The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470), establishes the legal and administrative context within which State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) relate to and participate in the national historic preservation program.

The Act establishes a program of matching grants to the states through which the federal government assists the SHPOs in carrying out their historic preservation responsibilities.

Presently, federal law provides that at least 10 percent of the annual Historic Preservation Fund grant allocation to Pennsylvania be set aside for distribution to Certified Local Governments. This amount currently ranges from $90,000 to $100,000.
The Certified Local Government Grant is the only grant offered under this program.

Certified Local Government Grants requiring a 50/50 match are available to support: Staffing and Training, and Pooling and Third Party Administration. The grants are administered on a competitive basis, and the awards are made annually based on a peer review process. Funding requests for projects formerly supported by CLG Grants can now be applied for through all PHMC project grant categories. Preference will be granted to CLG's in the grant rating process. Applicants are encouraged to apply for PHMC Project Grants to support Cultural Resource Surveys, National Register Nominations, Technical and Planning Assistance, Educational and Interpretative Programs.

Availability of Funds. Grant awards are subject to the annual availability of funds from the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Funding is based on the federal fiscal year, October through September.

No certified local government can receive more than 30 percent of the available share of funds unless this requirement would preclude the award of the required 10 percent allocation.

• Must comply with the conditions of its Certification Agreement;
• Must meet the federal standards of the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-102 (Common Rule) " Grants and Cooperative Agreements with Local Governments ;"
  
• Must be auditable in accordance with OMB Circular A-133, " Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations Appendix A "Data Collection Form (Form SF-SAC)," and Appendix B "April 1999 Compliance Supplement;";"
  
• Must adhere to all required administrative procedures in OMB Circular A-87, " Cost Princilpes for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments ;"
  
• Must adhere to any requirements mandated by the United States Congress regarding use of federal historic preservation funds. (The State Historic Preservation Office will advise Certified Local Governments of any new directives.); and
  
• Must adhere to requirements specified by the State Historic Preservation Office in the Grant Agreement.

General Conditions
There are a number of general conditions for Certified Local Government Grants.

• All grants are awarded on a 50/50 matching basis.
• In-kind contributions may be used to satisfy the matching requirement; however, cash matches of new dollars are strongly encouraged and will be considered in the evaluation process.
• The minimum amount awarded will be $3,000; and the maximum amount awarded will generally not exceed $15,000. The Review Committee may, at its discretion, approve an award greater than $15,000.
• Eligible activities must begin within forty-five days of the date that the fully executed Grant Agreement is sent to the grantee.
• Consultant selection requires a competitive process.

Ineligible Activities
Certified Local Government Grants may not be used to fund the following:

• Acquisition of historic properties; and
• Development projects for historic structures/properties including stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction.

Categories of Support

Grant Assistance is available to support the following activities:

Staffing and Training:

• Staffing/consultant services for Certified Local Government historic preservation program administration purposes; and
• Preservation training for Certified Local Government review board/commission members, staff, and/or municipal staff who may assist with the administration of the CLG program.
  

Pooling CLG Grants and Third Party Administration:

• Grants under certain conditions can be pooled by Certified Local Governments for specific purposes. For example, several CLG's could pool a grant to share the services of a preservation professional who could travel among the CLG's as a "circuit rider". Pooling is available only among local governments that are certified.
  
• CLG grants may, under certain conditions, be administered by a designated third party. Designation of a third party to administer a grant is not a procurement action. The designated party may be another certified local government, a commercial firm, a nonprofit entity or an educational institution.
  
• CLG's interested in pursuing this type of funding should contact the Grant Administrator or Manager to discuss the requirements (refer to the section entitled " PHMC Grants Staff " ).
  

Project Grants

• For projects involving Cultural Resource Surveys, National Register Nominations, Technical and Planning Assistance and Educational and Interpretative Programs applicants are encouraged to apply for grant assistance from the PHMC Project Grant program. Grant application deadline for Project Grants is December 3, 2007.
  

Grant Period and Implementation Timetable

The Application Submission Deadline for FY 2008-2009 is January 15, 2008. Application submission deadlines in future years may be obtained by visiting the PHMC Grants Website at http://www.artsnet.org/phmc or by calling 1-800-201-3231.

Maximum Number of Awards
Eligible applicants may submit only one application for a Certified Local Government Grant.

Applicants meeting the relevant eligibility requirements may apply for and may receive one Certified Local Government grant, one Keystone Historic Preservation grant ("bricks and mortar" grant), one Project grant in a fiscal year, and one Technical Assistance grant.

Please review the grant program guidelines for each category of support.

Applications

Applicants for Certified Local Government Grants are required to use the web-based electronic grant application process. Exceptions are generally only made for those applicants who do not have access to the necessary equipment. Exceptions must be discussed in advance with the appropriate grants manager. (See the section entitled " PHMC Grants Staff " for names, telephone numbers and email addresses.)

The electronic grant application process has been in use for several years now and provides a mechanism for you to complete your grant application on-line. It is a relatively simple process that allows you to submit your application as late as midnight of the appointed deadline date. Commission staff can also review your application while in progress and are available to assist you and answer questions.

The current electronic grant application now has a time out function. If you do not move from section to section at least every 10 minutes you will lose your application. Be sure to compose your application in a word document and cut and paste the information on the e-grant application form moving from section to section every 10 minutes or so.

You may obtain additional information about the Commission's grant programs by calling 1-800-201-3231.

To download a PDF of the Certified Local Government Grants Aplication Click Here.

How to Become a Certified Local Government
The National Historic Preservation Act amendments of 1980 that established the Certified Local Government Program contains five broad standards, all of which must be met by the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) or the local historical preservation commission before the local government can be certified.

• Local governments must "enforce appropriate state or local legislation for the designation and protection of historic properties."
• Local governments must "establish by state or local legislation an adequate and qualified historic preservation review commission or HARB composed of professional and lay members."
• Local governments must "maintain a system for the survey and inventory of historic properties."
• Local governments must "provide for adequate public participation in the local historic preservation programs, including the process of recommending properties for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places."
• Local governments must "satisfactorily perform the responsibilities delineated above and those specifically delegated to it under the Act by the State Historic Preservation Officer."

Detailed information on this program, contained in the "Guidelines for Implementation of the Certified Local Governments Program in Pennsylvania" and "Certification Worksheet for the Pennsylvania Certified Local Governments Program," is available from the Bureau for Historic Preservation. Please refer to the section entitled PHMC Grants Staff.