Preserve America Grants

Preserve America Grants are designed to support a variety of activities related to heritage tourism and innovative approaches to the use of historic properties as educational and economic assets. This matching grants program began October 1, 2005. Over $21.7 million in federal Preserve America grant funding has been awarded to date. Funds have not been appropriated for the Preserve America Grant program in Fiscal Year 2018.

These grants are intended to complement "bricks and mortar" grants by funding research and documentation, interpretation and education, planning, marketing, and training.

Eligible recipients for these matching (50/50) grants include State Historic Preservation Officers, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, designated Preserve America Communities, and Certified Local Governments that are applying for Preserve America Community designation. Individual grants range from $20,000 to $250,000.

Details regarding the Preserve America grants program may be found at the National Park Service Web site.

View a list of Preserve America Grants.

2009 report: Preserve America Grants: Assessment of Effectiveness

 

Other National Park Service Grants

The National Park Service administers a number of other historic preservation grant programs, including:

  • African American Civil Rights Grants
    Competitive grants for documenting, interpreting, and preserving the sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens in the 20th Century. 
  • Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Grants 
    These grants work to preserve the historic structures on HBCU campuses, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Japanese American Confinement Sites Grants
    A competitive matching grant program to fund the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. . 
  • Save America's Treasures Grants
    A competitive matching grant program to fund bricks and mortar preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites.
  • Tribal Heritage Grants 
    Competitive matching grants to Federally recognized Indian tribes for cultural and historic preservation projects. 
  • Underrepresented Community Grants
    A grant program to increase the number of listings in the National Register of Historic Places associated with communities currently underrepresented, including communities including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and LGBT Americans.

To find competitive grant opportunities from all federal grant-making agencies, visit Grants.Gov.

Federal grants fund the preservation, interpretation, and reuse of historic properties.