Historic Theater Capital Grant Program

The Historic Theater Capital Grant Program is a Washington state capital grant program administered through the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation and managed under contract by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. The guidelines describe the 2025-2027 biennium as the program's third round of funding, which shows that the program has been offered in multiple cycles since its establishment as a capital budget request. The program exists to recognize and preserve historic theaters as important contributors to economic vitality and community social health. The source materials emphasize that operating historic theaters support local business activity, arts economies, cultural tourism, and community gathering, especially in the aftermath of pandemic-era closures and deferred maintenance. For the current round, approximately 500000 dollars in matching funds are available, with individual awards up to 75000 dollars. Funding is intended for capital work on eligible historic theater buildings, specifically stabilization and rehabilitation. Allowable work includes repairs to building shell and structure such as roofs and foundations, theater features such as marquees and decorative finishes, building systems such as plumbing and electrical, and accessibility improvements that comply with ADA requirements. The program is reimbursement based, so grant funds are used after eligible construction-related cash expenditures are incurred and documented. Reimbursable construction costs can include materials, labor, overhead, and sales tax. Planning and other soft costs such as condition assessments, structural investigations, and permitting are not directly reimbursable, but they may count toward the required match. In-kind labor, donated materials, and donated equipment may also count toward match, subject to the program rules. The program places clear restrictions on what cannot be funded. Work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, which means historic character, materials, finishes, and defining features should be retained and repaired where possible, and any replacements should match the historic material in design, appearance, and material type when replacement is necessary. The guidelines state that work incompatible with the historic nature of the building is not eligible, including removal of historic fabric, use of historically incompatible materials, or work using materials not appropriate to the age of the building. New construction or additions to existing theater buildings, whether interior or exterior, are also ineligible even if considered historically compatible. Intangible activities such as programming, building acquisition, mortgage or loan payments, web presence, and general historic or architectural research are not eligible for funding. Eligible applicants include private or commercial property owners, nonprofit organizations, and local governments. Leaseholders may apply in conjunction with the property owner. A property owner may submit only one application per grant round, even if that owner has multiple eligible properties. Eligible buildings must have been originally built as theaters, must currently operate as theaters or be intended for restoration to theater use, must need capital improvements, and must already be listed or be applying to be listed in either the Washington Heritage Register or the National Register of Historic Places. For buildings not yet listed, a nomination must be submitted to DAHP and approved for formal review before any grant funds are released. Funding priority is given to historic theaters that are still used as theaters, although restoration for renewed theater use is contemplated by the application. The submission process is structured around an online application form that the guidelines say will go live on October 20, 2025, with applications due on December 21, 2025, at 11:59 pm. The application requests detailed information in multiple sections, including property information, owner and applicant details, building description, historic and cultural significance, designation status, condition assessment, project proposal and budget, cash and in-kind match worksheet, public benefit information, and required attachments. Required supporting materials include contractor bids or estimates, material samples or product pages, building photographs, detail images showing conditions and urgency, context images from the public right-of-way, image captions, and additional organizational materials for nonprofit and local government applicants. The application also asks for information about contractor or applicant qualifications, financial need, maintenance planning, and willingness to enter into a preservation easement if funded. Applications are evaluated on significance, historic and intended theatrical use, urgency and relevance of repair needs, preservation impact, public benefit, contribution from other financial or community resources, equity and accessibility, and project readiness. The guidelines also note special consideration for geographic distribution and economic recovery, including support for rural areas and distressed areas. Public benefit obligations continue after award. Depending on award amount, recipients must enter into a five- to fifteen-year preservation easement or covenant, maintain the theater proactively for at least ten years through annual monitoring, and meet a minimum public benefit threshold such as visibility from the public right-of-way or an alternate limited public engagement plan if visibility or access is reduced. Construction must begin within one year of the award date and all project work must be completed by June 30, 2027. Award recommendations are made by the Historic Theater Advisory Committee and forwarded to the director of DAHP for final review and approval, after which successful applicants work with program staff to develop the final grant contract and funded scope of work. Applicants can seek assistance from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation by phone, email, teleconference, and possibly site visits. The primary program contact listed in the guidelines is the Washington Trust grant administrator at 206-462-2999 and grants@preservewa.org. Additional source text also identifies Maddie Levesque at the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation as a contact for more information. The materials also mention application assistance meetings held in late October and early November for the cycle described in the source text. Based on the materials, this is not a rolling opportunity. It appears to recur in program rounds tied to state capital funding cycles, but no exact future opening or closing date for the subsequent round is explicitly provided in the source.

Use the condition assessment to focus the request on elements rated fair poor or failing, since the guidelines say work in good condition should not be requested. Tie the proposal closely to the evaluation criteria by demonstrating significance theatrical use urgency preservation impact public benefit equity and accessibility and readiness. Make sure materials and methods comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and upload supporting bids product pages and photos for each work type. Show a credible reimbursement and match plan, because the grant reimburses cash expenditures after work is documented. Avoid submitting lengthy unrequested supplemental materials because the guidelines expressly discourage them.