Funding Resources

This list is provided as a service and is published with the understanding that the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia does not in any manner recommend, endorse, or assume responsibility for the quality of work of any individual or organization on this list. This list is not comprehensive. Last update: July 2024.

Bricks & Mortar Preservation Grants

African-American Civil Rights Grants - The African American Civil Rights Grant Program (Civil Rights Grants) documents, interprets, and preserves sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens. This is a National Park Service Competitive Grant.

African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund - Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund are designed to advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes representing African American cultural heritage. The fund supports Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation. Grants made from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund will range from $50,000 to $150,000.

Cultural Facilities and Capital Resources Grant - Provides support for the acquisition, construction and renovation of arts venues, accessibility improvements and capital purchases of durable equipment. Application form available for download at link.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors - Only Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Funds projects to preserve, restore, and interpret historic interiors. Awards range from $2,500 - $15,000.

DAR Special Projects Grant - The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Special Projects Grants Program provides local community grant funding to support projects exemplifying the organization's mission areas of Historic Preservation, Education and Patriotism. The program is open to public charity 501(c)(3) entities only. Grants of $1,000 - $2,000 are encouraged, with a maximum amount of $10,000. Applicants are required to match the grant award 1:1 in order to allow for broader distribution of funds. Matching funds are not required to originate with the organization applying for the grant but may originate with multiple donors or completed fundraising. Projects must be completed within one year of initial grant funding (official grant year is July 1 - June 30).

Development Grants - Used for the rehabilitation of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places or as contributing structures in a historic district or archaeological site. Doesn’t fund anything less than $1,000 and only supports 50% of the project costs. A 50% cash match is required. Projects must adhere to the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation. Grant applications are generally due in March. Application is available for download using this link.

Home Depot Community Impact Grant - This grant appears to have been discontinued by Home Depot, however, some organizations have been successful in procuring donations by contacting their local hardware store for project-specific supply donations.

Land and Water Conservation Fund - Available to local government, park boards, commissions, districts, and state government for renovation of outdoor facilities such as support facilities (bathrooms), visitor information centers, or interpretative centers. For more information, contact James E. Bush, Program Manager at 304-957-2041 or by email at [email protected].

Preservation Grants to Tell the Story of Equal Rights for All Americans - Funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, the History of Equal Rights grant program preserves sites related to the struggle of all people to achieve equal rights in America. The History of Equal Rights grants are not limited to any specific group and are intended to include the broadest possible interpretation of sites associated with efforts to achieve equal rights. This National Park Service grant program funds physical preservation work and pre-preservation planning activities for sites that are listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or as a National Historic Landmark. Should a site not be listed, or not listed for its association with equal rights, then a new nomination or amendment must be created as part of the grant project. Grants under this program are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal match.

Save America's Treasures - The National Park Service's Save America’s Treasures grant program was established in 1998 to fund the preservation, rehabilitation, and conservation of nationally significant historic properties.

Small Cities Block Grant - Provides funds to local governments or for non-profits that have a sub-grant agreement with the unit of local government for activities such as community centers, economic development, acquisition, preservation and beautification, and community facilities restoration. For more information, contact Hannah Carter at 304-352-3970 or by email at [email protected], Ryan Hansley at 304-957-2096 or by email at [email protected], or Sherry Risk at 304-352-4135 or by email at [email protected].

Transportation Alternatives Program - This program can generally can be used to fund 1) pedestrian and bicycle facilities; 2) safe routes for non-drivers; 3) conversion of abandoned railway corridors to trails; 4) scenic turnouts and overlooks; 5) outdoor advertising management; 6) historic preservation and rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities; 7) vegetation management; 8) archaeological activities; 9) storm water mitigation; 10) wildlife management. Project sponsors include local governments, regional transportation authorities, transit agencies, natural resource or public land agencies, school districts, local education agencies, school, tribal government, and regional governmental entities responsible for oversight of transportation or recreational trails.

Intent to apply and application periods are currently closed. Sign up for application alerts at http://dohgrants.wv.gov/Subscription.

Historic rehabilitation Tax Credits

A list of helpful links covering Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits can be found on the WV Department of Arts, Culture, and History website.

Commercial Rehabilitation Tax Credit - A 20% federal income tax credit and a 25% state income tax credit are available for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings that are determined by the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to be “certified historic structures.” Properties must be individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places or listed as a contributing building within a historic district. For additional links including the application form, click here.

Residential Rehabilitation Tax Credit - A 20% state income tax credit, which is based on qualified expenditures undertaken as part of the rehabilitation to a historic private residence. The credit is applied directly against taxes owed by the owner. This credit is available to private homeowners for approved rehabilitation work on their own residence. The building must be either individually listed or a contributing building in an historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Download the application form linked on this page.

Download the Historic Tax Credit Tool Kit

Emergency Preservation Grants

Endangered Properties Fund - Provides emergency assistance for preservation of threatened and endangered historic and prehistoric structures and sites through stabilization, protection, or data recovery. Properties must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places or be a contributing building in a National Register historic district. Funds are awarded for properties recently impacted by a disaster. To access more information on this opportunity, go to the SHPO Grants page and click the endangered historic properties fund link to download a .PDF document.

Saving Historic Places Grant - PAWV's historic preservation grant for emergency stabilization of certified historic buildings. Projects must adhere to the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Historic Preservation.

Predevelopment & planning Grants

African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund - Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund are designed to advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes representing African American cultural heritage. The fund supports Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation.
Grants made from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund will range from $50,000 to $150,000.

Hart Family Fund for Small Towns - Only Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Funds preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects in small towns with a population of less than 5,000 people. Awards generally range from $2,500 - $15,000.

Henry A. Jordan, M.D. Preservation Fund - Only Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Provides funding to deserving organizations demonstrating commitment to the protection of natural and cultural resources in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes West Virginia. Individual awards typically range from $1,000 to $2,000, but applicants can apply for up to $5,000. The fund awards programs and activities that:

Facilitate positive dialogues between the diverse interests of historic preservation, land conservation, business development, transportation, and government in a search for common ground in protecting the environment
Stimulate the development of local and state policies that protect the cultural landscape and its resources
Heighten public awareness of or increase involvement in issues relating to the livability and sustainability of communities
Encourage innovative partnerships and approaches to open space conservation and historic preservation.

Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation - Only Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Funds for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Awards range from $2,500-$15,000 for projects that contribute to the preservation or recapture of an authentic sense of place.

National Trust Preservation Fund - Only National Trust for Historic Preservation Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Used for preservation planning and educational uses such as obtaining professional expertise or preservation education activities. Grant awards from $2,500 - $5,000. Application deadlines are February 1, June 1 and October 1. If the first of the month falls on a weekend, applications will be due the following Monday.

Preservation Grants to Tell the Story of Equal Rights for All Americans - Funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, the History of Equal Rights grant program preserves sites related to the struggle of all people to achieve equal rights in America. The History of Equal Rights grants are not limited to any specific group and are intended to include the broadest possible interpretation of sites associated with efforts to achieve equal rights. This National Park Service grant program funds physical preservation work and pre-preservation planning activities for sites that are listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or as a National Historic Landmark. Should a site not be listed, or not listed for its association with equal rights, then a new nomination or amendment must be created as part of the grant project. Grants under this program are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal match.

Survey & Planning Grants - Issued by the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office generally to certified local governments. Used for conducting archaeological/architectural surveys, National Register nominations, pre-development plans, and heritage education projects. Doesn’t fund anything less than $1,000. Grant awards fund up to 70% of the project costs. A 30% match is required. Applications are generally due in October.

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections - Used to plan and implement interdisciplinary approaches to preventive preservation strategies for such projects as risk assessments, planning sessions, thermal imaging of buildings, preliminary designs for implementation projects, HVAC installation, security improvements, and other conservation measures. There are two types of grants: planning (grant awards up to $40,000) and implementation (grant awards up to $350,000).

Regional Grant Funds

Appalachian Regional Commission Project Grants - Used for job creation and retention, special technical assistance and training, rural health programs, physical infrastructure improvement, leadership development, and civic capacity building. Additional information is available from the WV Department of Commerce.

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation - No limits given on funding amount or deadline for application. Funds projects in WV that deal with community development.

McDonough Foundation - Provides funds to cultural organizations dedicated to preservation, production, and education in arts, history, theater, and music and civic and community enterprises of municipalities and organizations whose projects enhance the economic growth and general welfare of the community.

Community Action Grant – Available for organizations in Brooke, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel Counties. Organizations must be working for betterment of community and funds could be used for such things as seed money for new programs, grants that will generate additional funding, and grants for capital and equipment needs.

Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation – Available for organizations in Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties. Awards are unrestricted with field of interest grants in the program areas of arts, economic development, education, health, human services, land use and public recreation.

National Railway Heritage Grants – Matching grants for projects which preserve, research, educate, or publish railway history. Maximum award is $5,000 per year per project.

Google Ad Grants – Google Ads search ads appear next to Google search results when people search for nonprofits like yours. It includes powerful tools to help you create, target, and optimize your campaigns so you will always have complete control of your campaigns. Your ads will be entirely text-based (no videos or images). They will appear only on Google search results pages, in positions below the ads of paying advertisers. All campaigns must be keyword-targeted. Your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) will be $2.00 USD. You’ll receive $10,000 USD (up to $40,000 USD for Grantspro participants) of in-kind Google Ads advertising each month.

Battlefield Grants

Battlefield Planning Grants - Awarded annually to groups, institutions, organizations, or governments sponsoring preservation projects at historic battlefields. Any battlefield on American soil is eligible for this grant.

Battlefield Preservation Fund - Only National Trust for Historic Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. Typical uses of grants from the fund include 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 require a 1 to 1 match.

Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants - The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants (BLAG) are administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) and awarded through a competitive process. Each grant requires a dollar-for-dollar non-Federal match. Grants are available to purchase 1) land in fee simple or 2) permanent, protective interests in land (easements) at battlefields listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission's (CWSAC) 1993 Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields or the 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States (Reports).

Travel Scholarships

Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund - Only National Trust for Historic Preservation Forum or Main Street level members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding. A reimbursable grant that supports travel costs and mentor honoraria with a maximum reimbursement of $2,500.

Travel Assistance Program Grants - Funds educational travel for individuals associated with West Virginia museums, historical societies, institutions of higher and secondary education, and other nonprofit groups. Grant awards will fund conference registration fees, transportation, lodging, and food at professional meetings and conferences. Maximum award is $500, and applications must be postmarked 60 days prior to travel.

Museums/Collections Management Grants

National Endowment for the Humanities Grants - The National Endowment for the Humanities offers a wide variety of grant programs. If you would like some advice about which grant program would be appropriate, contact an NEH program officer. To start the process, pick the division or office that you’d think would be most appropriate for your project and make an inquiry.

Museums for America - Used for new and on-going museum activities and programs including planning, managing and conserving collections, improving public access, training, conducting programmatic research, school and public programming, producing exhibitions, and integrating new or upgraded technologies into your operations. Grant awards from $5,000-$250,000 and are given for a period of three years.

Preservation Assistance Grants - Used to help small and mid-sized institutions improve their ability to preserve and care for humanities collections with projects including long-range collection management and stewardship planning, storage improvement, purchase of storage or preservation supplies, and training in conservation, disaster preparedness, and other topics. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded.

Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives Program - This program is an initiative of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) intended to help digitize and provide access to non-digital collections of rare or unique content in cultural heritage institutions. Through this program, CLIR aims to enhance the emerging global digital research environment in ways that support new kinds of scholarship for the long term and to ensure that the full wealth of resources held by memory institutions becomes integrated with the open Web. Grants, ranging from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $250,000 in the case of a single-institution project or $500,000 for a collaborative project, will be provided to colleges and universities, research centers, museums, libraries, historical societies, cultural associations, etc. To promote broad access, careful preservation, standardization, and usability, approaches to digitization should be coordinated across institutions when feasible. Visit the CLIR website to review the program guidelines and application process.

Research/Technological Development Grants

National Center for Preservation Technology and Training - Preservation Technology and Training Grants (PTT Grants) are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections. The PTT Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community. The competitive grants program will provide funding to federal agencies, states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations. PTT Grants will support the following activities:

Innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources (typically $20,000)
Specialized workshops or symposia that identify and address national preservation needs (typically $15,000 to $20,000)
How-to videos, mobile applications, podcasts, best practices publications, or webinars that disseminate practical preservation methods or provide better tools for preservation practice (typically $5,000 to $15,000)

The maximum grant award is $20,000. The actual grant award amount is dependent on the scope of the proposed activity. NCPTT does not fund “bricks and mortar” grants.

Technical Assistance

CDFA Brownfields Technical Assistance - For communities that participate in the Brownfields Project Marketplace and want additional assistance for their brownfields efforts, a team comprised of CDFA staff and technical assistance partners will conduct site visits to a limited number of communities each year. During each visit, the Project Response Team will meet with stakeholders, tour the redevelopment site, and provide financing recommendations. Upon completion of the Project Response Team visit, each community receives a report summarizing actionable financing recommendations specific to the redevelopment of the project.