Preservation Funding for Government Agencies

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), BCL of Texas offers Community Impact loans for buildings, equipment, or community facilities.

The Meadows Foundation distributes grant funds in the areas of arts and culture, civic/public affairs, education, health, and human services. 

Website: neh.gov

The Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research program makes awards to institutions and organizations conducting empirical field research to answer significant questions in the humanities. Archaeology and ethnography are important methodologies utilized by many disciplines across the humanities and social sciences that provide observational and experiential data on human history and culture.

Website: neh.gov

Collaborative Research Grants support historic preservation research applications and interpretive or archeological research and publication undertaken by a team of two or more scholars, for full-time or part-time activities for a period of one to three years.

Website: neh.gov

The Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant aims to strengthen humanities by encouraging infrastructure and capacity building.

Website: neh.gov

Preservation and Access Education and Training grants help develop knowledge and skills among professionals responsible for preserving and establishing access to humanities collections.

Website: neh.gov

Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions help organizations improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials.

Website: neh.gov

Public Humanities Projects provide support for museums, libraries, historic places, and other organizations that produce public programs in the humanities. Projects must be analytical and deeply grounded in humanities scholarship, and must demonstrate the potential to attract a broad, general audience.

Website: neh.gov

The Research and Development grants support projects that address challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities collections.  Projects must demonstrate how advances in preservation and access would benefit he cultural heritage community.

Website: neh.gov

The Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program helps meet the challenges of preserving holdings of humanities materials by supporting sustainable conservation measures.

State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants Division
1849 C Street, NW
Mail Stop 7360
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-354-2020
nps.gov

The African American Civil Rights Grant Program documents, interprets, and preserves the sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens in the 20th century. The National Park Service's 2008 report, Civil Rights in America, A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites, serves as the foundation reference document for the grant program and for grant applicants to use in determining the appropriateness of proposed projects and properties. 

American Battlefield Protection Program
1849 C Street, NW
Room 7228
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-354-2037
nps.gov

Battlefield Planning Grants aid in the protection of battlefield land and sites associated with battlefields.

American Battlefield Protection Program
1849 C Street, NW
Room 7228
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-354-2037
nps.gov

Civil War Battlefield Acquisition Grants help states and local communities acquire fee-simple ownership or conservation easements to preserve threatened Civil War battlefield land. In Texas, only Galveston, Palmito Ranch, and Sabine Pass battles are eligible.

State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants Division
1849 C Street, NW
Mail Stop 7360
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-354-2020
nps.gov

The Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program supports the rehabilitation of historic properties and fosters economic development of rural communities. This program funds physical preservation projects for historic sites, including architectural and engineering services, through subgrants.

Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program
For application assistance: National Park Service STLPG@nps.gov, 202-354-2020, website: nps.gov

The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program is to support subgrant programs that enable the rehabilitation of rural historic properties at the National, State, and local level of significance and rehabilitate, protect, and foster economic development of rural communities..

Intermountain Regional Office
12795 Alameda Parkway
Denver, CO 80225
303-969-2500
nps.gov/jacs

Japanese American Confinement Sites Grants are awarded to preserve and interpret U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.

National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
645 University Parkway
Natchitoches, LA 71457
318-356-7444
nps.gov

The Preservation Technology and Training Grants program provides funding for innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources. Grant recipients undertake innovative research and produce technical reports which respond to national needs in the field of historic preservation.

National Trails Intermountain Region
National Park Service
P.O. Box 728
Santa Fe, NM 87504-0728
505-988-6701
nps.gov

Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program Grants provide cost-share grant assistance to support the preservation of the most significant and representative historic Route 66 buildings, structures, road segments, and cultural landscapes in the eight states through which the route passes.

State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants Division
1849 C Street, NW
Mail Stop 7360
Washington, D.C. 20240
202-354-2020
nps.gov

The Save America’s Treasures grants program began in 1999 and helps preserve nationally significant historic properties and collections that convey our nation’s rich heritage to future generations of Americans.

State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants Division
nps.gov

Tribal Preservation Program Grants include formula grants to Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and competitive Tribal Heritage Grants. These grants assist American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations protect and promote their unique cultural heritage and traditions.

Website: www.savingplaces.org

Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative provide funding to HBCUs to develop Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plans to ensure they are equipped to preserve and maintain their historic campuses and historic assets. Grant awards are for activities such as obtaining the services of qualified consultants with expertise in areas of preservation architecture, planning and reuse, landscape design, engineering, and environmental sustainability to complete campus preservation plans or individual-building plans.

Website: www.FundforSacredPlaces.org

A grantmaking and support program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it provides grant funding to keep these historic places an important part of our national cultural heritage.

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.

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.

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.

Website: forum.savingplaces.org

Intervention funding is awarded in emergency situations when immediate and unanticipated work is needed to save a historic structure.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Website: thc.texas.gov

25 percent state franchise tax credit available for buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or National Historic Landmarks, buildings that contribute to NRHP districts and certain local historic districts, or buildings designated as Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks or State Antiquities Landmarks.

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. 

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.

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.

(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 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.