Capital Grants for Historic Preservation Projects

The Maryland Historical Trust Capital Historic Preservation Grant Program provides support for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic properties.   This competitive program, offered once per year, is supported through an annual appropriation from the Maryland General Assembly.  The amount available for award is not known until the General Assembly adopts the State budget in early April.

To ensure that your proposal will be competitive, MHT strongly encourages applicants to discuss your project parameters and budgets with MHT staff before developing a proposal.  Applicants should closely read the application guidelines and instructions [hyperlink to document] prior to submission to ensure that your application is complete.

For further information, contact Anne Raines, RA, LEED AP, at (410) 514-7634.

MHT does not anticipate having Capital Grant funds available in Fiscal Year 2011 and therefore is not accepting applications for Capital Grants at this time.

If you are a current grantee looking for information about reporting requirements, payment requests, contract questions, or other issues related to grant administration, please click here.

Eligible Activities

Eligible Activities

• Acquisition, rehabilitation, and restoration of properties eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Pre-development costs directly associated with a project to rehabilitate or restore historic properties. Such pre-development costs may cover historic structure reports and studies, the preparation of plans and specifications, necessary archeological investigations, and reasonable fees for architectural, design, engineering and other special services.

Ineligible Activities

• New Construction
• Rehabilitation work that is already underway or has already been completed
• Projects for private residences
• Projects that do not conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation

See the current year’s application [hyperlink to application], for additional program details, as well as for a list of current funding priorities.

Applicant Eligibility

Non-profit organizations and local jurisdictions are eligible to apply for MHT Capital Grant funding.

Non-profit organizations and business entities must be in good standing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, qualified to do business in Maryland and have the legal capacity and authority to incur obligations under the grant program. Contact the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to determine your organization’s status.

Private individuals and business entities may also sponsor Capital Grants, however, they should be aware that the selection criteria typically favor the selection of projects and properties owned or sponsored by non-profit organizations and local jurisdictions.

Structures used for religious purposes may be eligible for MHT grant assistance for exterior work only and will be reviewed by MHT on a case by case basis.

State and federally-owned properties typically do not receive funding through the program.

Award Amounts

Capital grant awards generally range from $5,000 to $50,000, with the average award in FY 2009 being $42,289. 

The maximum Capital grant award is $50,000.

Matching Requirements

Local governments, business entities, and private individuals are required to provide dollar-for-dollar matching funds for their project.  These matching funds may consist of cash, an equivalent dollar value of in-kind contributions or a combination of both.  In general, projects which provide a maximum cash match receive greater scores in the selection process.  Funds from other state programs are not eligible as match.

Nonprofit organizations are not required to provide matching funds; however, matching funds are strongly recommended and will enhance the competitiveness of the application.

Please review the application guidelines and instructions for a detailed list of eligible and ineligible costs.

If awarded funding, applicants will be required to document all matching funds shown in the application’s project budget.

Application Process and Timeline

MHT does not anticipate having Capital Grant funds available in Fiscal Year 2011 and therefore is not accepting applications for Capital Grants at this time.

Capital grant awards are made once annually.  A team of MHT staff evaluate the applications based on the Trust's “Open Project Selection Criteria,” and present their recommendations to the MHT Board of Trustees.  The Board reviews the proposed awards and makes a recommendation to the Secretary of Planning for final approval of each grant. 

Specific dates for submission vary from year to year, but follow this general schedule:

• September – series of three grant workshops announcing availability of grants
  
• October – Grant applications available on the MHT website
  
• Early December – One page “Intent to Apply” Form due
  
• End of March – Completed applications due
  
• April –June – Applications are reviewed
  
• July – Award announcement made
  
• August—December  – Development of grant agreement between grantee and MHT
  
• April –  Execution of perpetual Historic Preservation Easement on the property
  
• June – Construction begins
  

Occasionally, grants funds may be available for “emergency” projects outside of the regular grant round.  Such funds are granted on a first-come, first served basis when the applicant can demonstrate that the need for the historic preservation activities were unpredictable or unforeseen at the time of the regular application round and must be started before the next fiscal year grant round.  Contact Anne Raines to discuss the availability and application process for such funds.

Special Requirements

Capital grant projects are expected to be consistent with preservation best practices and meet high preservation standards.   All project work must be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. These standards provide guidance in developing appropriate approaches to the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties.  The general philosophy is that historic materials must be retained and repaired whenever possible.  Should the historic fabric be irreparable due to advanced deterioration, then the materials should be replaced in kind.

Easement Requirements

To ensure the preservation of properties assisted with State funds, successful applicants must convey to the Trust a perpetual historic preservation easement on the assisted property prior to their receipt of funds.  The easement requires the property owner to receive approval for any physical changes to the property from the Director of the Maryland Historical Trust prior to the commencement of work.

Archeological Investigations

In many circumstances, archeological investigations must be conducted prior to construction work.  For those investigations that result in the recovery of artifacts, the artifacts must be conserved in a qualified facility, such as the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, according to theStandards and Guidelines, Technical Update No. 1: Collections and Conservation Standards (Revised, July 1, 2005).