News Release

Trump Administration Invests $4.8 Million in Grants to Support Historic Preservation in Rural Communities

The City of Salisbury, North Carolina has been awarded a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant to fund a competitive grant program for structural and façade rehabilitation of commercial properties in the Salisbury Historic District.

Photo courtesy of Visit Rowan County.

News Release Date: August 28, 2020

Contact: [e-mail]

WASHINGTON – The Trump Administration today announced $4.8 million in Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants to eight recipients in eight states to support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across America.

This year marks the second year of funding for the program and the first since the program was renamed in honor of the late Paul Bruhn, the former executive director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont. State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Certified Local Governments, and nonprofits were eligible to apply for funding to support preservation projects in their jurisdictions.

“These grants help communities preserve their heritage and foster economic development by revitalizing historic sites and structures, including architectural and engineering services,” said Margaret Everson, Counselor to the Secretary, exercising the delegated authority of the NPS Director.

The grants will fund projects in eight states. Examples of projects funded include:

• $750,000 awarded to the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for The Third Places Matter Fund. Third Places are locations where citizens exchange ideas, build relationships, and create a shared feeling of belonging in a community. The grants will stimulate economic investment in rural areas by creating new and enhancing existing venues where people gather, while ensuring continued use and long-term survival of rural historic resources. 

• $750,000 awarded to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. The NY State Historic Preservation Office and Landmark Society of Western New York will partner to promote historic revitalization in small rural communities in the Genesee Valley region by providing subgrants that support the rehabilitation of historic commercial, industrial, and former school buildings. 

• $556,327 awarded to the Ohio History Connection for Main Street organizations in communities to complete rehabilitation work on historic buildings that prioritize economic impact, use of commercial first floor space and upper floor residential space, and encourage reactivation of vacant spaces.

• $355,488 awarded to the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. With a focus on improving local infrastructure, the State of Wyoming’s subgrant program will fund brick and mortar projects that maintain and/or revitalize the historic integrity and character of rural communities while expanding local economic development opportunities.

Congress appropriates funding for the program through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars.

For more information about the grants and the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants program, please visit: https://go.nps.gov/revitalization. Applications for an additional $7.5 million in funding will be available in the Fall of 2020.

Awards:

State	Program	Grantee	Award
Iowa Des Moines	Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Project	State Historical Society of Iowa	$600,000
Kansas Topeka	Kansas Rural Preservation Grants	Kansas State Historical Society - State Historic Preservation Office	$500,000
New York Albany	Genesee Valley Rural Revitalization Grant Program	NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation	$750,000
North Carolina Salisbury	Downtown Salisbury Historic Revitalization Incentive Grants	City of Salisbury, North Carolina	$543,185
Ohio Columbus	Historic Revitalization Grant Program for Rural Ohio Main Street Communities	Ohio Historical Society	$556,327
Vermont Burlington	Bruhn Village Revitalization Grant Program of Vermont	Preservation Trust of Vermont	$745,000
Washington Olympia	The Third Places Matter Fund	Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation	$750,000
Wyoming Cheyenne	State of Wyoming Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program	Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office	$355,488
8 States	8 programs		$4,800,000

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.