Heritage Preservation Grant

The Heritage Preservation Grant is administered by the City of Austin through its Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment department, commonly referred to as ACME. Established in 2025, ACME was created to strengthen Austin’s creative economy and cultural identity by investing in arts, music, and heritage initiatives that attract tourism and enhance community engagement. This specific grant program is funded through Municipal Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues, which are legally designated to support tourism-related activities. As such, all funded projects must demonstrate a clear connection to tourism promotion and the enhancement of visitor experiences within Austin. The purpose of the Heritage Preservation Grant is to support projects that preserve historic places while making them accessible and engaging to the public. The program focuses on both heritage events and capital improvement projects that highlight local history, storytelling, and cultural identity. Funded activities must actively promote tourism by attracting visitors, convention attendees, and residents to historic sites. The program emphasizes expanding access to heritage resources, preserving culturally significant locations, and supporting the creative workforce through projects that generate economic and cultural impact. Funding is offered across multiple categories, including heritage events and capital improvement projects. Heritage events at designated historic sites may receive up to one hundred fifty thousand dollars over a two year term, while events at sites without designation or those pursuing designation may receive up to fifty thousand dollars over a one year term. Capital improvement projects, which include restoration, rehabilitation, and infrastructure upgrades at historic properties, may receive up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars over a two year period. Funds may be used for eligible expenses such as marketing, production, historic research, professional services, and construction-related costs. However, certain expenses are explicitly prohibited, including property taxes, furnishings, landscaping, and projects unrelated to historical interpretation or tourism. Eligibility is open to both nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and for profit businesses, provided they meet key requirements. Applicants must have at least two years of operating history within the Austin metropolitan area and must demonstrate control of the project site if applying for capital improvements. Projects must occur at or relate to historic sites that are designated or eligible for designation, and they must be open to the public and actively marketed to tourists. Additional requirements include compliance with historic preservation standards, submission of detailed budgets, and provision of supporting documentation such as bid packages, site histories, and marketing plans. The application process is conducted through an online portal managed by a third party administrator. Applicants are required to submit comprehensive materials, including site background information, detailed project descriptions, team qualifications, and budget narratives. For capital projects, a complete bid package and professional recommendations are mandatory. Applications are evaluated through a structured review process that includes eligibility verification, scoring by subject matter experts, and final approval by ACME staff. Evaluation criteria focus on preservation impact, tourism impact, community collaboration, and the ability to tell compelling historical stories that engage audiences. The application cycle for the fiscal year opens on July 7, 2026 and closes on August 18, 2026. Applications must be submitted by the deadline, as late submissions are not accepted. After submission, applications undergo review and scoring, followed by funding decisions and public announcement of awardees. Grant agreements typically span either twelve or twenty four months depending on the project type, and payments are distributed in installments based on reporting milestones. The program is offered annually, and future cycles are expected to follow a similar summer application timeline, supporting ongoing investment in Austin’s heritage preservation and tourism initiatives.

Focus on demonstrating clear tourism impact and strong historical storytelling ensure compliance with preservation standards and include detailed and realistic budgets supported by professional documentation