Historic Preservation Fund Grant

The Historic Preservation Fund Grant is administered in Tennessee through the Tennessee Historical Commission State Historic Preservation Office using federal funding received from the National Park Service. Historic Preservation Fund dollars are provided to states and territories from oil and gas lease revenues to assist with implementation of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Tennessee Historical Commission opens the program annually based on the availability of federal funding. Ten percent of the federal funds received by Tennessee must be provided to one of the state's fifty Certified Local Government programs, which are communities that have demonstrated a commitment to historic preservation through local zoning. The program supports historic preservation activities that provide a public benefit, with funding focused on survey and planning projects and restoration or rehabilitation of historic properties. Examples include architectural surveys, archaeological surveys, preservation plans for towns, neighborhoods, and historic districts, local historic preservation design guidelines, preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and restoration of historic buildings listed in the National Register. Survey projects may identify and record historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects built more than 50 years ago and may focus on geographic areas or properties associated with themes or events important to Tennessee history. Areas experiencing rapid growth, development, threats to cultural resources, or gaps in knowledge regarding cultural resources are among the survey priorities identified by the program. Historic restoration and rehabilitation projects must involve properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The program emphasizes projects demonstrating significant public benefit. Examples of properties with a public benefit include National Register-listed museums, courthouses, and libraries. Privately owned or commercially focused projects have not been able to receive funding under the stated program priorities, and privately owned residential homes have not been funded in the history of the program. Funds may be used only for historic survey, planning or documentation, and restoration projects and are not available for building acquisition. Commercial properties may instead have potential access to the separate Federal Historic Tax Credit program. Historic Preservation Fund grants are matching grants that reimburse up to 60 percent of approved project costs. The grantee must provide the remaining 40 percent as matching funds. Grant awards typically average between $15,000 and $65,000, with the stated purpose of allowing as many projects as possible throughout Tennessee to receive support. The source does not identify this typical award range as a guaranteed minimum or maximum award, nor does it provide the total funding available for the upcoming round or a specific number of awards. Grant ranking is based on priorities and goals established in Tennessee's State Historic Preservation Plan, with the selection process emphasizing projects that provide the greatest public benefit. Applications for the next round are expected to open January 10, 2027 and remain open through February 28, 2027, subject to federal budget approvals and the availability of federal funding. Applicants are directed to use the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation grant management system. Before applying, an applicant must be affiliated within the grant management system with its organization and must start the application under that organizational affiliation. The Tennessee Historical Commission State Historic Preservation Office has also provided an archived online application training session containing application guidance and information about the Smart Simple grant management system. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating deadline is identified in the supplied material. After the application period closes, a Tennessee Historical Commission grant review team reviews and scores applications. The highest-scoring projects are submitted with the commission's funding application to the National Park Service for approval. Evaluation is tied to goals in the State Historic Preservation Plan and gives the strongest consideration to projects demonstrating public benefit. The source contains an award-announcement statement referring to final announcements in the second half of 2025; because that date predates the identified January-February 2027 application round, it does not establish an award notification date for the upcoming cycle. No performance period for the 2027 awards is provided. Questions about the program may be directed to Holly M. Barnett, Assistant Director for Federal Programs, at Holly.M.Barnett@tn.gov or (615) 770-1089. General Tennessee Historical Commission State Historic Preservation Office contact information is also provided at Ask.THC@tn.gov and (615) 532-1550. The program is described as opening annually based on federal funding availability, making the January 10 through February 28, 2027 period the expected next application cycle as of September 3, 2026.

Establish the correct organizational affiliation in GMS before starting the application; demonstrate strong public benefit; align the project with priorities in the State Historic Preservation Plan; for restoration projects confirm that the property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.