The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Plan. In the spring of 1999, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), in cooperation with Preservation Pennsylvania, developed a five-year plan for historic preservation in Pennsylvania. The plan set forth an important and valued agenda for preserving the Commonwealth's historic treasures focusing on (1) educating Pennsylvanians about our heritage and its value, (2) building better communities through preservation, and (3) providing strong leadership at the state level. Today, the PHMC and its partners begin on a new agenda that is, simultaneously, rooted in the past and forward looking. Honoring the Past, Planning for the Future is Pennsylvania's historic preservation plan for 2006-2011.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is committed to carrying out this new agenda. Applicants for Historic Preservation Grants must demonstrate how their proposed project fulfills one or more of these goals as outlined in The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Plan Honoring the Past, Planning for the Future.

Historic Preservation Grants are available in two different amounts to support projects in the categories of Community Preservation and Archaeology. Community Preservation activities include cultural resource surveys, national register and historic district nominations, municipal planning and development assistance. Archaeology projects include the development of regional site sensitivity models, preparation of regional and/or temporal syntheses, research and artifact analysis, problem-oriented excavation projects. The grants are administered on a competitive basis, and the awards are made annually based on a peer review process.

Availability of Funds. Grant awards are subject to the annual availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding is based on the state fiscal year, July through June.

Who May Apply. The following are the types of organizations that are eligible to apply.

• CLG's (Certified Local Governments)
• Colleges and universities
• Conservancies
• Historic preservation organizations
• Historical societies
• Local governments
• Museums
• Other historical organizations
• Museums and historic sites that are owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and operated by independent nonprofit organizations
• Multipurpose Organizations. Individual subunits (e.g. Moravian Pottery and Tile Works) within multipurpose government (e.g. County of Bucks) or tax-exempt organizations may apply for grants if they function as a discrete unit within the parent organization. A subunit that is part of a larger organization will be deemed eligible if:
  • The unit has administrative autonomy for its operations;
  • The unit has a fully segregated and itemized operating budget within that of the parent organization; and
  • The unit is able to separately and distinctly fulfill all eligibility and application requirements as defined in these guidelines.

More than one qualified subunit within a multipurpose organization may apply for funding during the same grant cycle.

Who May Not Apply.Organizations and others that are not eligible to apply include:

• Museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission;
• Associate groups at museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission except as a partner of a collaborative grant with a nonaffiliated organization;
• Museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies except through an associate or management groups;
• State government;
• Federal government; and
• Individuals.

Eligibility Requirements. To apply for a Historic Preservation Grant, an organization must meet the following requirements:

• Must be located in Pennsylvania;
• Must have tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service or be an entity of local government;
• Must be incorporated and in existence for at least two years prior to the submission of the grant application; and,
• Must be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State: Bureau of Charitable Organizations, as required. Information may be obtained by writing Bureau of Charitable Organizations, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, P.O. Box 8723, Harrisburg, PA 17105 or by calling 1-800-732-0999 or see: Pennsylvania Department of State: Bureau of Charitable Organizations .

Levels of Funding. There are two levels of funding for Historic Preservation Grants:

• Grants in amounts up to and including $5,000 require no matching funds.
• Grants in amounts of $5,001 and up to and including $15,000 require 50/50 matching funds.

All eligible organizations have the option to apply for one or the other level of funding. The $5,000 grant (with no matching provision) was especially designed to provide competitive funding opportunities for smaller organizations whose operating budgets generally do not exceed $100,000.

General Conditions. There are a number of general conditions for Historic Preservation Grants.

• Grants of $5,001 and up 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.
• Grant awards will not exceed $15,000.
• All grant projects must relate directly to identifying, preserving, promoting and protecting the historic and archaeological resources of Pennsylvania for the benefit of the public.
• Work cannot begin until the successful applicant has received a fully executed Grant Agreement.
  

Categories of Support. The following categories of support are broadly defined and include examples of the kinds of projects that may be considered for funding. The examples are by no means a complete list of eligible projects. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their project and ideas with the appropriate grant manager. Please refer to the section on " PHMC Grants Staff ".

Cultural Resource Surveys. Grant assistance is available for conducting cultural resource surveys. (Grants may not be used to prepare determinations of eligibility for the National Register.) Surveys may be organized by municipal or county limits, by drainage area or physiographic zone (for archaeological surveys), by historic theme, or by property or site types. Projects must be conducted in accordance with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Bureau for Historic Preservation's standards, guidelines and documentation requirements. Contact the grant manager for advice on planning your survey. Consultants will be required to attend a special training session in Harrisburg, and this cost should be factored into the proposal. Examples of projects include:

• Historic sites surveys;
• Architectural surveys;
• Archaeological surveys; and
• Thematic surveys.

National Register Nominations. Grant assistance is available for preparing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. Properties must have been previously determined eligible. Grants may not be used for preparation of requests for eligibility. Nominations must be prepared in accordance with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Bureau for Historic Preservation's standards, guidelines and documentation requirements. Contact the grant manager for advice on planning your project. Preparers will be required to attend a special training session in Harrisburg, and this cost should be factored into the proposal. Examples of projects include:

• Nominations for historic properties;
• Nominations for historic districts;
• Multiple property nominations; and
• Nominations for archaeological sites.

Planning and Development Assistance. Grant assistance is available for predevelopment studies and planning. Examples of projects include:

• Historic structure reports;
• Design guidelines;
• Feasibility studies;
• Historic paint analyses; Preparation of historic preservation plans;
• Preparation of preservation plans for the treatment of archaeological sites;
• Preparation of plans for adaptive use of historic properties; and
• Preparation of plans that assist communities in the preservation and revitalization of historic resources including developing a Historic Architectural Review Board and/or a Certified Local Government.

Archaeology. Grant assistance is available to support activities that promote or enhance the understanding of Pennsylvania's prehistoric or historic archaeological resources. Archaeological projects can take the form of surveys, excavations, artifact analyses and various types of syntheses. Activities may not be associated with state or federal compliance projects. Examples of projects in addition to surveys, national register nominations and preservation plans include:

• Development of regional site sensitivity models;
• Preparation of regional and/or temporal syntheses;
• Research and artifact analysis; and
• Problem-oriented excavation projects.
  

Ineligible Activities. Historic Preservation Grants may not be used to fund the following:

• Requests for determination of eligibility for the National Register;
• Endowments;
• General operating support;
• Overhead or indirect costs for operation of organization;
• Capital improvement projects;
• Existing part-time or full-time staff positions (this includes hiring part-time staff during their nonworking hours);
• Projects that have been initiated prior to the date of the award;
• Projects that serve a religious purpose or promote religious dogma;
• Forums, conferences, symposia, lectures, oral histories and exhibitions not available to the public or held outside of Pennsylvania;
• Prizes and awards;
• Expenses for entertainment; and
• Lobbying-related expenses;
  

Grant Period and Implementation Timetable. The Application Submission Deadline for FY2008-2009 is December 1, 2007. Application submission deadlines in future years may be obtained by visiting the PHMC Grants Website at http://www.artsnet.org/phmc.

The following timetable for processing grant applications and implementing projects is provided for your information and as a planning guide. Remember, grant awards are subject to the availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. No commitments or announcements can be made until after July 1, 2008 or such time as the Commonwealth Budget is approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor.

Maximum Number of Awards
Eligible applicants may apply for and may receive under the Pennsylvania History and Museum Grant Program one Historic Preservation Grant, one type of General Operating Support Grant and a Technical Assistance Grant. The applicant may also serve as the lead partner of a collaborative grant.

Applicants meeting the relevant eligibility requirements may apply for and may receive one grant under the Certified Local Government Grant Program and one grant under the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program.

Please take the time to read the material on this website to determine if you are eligible to receive other grants from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Applications
Applicants for Historic Preservation 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.

To download a PDF of the Historic Preservation Grants Application Click Here.