Civil War Sites Preservation Fund

The Civil War Sites Preservation Fund is a Tennessee state grant program supporting the acquisition and preservation of historically significant properties associated with the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. The fund began in 2013 and is provided by legislation to the Tennessee Historical Commission. The Tennessee Historical Commission board approves and awards Civil War Sites Preservation Fund grants, while the Tennessee Wars Commission, a division of the Tennessee Historical Commission responsible for preserving Tennessee's significant military history, administers the application and grant processes. For the current grant cycle, $2.3 million is available through the fund. The program is a key source of matching funds for the acquisition and preservation of properties associated with the 38 most significant Civil War sites in Tennessee. Funding may also assist with the acquisition and protection of Underground Railroad sites that are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or eligible for designation as a National Historic Landmark. The source does not identify additional project types, allowable expense categories, individual award minimums or maximums, or a specified number of awards for the current cycle. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The grant requires a one-to-one match and pays a 50 percent share, with the grantee responsible for providing the matching share from a non-state source. The source does not identify additional eligible applicant categories, fiscal sponsorship provisions, organizational size requirements, or other applicant qualifications. Because the program is expressly focused on significant Civil War sites in Tennessee and qualifying Underground Railroad sites, the geographic scope is Tennessee. Since the program began in 2013, more than $22 million in funding has helped preserve approximately 1,100 acres of threatened Tennessee battlefield lands. According to Tennessee Historical Commission Interim Executive Director Miranda Montgomery, this funding has contributed to the preservation of these historically significant properties. Tennessee Wars Commission Director of Programs Nina Scall reported that the prior year's awards totaled $2,602,273.82 and helped preserve approximately 22.387 acres of battlefield properties. Those projects focused on core battlefield areas associated with Stones River, Shiloh, Franklin, Nashville, and Hoovers Gap. The current grant cycle opens August 10, 2026, and applications are due October 31, 2026. Applications are submitted digitally through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Grant Management System. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated in the supplied source. The source also does not provide specific application questions, required attachments, formal evaluation criteria, award notification dates, project start dates, project end dates, or a defined performance period. The announcement describes the opportunity as this year's grant cycle and discusses awards made in the prior year, supporting treatment of the program as recurring annually. Based on the August 10, 2026 opening date, the next cycle is therefore projected for August 2027 for data-entry purposes, with an internal check date of August 1, 2027. Questions concerning the grant process or application procedure should be directed to Nina Scall at nina.scall@tn.gov. No telephone number is provided in the supplied source. As of August 10, 2026, the application period has opened and the October 31, 2026 deadline remains upcoming.

Confirm the property fits the program's specified Civil War or qualifying Underground Railroad site scope; confirm the applicant is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; secure the required one-to-one matching share from a non-state source before submission.