Fund for Historic Schools Grant Information
Applications are now being accepted and are due April 17, 2026. Applications are being accepted via this Google form.
Grant Program Information
The Fund for Historic Schools Grant is a competitive, reimbursable grant program designed to encourage economic development through the renovation and preservation of certified historic school buildings in rural West Virginia communities experiencing high levels of poverty. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV) - the state's leading grassroots nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation - administers this grant program and is soliciting grant applications between February 20, 2026 and April 17, 2026 to support one grant award totaling $50,000.
Applications are due via this Google form by Friday, April 17, 2026 at 5:00 pm. A project budget worksheet can be viewed and downloaded here. If you need accommodations to this Google form, please contact [email protected] or call 304-642-0693.
Applications are evaluated and scored by the PAWV Grant Review Committee and voted on by the PAWV Board of Directors. Final approval for all projects comes from the National Park Service. The grant award will be announced at the PAWV awards banquet on May 14, 2026, at the MAC Ice House, Berkeley Springs.
Download an editable grant application question list here to help you with completing this application. We suggest you fill in your answers in the word document and then transfer them to the form when you are ready to submit your application.
Program Objectives
Projects that address the following factors are scored higher in the review process:
Eligible Costs
Applicants may apply only for physical preservation work. All work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation, and all projects must adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and codes such as the National Historic Preservation Act and local historic preservation ordinance, if one exists.
Funds cannot be used retroactively for pre-award expenses, and no work can be started on the project prior to the grant award and approval to begin construction from the National Park Service. Projects utilizing historic rehabilitation tax credits must still undergo review processes prior to starting any work on the project. The historic tax credit review process is a separate, stand-alone review process and does not meet the requirements of this grant. All projects are subject to review by the National Park Service and must receive a notice to proceed prior to any work beginning on the project.
Funds can be used for a broad range of construction services for the purpose of stabilizing and renovating a certified historic school building. This request should be dependent on your building's needs. Eligible costs can include, but are not limited to:
Additional Program Requirements
Application Submission Due Date & Requirements
Grant applications are due by 5:00 pm ET on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Applications should be submitted via this Google form, and requests for accommodation should be sent to [email protected] or by calling 304-642-0693.
All grant application packets should have the following information included:
Grant Program Background
PAWV created the Saving Historic Places Grant in 2019 to provide funding to help communities save the places that matter most to them. In 2023, PAWV developed a special subprogram called the Fund for Historic Schools and won a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, to support this program.
When a school closes and is mothballed or under-utilized, it becomes subject to blight and a magnet for illegal activities. The vacant building acts as a burden on the school district, which must still pay for maintenance, security, and insurance. Communities across West Virginia want to see these special places preserved. PAWV has witnessed communities coming together to save and repurpose their former schools. This grant program will support those efforts and open the door to other historic preservation incentives and private investment.
The Fund for Historic Schools Grant is a competitive, reimbursable grant program designed to encourage economic development through the renovation and preservation of certified historic school buildings in rural West Virginia communities experiencing high levels of poverty. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV) - the state's leading grassroots nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation - administers this grant program and is soliciting grant applications between February 20, 2026 and April 17, 2026 to support one grant award totaling $50,000.
Applications are due via this Google form by Friday, April 17, 2026 at 5:00 pm. A project budget worksheet can be viewed and downloaded here. If you need accommodations to this Google form, please contact [email protected] or call 304-642-0693.
Applications are evaluated and scored by the PAWV Grant Review Committee and voted on by the PAWV Board of Directors. Final approval for all projects comes from the National Park Service. The grant award will be announced at the PAWV awards banquet on May 14, 2026, at the MAC Ice House, Berkeley Springs.
Download an editable grant application question list here to help you with completing this application. We suggest you fill in your answers in the word document and then transfer them to the form when you are ready to submit your application.
Program Objectives
Projects that address the following factors are scored higher in the review process:
- Provide a direct benefit to people already living in the community
- Demonstrate strong community support
- Redevelop vacant or under-utilized certified historic schools located in impoverished, rural neighborhoods (those with a population of 50,000 or less) and experiencing poverty levels higher than the state median rate of 16.7%
- Provide gap funding for large redevelopment projects creating one or more of the following: affordable housing; educational or medical facility; new and permanent jobs; or expanded/upgraded services in a community
- Support projects informed by long-term planning (i.e. feasibility study, market analysis, and/or master, business, or strategic plan), and
- Have secured 15% in non-federal cash match. Projects involving Congressionally-Directed Spending will not be considered due to time constraints to utilize these funds.
- Eligible Applicants include tax-exempt non-profit entities, government agencies, public and educational institutions, private individuals and businesses (private entities must demonstrate a public benefit). Current or prior recipients of Fund for Historic School Grant awards are not eligible for this round of funding.
- Certified Historic Building - The building must be listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places or as a contributing structure in a National Register Historic District at the time of the application.
- Cash Match - Must provide a 15% non-federal cash match for total project cost. Projects involving Congressionally-Directed spending allocations will not be considered during this round due to time constraints with the grant funding. Projects utilizing historic tax credits cannot start until all National Park Service reviews have been completed and a notice to proceed is received. This is a different review process than the tax credit application. If you have questions, please email [email protected] or call 304-642-0693.
- Support Letters - Submit 5 letters of support for the project
Eligible Costs
Applicants may apply only for physical preservation work. All work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation, and all projects must adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and codes such as the National Historic Preservation Act and local historic preservation ordinance, if one exists.
Funds cannot be used retroactively for pre-award expenses, and no work can be started on the project prior to the grant award and approval to begin construction from the National Park Service. Projects utilizing historic rehabilitation tax credits must still undergo review processes prior to starting any work on the project. The historic tax credit review process is a separate, stand-alone review process and does not meet the requirements of this grant. All projects are subject to review by the National Park Service and must receive a notice to proceed prior to any work beginning on the project.
Funds can be used for a broad range of construction services for the purpose of stabilizing and renovating a certified historic school building. This request should be dependent on your building's needs. Eligible costs can include, but are not limited to:
- Roof replacement and repair
- Masonry repointing
- Foundation treatment
- Porch repair
- Window rehabilitation/reconstruction
- Door rehabilitation/reconstruction
- HVAC upgrades
- Electrical/mechanical system upgrades
Additional Program Requirements
- All grant projects must follow OMB regulations 2 CFR 200 and the Historic Preservation Fund Manual.
- All projects will be reviewed and approved for compliance with Section 106 (54 USC 306108) and 110f (54USC 306107) of the National Historic Preservation Act in coordination with the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office.
- All projects will be reviewed and approved for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to any work beginning.
- All projects must post project signage to notify the public of federal and PAWV involvement.
- Projects receiving repair assistance must enter into a preservation covenant for a 5-year agreement period.
- All projects must be in compliance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Work done to alter the property should be in compliance with all applicable regulations and guidance.
- All contractors hired through this grant opportunity must be competitively selected and documentation of this selection must be maintained by the subgrantee and be made readily available for examination by PAWV and NPS. Federal and contracting procurement guidance can be found 2 CFR 200.318.
Application Submission Due Date & Requirements
Grant applications are due by 5:00 pm ET on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Applications should be submitted via this Google form, and requests for accommodation should be sent to [email protected] or by calling 304-642-0693.
All grant application packets should have the following information included:
- Completed Google form application
- A minimum of 5 letters of support for the project
- 5-10 recent photos of the project and areas of need, please include one of the entire building
- A completed project budget worksheet (excel file)
- Estimates provided within the last 90 days for proposed work. Estimates must be submitted on company letterhead and should also demonstrate the company's ability to comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation.
- If applicable, submit architectural/engineering drawings for your proposed project.
Grant Program Background
PAWV created the Saving Historic Places Grant in 2019 to provide funding to help communities save the places that matter most to them. In 2023, PAWV developed a special subprogram called the Fund for Historic Schools and won a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, to support this program.
When a school closes and is mothballed or under-utilized, it becomes subject to blight and a magnet for illegal activities. The vacant building acts as a burden on the school district, which must still pay for maintenance, security, and insurance. Communities across West Virginia want to see these special places preserved. PAWV has witnessed communities coming together to save and repurpose their former schools. This grant program will support those efforts and open the door to other historic preservation incentives and private investment.