Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Grant Program

The Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Grant Program is a state-funded initiative established through legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly. Codified in Virginia law, the program is administered by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which serves as the State Historic Preservation Office. The purpose of the program is to address long-standing disparities in historic preservation funding by supporting historically underserved and underrepresented communities. Specifically, the fund is designed to protect, preserve, and elevate cultural and historical sites associated with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities across the Commonwealth. The Department of Historic Resources oversees program implementation, including application review, funding distribution, and compliance monitoring. The program provides financial assistance for projects that involve the acquisition, protection, stabilization, rehabilitation, or archaeological investigation of historically significant properties. Eligible uses of funds include the purchase of real property or protective interests, construction and rehabilitation work, archaeological data recovery, and associated project management and planning costs. All funded work must comply with federal preservation standards, including the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Funding for acquisition projects is capped at a percentage of appraised value, and projects must demonstrate a clear connection to BIPOC communities and meet eligibility requirements related to historic designation or qualification for listing. Eligibility for the grant program is limited to specific applicant types, including state-recognized or federally recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit organizations with valid 501(c)(3) status, and Virginia localities. Applicants must either own the property associated with the project or provide documentation of owner support. Federal entities, private individuals, and for-profit organizations are not eligible. Additionally, projects must involve properties listed on or eligible for the Virginia Landmarks Register or the National Register of Historic Places, or designated as National Historic Landmarks. The program prioritizes projects that demonstrate community involvement, address urgent preservation threats, and show readiness for implementation. The application process consists of a mandatory two-step submission through the WebGrants online system. Applicants must first complete a preapplication, which collects basic project and organizational information and allows the Department to assess eligibility. Only applicants with approved preapplications are invited to submit a full application, which requires detailed project descriptions, budgets, timelines, documentation of nonprofit status where applicable, and property ownership records. The Department uses a formal scoring system to evaluate proposals based on criteria such as community impact, project readiness, financial need, and organizational capacity. The grant program operates on a defined annual timeline. For the 2026 cycle, the preapplication period opens in early February and closes in early May, followed by a full application window from mid-May through early July. Applications are reviewed during the summer months, with award decisions announced in late September. Funded projects must be completed within a two-year period from the date of the grant agreement, although extensions may be granted under certain conditions. Grantees are required to submit quarterly progress reports and a final report upon project completion. There is no mandatory matching requirement for this grant program; however, applicants who demonstrate the ability to leverage additional funding may receive favorable consideration during the review process. Grant funds are disbursed either incrementally based on project progress or as lump sum payments for approved acquisition projects. The program also includes strict compliance and reporting requirements, and funds may be recaptured in cases of noncompliance or project delays. For questions or assistance, applicants may contact the program coordinator at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources via email or phone as provided in the official materials. Additional details and procedural guidance are available in the official grant manual

Emphasize strong community involvement demonstrate direct connection to BIPOC communities ensure project readiness and include clear threat or preservation need