State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants

Underrepresented Community Grants

The National Park Service’s Underrepresented Community Grant Program (URC) works towards diversifying the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places. URC grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), and are administered by the NPS. Projects include surveys and inventories of historic properties associated with communities underrepresented in the National Register, as well as the development of nominations to the National Register for specific sites. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal match. Eligible applicants are limited to State Historic Preservation Offices, Federally-recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Villages/Corporations, and Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Certified Local Governments.

Application Information

The National Park Service accepts applications from State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Federally-recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Villages/Corporations, Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined by 54 U.S.C. § 300309, 54 U.S.C. 300313 and 54 U.S.C. 300314, and Certified Local Governments for projects that work towards diversifying the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places. Applications for $750,000 in FY2020 funding are now available until March 31, 2021.

Program History

Since 2014, the NPS has awarded almost $4 million in grants to diversify the nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. Grant-supported projects include surveys and inventories of historic properties associated with communities underrepresented in the National Register, as well as the development of nominations to the National Register for specific sites.

The Historic Preservation Fund is supported by revenue from Federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, providing assistance for a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars.

What We Fund

This grant program supports the survey, inventory, and designation of historic properties that are associated with communities currently underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places and among National Historic Landmarks. All funded projects must result in:

  • The submission of a new nomination to the National Register of Historic Places or National Historic Landmark program, or
  • An amendment to an existing National Register or National Historic Landmark nomination to include underrepresented communities

Prior Awards

For information regarding past awards provided by the Underrepresented Community Grant Program and other competitive grant programs, please visit the News page for all past press releases. Below are links to the press releases from previous years: