Somerset County Historic Preservation Grant Program

The Somerset County Historic Preservation Grant Program is administered through the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission in conjunction with the County's Planning Division and is supported through the Open Space, Recreation, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The program was established as part of Somerset County's effort to preserve its historic and architecturally significant resources after county voters approved expansion of the existing Open Space and Farmland Trust Fund to include historic preservation. The program supports the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, stabilization, and acquisition of eligible historic resources in Somerset County. Emergency stabilization and acquisition projects are also permitted and may be submitted outside the standard review schedule when an eligible property is in imminent danger of destruction, demolition, or collapse. Eligible applicants include municipal governments within Somerset County, Somerset County affiliated agencies, and charitable conservancies that qualify as tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) and whose purposes include historic preservation or acquisition of historic resources for preservation. Eligible properties must be located in Somerset County and be listed on the National Register of Historic Places or New Jersey Register of Historic Places, contribute to a listed historic district, or be certified as eligible for listing by the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office. Applicants relying on a Certification of Eligibility must provide a certification no more than five years old. Religious institutions occupying qualifying historic structures may apply when proposed work concerns historic fabric rather than religious activities, with applications subject to County Counsel review. Applicants generally must own the property in fee simple or, if leasing, demonstrate significant control through a lease having at least 25 years remaining from the application date. Acquisition projects require fee simple purchase and full control of the property. Eligible activities must conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Activities include acquisition, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, qualifying emergency work, architectural plans and specifications, feasibility studies, historic structures and preservation plans, historic landscape and archaeological reports, engineering and historic research reports, interpretive materials approved by the County, National Register nomination forms, stewardship and conservation plans, and qualifying energy efficiency audits and implementation measures. HVAC replacement may be considered only as part of an overall restoration or preservation project. Ineligible expenses include reconstruction, non-accessibility-related new additions, agency administrative or operating expenses, ceremonial costs, most publicity expenses, contingency reserves, financing costs, fundraising, lobbying, unauthorized cost overruns, work outside the approved project period, routine maintenance, and work inconsistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. Construction projects require temporary funding acknowledgment signage, for which up to $2,000 may be requested. A municipal match requirement applies when a municipal government has benefited from more than $1,000,000 in total program funding for a historic property. For these municipalities, construction projects require a match equal to 10 percent of total project cost and planning document projects require a 5 percent match. The requirement applies regardless of whether the historic site is managed by the municipality itself or by a nonprofit agency. Match funds may come from other grants, donations, or other flexible sources, although match funds from other grants must not be more than five years old at application. Projects exceeding $250,000 must provide alternative project cost summaries that allow for multi-year completion. The guidelines do not establish an overall program funding amount, minimum award, maximum award, or anticipated number of awards, and funding decisions depend upon availability of Trust Fund resources. For the standard application cycle, applicants must submit a separate complete application for each individual project to the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission. Materials are requested in a three-ring binder arranged according to the application's numbered requirements. Two hard-copy application sets, including supporting documentation, and one electronic copy organized by corresponding digital folders on a flash drive are required. Applications and supporting materials were due by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026. Applications are first reviewed by County staff for eligibility and completeness, and staff, the Advisory Committee, or Cultural & Heritage Commission representatives may conduct site visits. Review criteria include the property's physical condition and threats, quality of planning or contract documents, qualifications of the project team, feasibility of the budget and schedule, applicant capacity, heritage tourism and accessibility impacts, proposed interpretation and use, plans for continued preservation, and the historic, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance of the resource. The Advisory Committee was scheduled to evaluate applications during July and August 2026, followed by review and recommendations from the Cultural & Heritage Commission during August and September. Final funding decisions and applicant notifications are scheduled for Fall 2026 through the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners. Funded applicants must execute a grant contract and comply with public-access requirements, applicable historic preservation review, financial accountability requirements, construction observation requirements, and progress reporting. Funded work must begin within 18 months of appropriation of grant funds, and progress reports are generally required every six months until completion. Reimbursement requires itemized documentation of eligible expenditures. Program questions may be directed to the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission at culturalheritage@co.somerset.nj.us or 908-231-7021. The project administrator is Josephine T. Taranto, Preservation Planner, who may be reached at jtaranto@somersetcountynj.gov or 908-231-7665.

Demonstrate the property's physical preservation need and any immediate threats; submit high-quality planning or contract documents and demonstrate project-team credentials; provide a realistic feasible budget and schedule; demonstrate capacity to administer funds and protect the property long term; address heritage tourism, visitor readiness, accessibility, interpretation, and historic significance; ensure proposed work conforms to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards; for heating and cooling requests, demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability and document investigation of other available funding sources.