Historic Preservation Fund Grant

The Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office Historic Preservation Fund Grants program is administered by the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office, a component of the Office of Cultural Development within the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. The program utilizes federal Historic Preservation Fund resources provided through the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior to support preservation-related initiatives throughout Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office includes preserving, supporting, developing, and promoting Louisiana culture through archaeology, historic preservation, arts, language, and historic place stewardship. The grant program is designed to advance preservation planning, public education, resource documentation, archaeology, and digital preservation access across the state. The FY2026-2027 grant cycle prioritizes projects that align with Goal C.2 of the Statewide Preservation Plan 2026-2030 Together for Louisiana, specifically projects that improve public access to digital preservation information. Examples of priority activities include digitization of records, photographs, and preservation documents related to historic resources; development of online preservation resources such as StoryMaps, virtual tours, or preservation websites; and creation or modernization of digital historic district guidelines. Additional eligible project categories include National Register of Historic Places nominations, Louisiana Historic Resource Inventory survey documentation, heritage documentation programs such as HABS, HAER, and HALS, preservation planning studies, archaeological surveys, preservation education initiatives, feasibility reports, cemetery preservation projects, and preservation-related training programs. Projects are evaluated competitively and reviewed by independent evaluators using a 100-point scoring system. Funding is available to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, historic district commissions, governmental entities, Certified Local Governments, and other eligible applicants involved in preservation-related work in Louisiana. The program requires a minimum 40 percent nonfederal match, while grant funds may cover up to 60 percent of the total project cost. Both grant-funded and matching expenditures must comply with 2 CFR 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Funding is distributed on a reimbursement basis, meaning recipients must first incur and document expenditures before reimbursement is issued. Applicants may submit no more than two applications during the funding cycle. Projects funded through this program must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards and are subject to oversight by the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation. Certain activities are explicitly prohibited under the program guidelines. Ineligible projects include oral histories, onsite exhibits or signs, construction-related work, archaeological mitigation activities tied to federal permit compliance, lobbying expenses, entertainment costs, and research activities that do not directly support preservation of physical historic resources. The guidelines also prohibit certain archaeology-related expenses such as salvage archaeology and post-project curation costs. Applicants seeking funding for National Register nomination projects must submit a completed Eligibility Questionnaire in advance and coordinate with the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office National Register Coordinator. Applications must be submitted through the Submittable online grants platform accessible through the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development website. Required application materials include a Unique Entity Identifier from SAM.gov, a Federal Tax ID or Social Security Number, IRS W-9 documentation, a Louisiana state vendor number, proof of good standing from the Louisiana Secretary of State, resumes for key personnel, and a completed budget worksheet. Applicants must provide detailed project narratives describing the project scope, schedule, personnel qualifications, anticipated deliverables, and alignment with statewide preservation goals. Budget documentation must identify both grant-funded and matching expenditures and provide detailed personnel, consultant, travel, supply, and equipment costs. Additional documentation is required for projects involving National Register nominations. Applications for the FY2026-2027 cycle are due by May 31, 2026 at 10:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The grant review and selection process will occur during June and July 2026, with award notifications anticipated in August 2026. The official grant period runs from October 1, 2026 through September 15, 2027. The grant program appears to operate on a recurring annual funding cycle tied to federal Historic Preservation Fund appropriations. Applications are evaluated based on alignment with statewide preservation priorities, project planning quality, budget realism, personnel qualifications, anticipated public impact, and quality of project deliverables. Contact information for the program includes the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office through the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development website and the National Register Coordinator Bailey Hall at bhall@crt.la.gov for National Register related inquiries.

Projects aligned with Goal C.2 expanding public access to digital preservation information receive the highest review priority. Applications should include detailed realistic project schedules clear deliverables strong personnel qualifications and well documented budgets that clearly distinguish grant funded expenses from matching funds.