details of the building, and the total amount expected in the grant. The application should be submitted before the deadline, which varies according to the national and state funds bodies. The deadline to submit a grant request to the National Trust Preservation Fund is the 1st of February, June, and October every year. Therefore it is essential to submit an individual request before the deadline to be considered for the grant for that year.
The logic behind acquiring grants is the cash match in dollars from the applicants.
To receive substantial monetary grants from the Historic Preservation Office or the National Trust Reservation Fund, the owners would have to exhibit and reveal 50% of the entire project cost used for the restoration purposes from other viable sources, including personal funds, resources, monetary aid from other foundations, or fundraising activities. If you have successfully fixed on a grant from a body, then you may also be asked to submit additional documents and supplemental eligibility prerequisites that are aligned with the objectives of the body. For example, you may be required to disclose your property details to the general public or allow the public to visit the historical sites for a particular time for educational or recreational purposes. Other significant objectives or preconditions are highlighted by the body to avoid impairing the necessary restoration work. These objectives should meet the standards for the treatment of historic properties. Other stipulations for securing the financial grant include respecting and establishing employment laws and promising diversity during the renovation project.
Grants to restore historic buildings
Grants and funding sources are available to preserve historic and cultural resources. The goal of private and public funding bodies is to utilize financial resources to benefit the preservation community. The National Council initially launched the National Trust Preservation Fund for Historic Sites in 1947, currently funded entirely by the private sector. If the owners of the historical buildings provide matching grants up to $5000, along with investing funds for preservation and education projects, then significant and larger amounts are dedicated to the historic buildings and providing and promising professional expertise during restoration and renovation projects. The Department of Interior offered another program through the National Park Service title Save America‘s Treasures Grant Program. Through this, monetary aid is provided to the federal, state, local, and nonprofit establishments to protect historic sites and buildings. These grants result from the matching grant program in which the owners of the historical buildings are asked to acquire another funding resource to match the project. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell fund is another program that aims to provide funding to the private and public agencies that are a part of protecting and reconditioning the historical interiors. They are generous in monetary aid as they provide up to $10,000, which can be invested to bring expertise to paint a positive picture and publish academic content and programs. To be eligible for the Cynthia Woods Mitchell fund, the owners of the prestigious historical location must be involved with National Historic Landmark Status. If you are looking to restore and renovate urban business districts, then you can acquire funds from the Housing and Urban Development Department that provide monetary assistance to state-level governments. To be eligible for Main Street grants, the historic location should be in a town or city with a population of 50,000 or less. Under Main Street grants, you can request up to $500,000.
From 2022 onwards, Mark has also been contributing author of home repair articles at nimblefreelancer.com.
Read more on Mark Brown's biography page.
Contact Mark: mark@nimblefreelancer.com
