Application Tips
Thank you for your interest in funding to support a preservation project in your community! To ensure that your proposal receives the best consideration possible, here are suggestions from our office that you may find useful in preparing your application.- Remember that application reviewers may not be familiar with your proposed project. You will need describe the historic resource so that they can understand why it is important.
- Clearly state what it is you want to accomplish with grant funding. A reviewer should be able to read your application and know what you are proposing.
- There must be a connection between the proposed budget and the project. Every budget item should be discussed in the narrative section(s) of the application so that reviewers can understand why items are necessary
- A longer response is not necessarily better. Be mindful of character limits.
- Remember to answer every part of each question, especially in the narrative sections of the Project Description Worksheet.
- Be realistic with a proposal's timeline. Remember to budget for reporting requirements, compliance reviews for draft documents (like architectural plans and specifications), and National Register nomination listing processes, as applicable to your project.
- Use good photographs to illustrate your project whenever possible. If your project is a building, for example, photographs should show both an overview of the building as well as the specific areas where grant funding will be used.
- A complete application includes all required forms as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Frequently forgotten forms that you should make sure to submit are the Project Description Worksheet, the Project Images Worksheet, and the Budget Justification Worksheet. The checklists below may help you stay on top of submission requirements, too.
Am I Ready to Apply?
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Preservation Application ChecklistAACR, HBCU, HER Application Checklist
Link to checklist for completing AACR, HBCU, HER Preservation Project Applications
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Preservation Application ChecklistSAT and Semi-quincentennial Checklist
Link to checklist for completing SAT and Semi-quincentennial Preservation Project Applications
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History and Collections ChecklistAACR, SAT, URC Application Checklist
Link to checklist for completing AACR, SAT, and URC History or Collections Project Applications
Subscribe to Saved Searches on Grants.gov
If you would like to subscribe to receive email notifications about grant opportunities associated with specific search criteria, such as funding instrument type, eligibility, and sub-agency, you may use the Subscribe to Saved Searches page on grants.gov. After creating a saved search, you may view the search results or modify the saved search in the Actions column.
Frequently Asked Questions (all grants)
Examples of common indirect costs expenses include: office space and related costs, telephone, postage, office supplies, bookkeeping services.
Administrative costs necessary to complete and administer the proposed grant cannot exceed 25% of total budget (administrative and indirect costs combined). This limitation for the Historic Preservation Fund is by statute (54 USC 302902).
Types of Indirect Cost Rates
Some applicants are eligble to use what is called a 10% de minimis rate composed of modified total direct costs (MTDC). This rate may be used indefinately. The applicability and composition of this rate is defined in 2 CFR 200. If your budget proposal includes this 10% de minimis rate, you should carefully review 2 CFR 200 to understand how to apply the rate and the types of eligible costs under it.
If your organization is ineligble to use the de minimis rate or decides to apply for an indirect cost rate agreement, then you should submit a proposal for this agreement to what is called the cognizant federal agency. The cognizant federal agency is the part of the federal government that gies you the most money. If this is the National Park Service or another part of the Department of the Interior, you may obtain an indirect cost rate from the Interior Business Center. The agreement document will be signed by both your organization and the federal agency and will usually describe the type of the rate, the effective period of the rate, and any other special notations.
We would suggest putting this under "Other" on the budget form. Administrative costs are those involved in the direct management of the grant by you the applicant and the subgrants. This does not include program related costs like monitoring construction, creating easements, and preparing National Register nominations.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant Program
For the purposes of the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant Program, the applicant serves as a pass-through entity as defined in 2 CFR 200.74. The applicant (SHPO, THPO, CLG, or nonprofit) is the prime recipient and will be required to “pass through” (subgrant) funds to eligible subrecipients and ensure that all parties meet the requirements of 2 CFR 200.331, among other key requirements. The applicant must demonstrate to the NPS in their application that they are capable of fulfilling these requirements.
Example:
1. A Statewide nonprofit sees a need to preserve historic theatres in the rural areas of their State.
2. A Statewide nonprofit applies to the NPS for grant funding to preserve historic theaters. The Statewide nonprofit proposes in their application the parameters for their subgrant program, including what type of entities they will award to (nonprofits, local governments, main street organizations, individuals, etc.), how their projects will be selected, and how they will successfully manage the subgrant program.
3. The NPS awards funding to the Statewide nonprofit, making the Statewide the “prime recipient.”
4. The Statewide nonprofit publicizes its subgrant program and deadline, and then runs a competitive selection process.
5. The Statewide nonprofit then distributes funding in the form of smaller subgrants to selected rural historic theater projects in the State.
If you only have one site but need help, contact your SHPO, THPO, CLG, or an eligible nonprofit and ask if they have interest in applying; knowing about projects for potential subgrants may help convince an eligible prime recipient to apply.
Funded subgrant projects must comply with the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the relevant Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and the Historic Preservation Fund Grants Manual.
Audit requirements:
a) Non-Federal entities that expend $750,000 or more during a year in Federal awards shall have a single or program–specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 USC 7501–7507) and 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart F.
b) Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 for a fiscal year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, but records must be available for review or audit by appropriate officials of the Federal agency, pass–through entity, and Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Same for consultant fees. List them as "Subgrant architectural services" and "Subgrant easement services" under consultant fees.
We cannot fund work that happened before the start of the grant, so the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program cannot reimburse previous work.
Our requirements are that the subgrantee be within the primary grantee's jurisdiction, in a rural area (population 50,000 or less), and listed in or eligible for listing in the NRHP. You may not subgrant to yourself.
Last updated: May 15, 2024