News Release

National Park Service Announces $5 Million in Grants to Support Preservation in Rural Communities

Waitsfield Village, VT, is one of the three communities that make up the Mad River Valley Planning District, which as been a partner with the NPS in the Certified Local Government program since 1988.

Image courtesy of the State of Vermont

News Release Date: August 27, 2019

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WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) today announced $5 million in Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program (HRSP) grants to nine projects to support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across the country.

These grants mark the first year of funding for the HRSP. State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Certified Local Governments, and non-profits were eligible to apply for funding to support a subgrant program to fund multiple preservation projects in their rural jurisdictions.

“Historic preservation projects have consistently proven to foster economic growth,” National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said. “Through the support of the National Park Service, rural communities are able to preserve their historic resources, shining a light on their unique local history, and bolster economic development.”

Projects receiving grants through this first year of funding include:

• Revitalizing commercial structures in Louisiana's Main Street districts

• Rehabilitating Oregon’s historic theaters

• Providing rural community resources in communities of 7,500 or less in Vermont

Funding for this competitive program is provided by the 2018 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) which comes from revenue from Federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, providing assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars.

For more information about the grants and the Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program, please visit: https://go.nps.gov/revitalization. To confirm rural eligibility: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/. An additional $5 million will be available in FY2019 funding in the winter of 2020.
 

State	Projects	Grantee	Award
Sitka, Alaska	Historic Rehabilitation of National Register Properties in Sitka	City and Borough of Sitka	$238,033
Chicago, Illinois	Main Street Facade Improvement Grant Program	National Main Street Center, Inc.	$746,900
Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Rehabilitation of Commercial Structures in Louisiana's Main Street district	Louisiana Office of Cultural Development	$662,000
Hallowell, Maine	REvitalizeME	Maine Development Foundation	$750,000
Helena, Montana	Revitalizing Montana's Rural Heritage	Montana Historical Society	$391,067
Salem, Oregon	Oregon Historic Theaters Subgrant Program	Oregon Parks and Recreation Department	$665,000
Chepachet, Rhode Island	Chepachet Village Historic District Subgrant Program	Town of Glocester	$250,000
Burlington, Vermont	Historic Restoration Subgrant Program of Vermont	The Preservation Trust of Vermont	$747,000
Charleston, West Virginia	West Virginia Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program	West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History	$350,000
Total			$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.