Vermont Historic Preservation Grant Program

The Vermont Historic Preservation Grant Program is administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, part of the State of Vermont's historic preservation program. Established in 1987, the program provides funding to preserve historic properties and is funded by State of Vermont taxpayers through the annual Capital Appropriations and State Bonding Act, with federal support from the National Park Service. For the 2027 cycle, $300,000 is available through one-to-one matching grants. The program supports capital building projects that promote public use of Vermont's historic resources. The maximum grant for an individual project is $20,000, and applicants may request smaller awards. Eligible projects must involve historic properties that are listed in, or determined eligible for listing in, the State Register of Historic Places. The manual's general eligibility section lists political subdivisions of the State of Vermont, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals as eligible applicants. However, the mandatory Grant Selection Criteria and application instructions state that the property must be owned by a nonprofit organization or municipality and that the applicant must be a nonprofit organization or municipality. Nonprofit organizations must provide proof of tax-exempt status, with IRS 501(c)(3) certification preferred. State agencies are not eligible. Applicants that received a 2026 grant are not eligible for a 2027 grant, nor are applicants with unfinished work funded by a previous grant. Applicants may not receive multiple Building Communities Grants within the same fiscal year. Religious organizations may apply for eligible historic properties, but grant funds may not be used for religious worship. Funding is limited to eligible rehabilitation and restoration work on historic buildings. Work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Eligible capital work may include stabilization, structural repairs, roof or foundation work, repair of deteriorated historic features, corrective measures such as drainage work, and restoration or reconstruction of significant historic features when adequately documented. Repair is preferred to replacement, and replacement materials should match historic materials whenever feasible. New construction and additions are ineligible. Electrical, plumbing, heating, accessibility, and code improvement projects are not funded. Routine maintenance and temporary repairs are generally not competitive. Planning costs are generally ineligible unless a limited amount of planning is essential to a larger eligible capital project and the owner shares those costs. Work already complete or in progress is not eligible, and beginning work before a grant agreement is in place may result in loss of funding. The grant requires a cash match of no less than one-to-one. Applicants may request no more than 50 percent of total project cost, subject to the $20,000 maximum award. Matching funds must be available at the time of application and may include cash on hand, endowment funds, bank loans, federal funds, private foundation grants, or donor pledges. Other State grants and in-kind contributions are not eligible match. This is a reimbursement program, so recipients must pay the full project costs before requesting reimbursement from the State. Costs incurred before the project start date are not reimbursable and cannot be counted toward the required match. Applicants must use the current application form and complete Sections 1 through 10. The application covers applicant and contact information, grantee experience, building information, history, preservation of historic features and condition, public benefit and long-term use, building significance, budget and long-term planning, accessibility, and required attachments. Required attachments include at least one recent detailed written contractor estimate with an itemized scope of work, labeled JPEG photographs documenting the building and proposed work, and proof of tax-exempt status for nonprofit applicants. A Vermont Architectural Resource Inventory survey form is required when the property is not listed in the State or National Register and has not previously been determined eligible. Applicable preservation plans and one or two letters of support for vacant or underutilized buildings are optional under the conditions stated in the manual. Digital applications are submitted through the VDHP DropOff portal at https://gs.anr.vermont.gov/dropoff with ACCD.HPGrants@vermont.gov entered as the recipient. Applicants complete the portal fields, solve the Captcha, upload the application and attachments, and select the Drop Files Off submission control. Completed applications are due by midnight on October 5, 2026. Hard-copy supplemental materials, when used, must be postmarked by October 5, 2026. Late or incomplete applications are not considered. The Vermont Advisory Council for Historic Preservation evaluates eligible applications. Mandatory criteria address applicant and property eligibility, State Register status or eligibility, the one-to-one cash match, and compliance with preservation standards. Competitive scoring considers preservation of historic features, public benefit and long-term use, architectural or historical significance, long-term planning and budget, ADA compliance, and application clarity and attachment quality, with geographic distribution used as a tiebreaker. Funding decisions are expected in December 2026, and three to four alternates may also be named. Recipients are expected to complete projects and request reimbursement during 2027, with an absolute final completion and reimbursement deadline of December 31, 2028. For five years after execution of the grant agreement, grantees must maintain the property and obtain prior State approval for qualifying alterations, additions, or major rehabilitation projects. Program questions should be directed to Caitlin Corkins at Caitlin.Corkins@vermont.gov or 802-828-3047.

Prioritize preservation of historic features and address the causes of deterioration, not only symptoms; use repair rather than replacement whenever feasible; make proposed methods and materials consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation; document clear public benefit and long-term use; provide a well-organized budget based on solid contractor cost projections; explain long-term maintenance and future funding plans; label photographs clearly and show the building, setting, all sides, and close-up project conditions; avoid incomplete applications, routine maintenance, temporary repairs, extraneous attachments, and proposals using inappropriate non-historic materials.