A New Process for Historic Preservation Grants

There’s exciting news from the DAR Historic Preservation Grants program.  When the VanBuren Administration inaugurated the program in 2019, no one could have predicted that the world as we knew it would soon be turned upside down by a global pandemic.  However, the pandemic caused nothing more than a small hiccup in the processing and implementation of the program for the 2020-21 grant cycle.  The result was a transformation to an “electronic transmission of data” or scanning and emailing. With subsequent grant recipients’ fear of going to the post office and headquarters staff working from home, the only answer was a change in policy requiring “original” documents and signatures.

More good news resulting from this upheaval was that many of the grant recipients had the opportunity to complete needed restoration projects more quickly as they could accommodate more easily construction when the facility was not open to the public.  And the contractors had plenty of room to be socially distant while doing their work.  The list of 2021-2022 grant recipients is available on the Historic Preservation Committee webpage.

You will be able to start the application and “save” it to complete later in case you need more time or need to research some information.  The “enclosures” required, a letter from a sponsoring chapter or state organization, a copy of the organization’s IRS determination letter, and a resume of the project manager, are still needed but the procedure will be “scan and attach.”

Again, at any time you can “save and return” BUT once you have submitted the application, there is no chance to “correct” a mistake or to “add a file.” 

The new procedure will streamline the application processing by asking some “yes or no” questions.  For example, approximately 5 percent of applications are disqualified because, although they are not-for-profit organizations, they are NOT 501(c)3 entities.  Examples are governmental units, veterans’ organizations, some cemeteries and private foundations.  In all these cases, the applicant made an assumption.  Now, there is a question “Is this a 501(c) 3 organization?”  Checking “no” will result in an error message telling the applicant that they are not eligible.

But the most common disqualifier is not providing matching funding.  Applicants are reminded that the grant request PLUS the secured funding must be at least equal to, or larger than, the total project cost. 

If there are questions or concerns, the grant email address [email protected] is still the same.  Not everything has to change!