Restoring a historic building can require a significant financial investment. Original wood windows, handcrafted doors, decorative millwork, masonry, roofing systems, porches, and other architectural features often require specialized restoration rather than standard replacement.
Fortunately, grants and preservation funding programs may help support qualifying projects.
The challenge is knowing where to look and whether your building and organization are actually eligible.
There is no single grant available to every historic property owner. Some programs fund nonprofit organizations. Others support local governments, religious congregations, Tribal organizations, rural communities, or nationally significant landmarks. Some fund physical restoration, while others pay for planning, documentation, or professional assessments.
The most effective approach is to work through the process step by step.
How to Get Grants for Historical Building Restoration
To find and apply for historic preservation funding:
- Determine whether your building is historically significant.
- Identify who owns the property and who can apply.
- Contact your State Historic Preservation Office.
- Check for Certified Local Government funding.
- Research federal preservation grant programs.
- Explore National Trust and specialized preservation grants.
- Look for state and local funding.
- Confirm what restoration work the grant will cover.
- Understand matching fund requirements.
- Develop a preservation-focused scope of work.
- Gather documentation and professional estimates.
- Submit the application before beginning restricted work.
Each step helps narrow the available opportunities and reduces the risk of spending time pursuing a grant that does not fit your property, organization, or restoration project.
Step 1: Determine Whether Your Building Is Historically Significant
Start by determining how your building is recognized from a historic preservation standpoint.
Depending on the grant, an eligible property may be:
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Eligible for listing on the National Register
- Designated as a National Historic Landmark
- A contributing property within a historic district
- Listed on a state historic register
- Designated under a local preservation ordinance
- Considered historically significant under a particular grant program
Not every program requires formal designation, but many establish some form of historic significance requirement.
If you are unsure about your property’s status, your State Historic Preservation Office is one of the best places to begin.
The National Park Service maintains a directory of State Historic Preservation Offices throughout the country. Your SHPO can help you understand National Register programs, state preservation initiatives, historic designation, and other resources available in your state.
Historic designation alone does not guarantee funding. It simply helps establish whether the property may satisfy one part of a grant’s eligibility requirements.
Step 2: Identify Who Can Apply for the Grant
Historic significance and applicant eligibility are two different things.
A building can qualify as a historic resource while its owner remains ineligible for a particular funding program.
Depending on the grant, an eligible applicant may need to be:
- A nonprofit organization
- A local or state government
- A Certified Local Government
- A federally recognized Tribe or other eligible Tribal organization
- A religious congregation
- An educational institution
- A museum or cultural organization
- A preservation organization
- Another qualifying entity identified by the program
This distinction is especially important for privately owned commercial and residential properties.
For example, a historic commercial property might satisfy a program’s building requirements while the private owner does not meet its applicant requirements.
Always answer two questions before spending significant time on an application:
- Does the building qualify?
- Does the applicant qualify?
If either answer is no, continue looking for a program better suited to your situation.
Step 3: Contact Your State Historic Preservation Office
Your State Historic Preservation Office should be one of your first stops when researching grants for the restoration of historic buildings.
Ask about:
- State historic preservation grants
- National Register programs
- Historic rehabilitation incentives
- Certified Local Government programs
- Preservation planning assistance
- Technical assistance
- Rehabilitation funding
- Historic tax incentives
- Rural preservation programs
- Locally administered grants
State programs vary significantly.
A funding source available to a historic property owner in one state may not exist in another. Conversely, your state may administer a preservation program that is difficult to discover through a general search for federal grants.
The National Park Service directory of State Historic Preservation Offices can help you identify the appropriate agency.
Step 4: Find Out Whether Your Community Is a Certified Local Government
The Certified Local Government Program connects federal, state, and local historic preservation efforts.
Communities that meet preservation program requirements can become Certified Local Governments, commonly called CLGs.
States are required to pass through a portion of their annual Historic Preservation Fund allocation to Certified Local Governments.
Depending on the state and local program, CLG funding may support:
- Historic resource surveys
- National Register nominations
- Preservation planning
- Design guidelines
- Architectural studies
- Structural assessments
- Feasibility studies
- Preservation education
- Eligible rehabilitation projects
- Other community preservation initiatives
Individual property owners generally do not apply directly to the National Park Service for CLG funding.
Instead, contact your municipal preservation office, planning department, historic preservation commission, or SHPO.
Ask:
- Is our community a Certified Local Government?
- Does it administer preservation grants or incentives?
- Are privately owned properties eligible for assistance?
- Are there upcoming funding rounds?
- What work can the local program support?
A local CLG may provide opportunities that are considerably more relevant to your building than a nationwide federal grant.
Step 5: Research Historic Preservation Fund Programs
The Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, is one of the primary federal sources of historic preservation funding.
It supports State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Certified Local Governments, and competitive grant programs.
Eligible preservation activities can include:
- Historic resource surveys
- National Register nominations
- Preservation planning
- Historic structure reports
- Architectural documentation
- Rehabilitation of qualifying historic properties
- Preservation of significant historic resources
- Community preservation initiatives
The key point for property owners is that the Historic Preservation Fund is not a universal federal grant available directly to anyone who owns an old building.
Instead, the National Park Service administers multiple programs with different purposes and eligibility requirements.
Review the National Park Service’s competitive Historic Preservation Fund grant programs and look for programs that correspond to your building’s significance, location, ownership, and proposed work.
Step 6: Determine Whether Save America’s Treasures Applies
If your building has national significance, investigate the Save America’s Treasures Grant Program.
Save America’s Treasures supports preservation of nationally significant historic properties and collections.
For preservation projects involving buildings and sites, qualifying resources generally must meet the program’s national significance requirements.
Eligible applicants can include qualifying:
- Nonprofit organizations
- State governments
- Local governments
- Federally recognized Tribes
- Native Hawaiian organizations
- Other organizations specified in current program guidelines
Individual private owners are generally not eligible applicants for the preservation component of the program.
Competitive applications need to demonstrate not only the building’s significance but also why the proposed work is necessary and how the property will be preserved over the long term.
Potential physical preservation work can include rehabilitation and stabilization of eligible nationally significant historic resources.
Before developing a project around this program, review the current Save America’s Treasures eligibility and application information.
Step 7: Look for Rural Historic Preservation Funding
Owners of historic buildings in smaller communities should investigate the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program.
The program supports preservation and economic development in rural communities through locally administered subgrant programs.
Rather than individual property owners applying directly to the National Park Service, eligible organizations establish programs that then provide subgrants for physical preservation projects.
Organizations that may administer these programs include:
- State Historic Preservation Offices
- Tribal Historic Preservation Offices
- Certified Local Governments
- Nonprofit organizations
The federal program focuses on rural communities with populations under 50,000.
Eligible historic properties must also satisfy the program’s designation or historic eligibility requirements.
If you own a historic property in a rural community, ask your SHPO, local preservation organization, or Certified Local Government whether a Paul Bruhn-funded subgrant program currently operates in your area.
Step 8: Research National Trust Preservation Grants
The National Trust for Historic Preservation grant programs provide another source of preservation funding.
The National Trust administers multiple funds rather than a single universal restoration grant.
Eligibility and allowable expenses differ among programs, but grants may support activities such as:
- Preservation planning
- Professional assessments
- Architectural studies
- Technical assistance
- Preservation education
- Project development
- Certain preservation or restoration activities
Many National Trust programs are intended for nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and other eligible organizations rather than individual homeowners.
Review the current grant guidelines before assuming a specific property or construction activity qualifies.
National Trust Preservation Funds
National Trust Preservation Funds commonly help organizations obtain professional preservation expertise or undertake planning and educational activities.
These grants can be particularly useful during the early phases of a project, when an organization needs to determine what work a historic building requires and how a larger restoration should proceed.
Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation
The Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation supports projects intended to help preserve or recapture an authentic sense of place.
Eligibility for applicants and activities depends on current National Trust guidelines.
Organizations considering this fund should consult the National Trust’s current grant opportunities before developing their project scope.
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors
Historic interiors can contain significant:
- Decorative woodwork
- Architectural millwork
- Plaster
- Finishes
- Furnishings
- Decorative painting
- Interior architectural features
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund supports preservation, restoration, and interpretation of significant historic interiors.
Current eligibility requirements can be found through the National Trust’s preservation grant programs.
Step 9: Check for Grants for Historic Houses of Worship
Historic churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship often face expensive preservation needs involving roofs, masonry, historic windows, structural systems, stained glass, and architectural woodwork.
The National Fund for Sacred Places supports qualifying historic houses of worship.
The program combines:
- Capital grants
- Technical assistance
- Preservation planning
- Project support
- Fundraising guidance
The National Fund is administered by Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
It is not a general historic-building grant.
Applicants must satisfy specific requirements related to the historic property and the active faith community that owns and uses it.
Congregations should review the National Fund for Sacred Places eligibility requirements before beginning an application.
Matching funds are also an important part of the program, so funding requirements should be incorporated into the project’s fundraising strategy early.
Step 10: Explore Funding for Underrepresented Historic Places
Some preservation grants are intended specifically to protect places associated with histories and communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in preservation.
The National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund grant programs support historic places associated with Black history and culture.
Programs include initiatives such as:
- The Action Fund’s National Grant Program
- Preserving Black Churches
- Conserving Black Modernism
Eligible work varies by program and may include physical preservation, professional services, planning, organizational capacity building, and related activities.
Preserving Black Churches
Preserving Black Churches supports historically significant Black churches and congregations.
Formal National Register designation is not necessarily the only way a property can demonstrate historical significance under this program.
Congregations should review the current eligibility and application requirements, as funding priorities, award ranges, and deadlines can change from one grant cycle to the next.
Step 11: Search for State and Local Preservation Grants
Federal programs attract attention, but state and local programs may be more relevant for many building owners.
Depending on your location, assistance may include:
- Historic preservation grants
- Facade improvement grants
- Downtown rehabilitation grants
- Matching grants
- Low-interest rehabilitation loans
- Property tax incentives
- Historic rehabilitation incentives
- Historic district improvement programs
- Technical assistance
- Preservation planning programs
Potential sources include:
- Your State Historic Preservation Office
- Municipal planning departments
- Historic preservation commissions
- Certified Local Governments
- Downtown development organizations
- Community foundations
- Local preservation nonprofits
Ask specifically about programs available to your type of property.
A grant for a nonprofit museum may not be available to a private commercial owner. A downtown facade program may not apply to a rural church. A residential preservation incentive may exclude commercial buildings.
Matching the program to the property is one of the most important parts of successful grant research.
Step 12: Investigate Community Development Funding
Not every funding opportunity with potential preservation benefits is specifically labeled a historic preservation grant.
The HUD Community Development Block Grant Program can support qualifying rehabilitation and community development activities.
CDBG is not primarily a historic preservation program.
Funding must meet the program’s applicable requirements and national objectives.
Depending on the project and local program, rehabilitation of historic properties may be relevant when it contributes to objectives such as:
- Neighborhood revitalization
- Elimination of qualifying slum or blight conditions
- Benefits to low- and moderate-income people
- Other eligible community development objectives
CDBG funds are generally administered by state and local governments rather than awarded directly by HUD to individual property owners.
Contact your city or county to determine whether locally administered CDBG programs can support rehabilitation of your historic building.
Step 13: Confirm What the Grant Will Pay For
Finding a preservation grant does not mean every restoration expense is eligible.
Read the eligible-use section carefully.
Depending on the program, funding may support:
- Structural stabilization
- Historic window restoration
- Historic door restoration
- Masonry repair
- Roof rehabilitation
- Architectural woodwork
- Accessibility improvements
- Preservation planning
- Historic structure reports
- Architectural services
- Engineering services
- Historic documentation
- Other approved rehabilitation work
Some programs fund planning but not construction.
Others are designed specifically for physical restoration.
A grant may pay for a professional assessment while excluding the resulting repair work. Another may fund construction but exclude expenses incurred before the grant agreement begins.
Never assume an expense is eligible simply because it relates to preservation.
Step 14: Understand Matching Fund Requirements
Many historic preservation grants require or encourage matching funds.
A match means the applicant is responsible for securing part of the project’s funding from another eligible source.
Depending on the program, allowable matching contributions may include:
- Applicant cash
- Private donations
- Foundation grants
- Fundraising proceeds
- Other eligible grants
- Qualified professional services
- Approved in-kind contributions
- Volunteer labor, when permitted
Matching requirements vary widely.
Some grants require a dollar-for-dollar cash match.
Others require a smaller percentage.
Some allow specific in-kind contributions.
Others require no non-federal match.
Before applying, determine:
- How much matching funding is required
- Whether the match must be cash
- Whether in-kind contributions qualify
- Which funding sources can be used
- When the matching funds must be committed
- How the match must be documented
These requirements can substantially affect the financial feasibility of a restoration project.
Step 15: Develop a Preservation-Focused Scope of Work
Once you identify realistic funding opportunities, define what the building actually needs.
A strong scope of work should explain:
- What is deteriorated
- What needs repair
- What historic material can remain
- What needs restoration
- What genuinely requires replacement
- How new components will relate to original materials
- Which preservation standards will guide the project
Historic restoration should not automatically begin with replacement.
Original wood windows, doors, trim, millwork, porches, siding, masonry, and decorative architectural features may remain repairable even when visible deterioration exists.
Preserving those components can maintain materials and craftsmanship that would be difficult to reproduce with contemporary products.
Projects receiving certain federal preservation funds may also need to comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Understanding these principles before establishing the construction scope can help prevent a proposed project from conflicting with grant requirements later.
Step 16: Document the Building’s Existing Condition
Grant reviewers need to understand why the restoration is necessary.
Good documentation can help establish both the building’s significance and the urgency of the proposed work.
Depending on the application, useful documentation may include:
- Exterior photographs
- Interior photographs
- Detailed photographs of deterioration
- Historic photographs
- Architectural drawings
- Historic designation documents
- National Register documentation
- Previous repair records
- Condition assessments
- Structural assessments
- Historic structure reports
- Architectural evaluations
You may not need every document on this list.
Follow the grant instructions and provide the materials that best explain the building and proposed restoration.
Step 17: Obtain Professional Restoration Estimates
A grant application needs a realistic budget.
Estimates should correspond directly to the proposed preservation work.
If the project involves restoring original wood windows, for example, the estimate should describe restoration work rather than simply providing the price of replacement windows.
Depending on the building, you may need estimates or assessments from:
- Historic restoration contractors
- Preservation architects
- Structural engineers
- Historic masonry specialists
- Wood window restoration specialists
- Historic roofing contractors
- Millwork specialists
- Other preservation professionals
Professionals experienced with older buildings can also help identify where original materials remain repairable.
That can prevent an application from being built around unnecessary replacement.
Step 18: Build a Competitive Historic Preservation Grant Application
Once you understand the requirements and have developed the project, assemble the application carefully.
A strong application may include:
- A clear project description
- Documentation of historical significance
- Existing-condition photographs
- A detailed scope of work
- Professional assessments when appropriate
- Contractor or consultant estimates
- A detailed project budget
- Documentation of matching funds
- A realistic project schedule
- Information about the project team
- Required preservation approvals
- Evidence of community benefit when relevant
- A long-term maintenance plan
The application should clearly connect four ideas:
Why the building matters → what threatens it → what work will preserve it → how the applicant will protect it afterward.
Do not assume reviewers already understand the building or why a particular repair is important.
Make that case clearly.
Step 19: Check Preservation Compliance Requirements
Federal preservation funding can carry additional requirements.
Projects supported through the Historic Preservation Fund may need to comply with federal historic preservation review and applicable preservation standards.
The National Park Service explains these requirements through its Historic Preservation Fund compliance guidance.
Depending on the program and project, requirements may affect:
- Project design
- Material selection
- Rehabilitation methods
- Review procedures
- Procurement
- Documentation
- Construction approvals
Understand these requirements before construction contracts are finalized.
Step 20: Do Not Start Grant-Restricted Work Too Early
Finding a grant and submitting an application does not necessarily mean construction can begin.
Some programs do not reimburse work performed before the grant award.
Others may require:
- Historic preservation review
- Environmental review
- Approval of plans
- Approval of the scope of work
- Procurement procedures
- Contractor selection requirements
- Documentation before construction
- Formal authorization to proceed
Starting too early can make otherwise eligible expenses ineligible.
Before signing construction contracts or ordering materials, determine exactly when the program allows grant-funded work to begin.
Step 21: Plan for Long-Term Maintenance
Grantmakers are investing in more than the immediate construction project.
They are helping preserve a historic resource.
A long-term maintenance plan demonstrates that the restored building will continue to receive appropriate care.
Depending on the property, the plan might address:
- Roof inspections
- Gutter cleaning and maintenance
- Exterior painting
- Window maintenance
- Door maintenance
- Masonry monitoring
- Moisture management
- Preventive carpentry repairs
- Drainage
- Long-term capital planning
Routine maintenance is often less disruptive and less expensive than waiting until a historic component experiences major deterioration.
How Historic Restoration Professionals Can Strengthen the Project
A grant can help fund preservation, but funding alone does not determine whether the restoration succeeds.
Historic buildings require people who understand how older materials and building systems work.
Original wood windows, handcrafted doors, custom millwork, masonry, decorative architectural elements, and other historic components may use construction methods that differ significantly from modern replacements.
Thoughtful Craftsmen has more than 20 years of expertise restoring historic homes and buildings.
Our restoration services include:
- Historic window restoration and repair
- Wood window tuning
- Custom wood storm windows
- Interior door restoration
- Exterior door restoration
- Custom millwork
- Custom casework
- Interior painting and staining
- Exterior painting
- Cedar siding
- Porches, rails, and decks
- Decorative architectural features
- Cedar shingle roofing
- Built-in gutters
- Gutter repair and replacement
- Copperwork
- Roof and gutter maintenance
Our approach begins by determining what can be preserved.
Original materials should not be treated as disposable simply because they show their age. When repair is practical, restoration can retain craftsmanship, profiles, dimensions, and materials that may be difficult to reproduce.
When replication is necessary, appropriate materials and traditional building practices can help new work remain compatible with the historic building.
Start Your Historic Building Grant Search Before Construction
The best time to research grants for historical building restoration is before construction begins.
Start by determining:
- Why the building is historically significant.
- Whether it has formal historic designation.
- Who owns it.
- Who can apply for funding.
- What restoration work is actually necessary.
- Which programs match the property and applicant.
- Whether matching funds are required.
- Which professional assessments are needed.
- What preservation standards apply.
- When grant-funded construction is permitted to begin.
There may not be a grant that covers every historic building or every restoration project.
But starting early gives you the best opportunity to identify appropriate funding, prepare a competitive application, and develop a restoration scope that protects the craftsmanship your funding is intended to preserve.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grants for Historical Building Restoration
How do I get a grant to restore a historic building?
Start by determining your building’s historic status and identifying the legal applicant. Then contact your State Historic Preservation Office and local preservation agency, research programs that match the property, confirm eligibility, establish the scope of work, obtain professional estimates, and apply before beginning any work restricted by the grant.
Does a building have to be on the National Register to receive a restoration grant?
Not always. Some programs require National Register listing or eligibility, while others recognize state or local designation or establish their own requirements for historic significance.
Can a private owner receive a historic preservation grant?
Sometimes. Many federal programs limit direct applicants to nonprofit organizations, governments, Tribes, Certified Local Governments, and other eligible organizations. State, local, nonprofit, community development, or subgrant programs may provide additional opportunities for privately owned properties.
What is the Historic Preservation Fund?
The Historic Preservation Fund is a federal funding source administered by the National Park Service that supports preservation through state, Tribal, local, and competitive grant programs.
What are Certified Local Government grants?
The Certified Local Government Program helps qualifying local governments participate directly in historic preservation. Grant-supported activities can vary by state and may include surveys, planning, National Register nominations, professional studies, education, and eligible rehabilitation activities.
Are there grants for historic churches?
Yes. The National Fund for Sacred Places supports qualifying historic houses of worship with capital funding, technical assistance, preservation planning, and other project support.
Historically significant Black churches may also qualify for programs such as Preserving Black Churches.
Are there grants for rural historic buildings?
The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program supports locally administered subgrant programs for qualifying historic resources in rural communities. Building owners generally seek assistance through organizations administering those programs rather than applying directly to the National Park Service.
Can preservation grants pay for historic window restoration?
Potentially. Programs that fund physical rehabilitation may allow restoration of significant historic windows when the property, applicant, and work satisfy the grant requirements.
Can grants pay for roof restoration?
Some preservation programs fund physical rehabilitation that may include qualifying historic roof work. Eligible expenses depend on the individual grant and approved project scope.
Can a grant pay for historic doors and millwork?
Potentially. Restoration of significant architectural features may qualify under programs that support physical preservation or rehabilitation. Review the grant’s eligible-use requirements before including the work in the funded scope.
Do historic preservation grants require matching funds?
Many do, but requirements vary significantly. Some require cash matching funds, some permit particular in-kind contributions, and others require no match.
Can volunteer labor count toward a matching requirement?
Sometimes. Whether volunteer labor or other in-kind contributions qualify depends entirely on the individual grant requirements.
Do I need a historic structure report before applying?
Not necessarily. Some projects or grants may require a historic structure report, while others may need photographs, a condition assessment, architectural documentation, or another form of professional evaluation.
Should I hire a restoration contractor before applying?
Obtaining professional estimates can strengthen an application and help establish a realistic scope of work. However, do not begin grant-restricted construction until you understand the program’s rules regarding pre-award expenses and approvals.
Do grant-funded restoration projects have to follow preservation standards?
Some do. Historic Preservation Fund-assisted projects can be subject to federal preservation requirements, and certain rehabilitation projects may need to follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Can HUD funding support historic building restoration?
Potentially. The Community Development Block Grant Program can support qualifying rehabilitation activities when projects meet applicable program requirements and community development objectives. Funding is generally administered by state and local governments.
Where should I start looking for historic building restoration grants?
Begin with your State Historic Preservation Office and local preservation agency. Then investigate Certified Local Government funding, National Park Service programs, National Trust grants, specialized preservation funds, state incentives, and local rehabilitation programs.
How much does it cost to restore a historic building?
There is no reliable single national cost for historic building restoration. Cost depends on the building’s size, condition, materials, architectural complexity, location, preservation requirements, and scope of work. A professional assessment and project-specific estimates provide the most useful basis for budgeting.
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Learn how to get grants for historical building restoration, find eligible programs, prepare your application, and plan a preservation project.
