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Historic Preservation Fund Grants

In FY2025, the State Historic Preservation Office anticipates awarding around $200,000 in grants from the federal Historic Preservation Fund. These grants will fund projects that relate directly to the identification, evaluation or protection of historic properties.

What we fund:

  • Training for members of historic preservation commissions or CLG city staff members
  • Workshops, conferences and posters related to historic preservation
  • Walking tours of NR-listed sites
  • Preservation plans
  • Design guidelines
  • Inventorying of archival files related to archaeology or historic architecture
  • Architectural and archaeological surveys for purposes of National Register nominations
  • Nominations to the National Register of Historic Places
  • Maintenance and construction documents for publicly owned, National Register-listed buildings. This includes: 
    • Historic structure reports
    • Maintenance plans
    • Planning for repair or rehabilitation work (designs, feasibility studies, etc.)
  • Internships for historic preservation projects

What we do not fund:

  • Physical construction or repair work
  • Archaeological digs
  • Museum exhibits

Who can apply: Certified Local Governments, all county governmental entities, all municipalities, and qualified nonprofit organizations with historic preservation missions

Deadline: Pre-applications are currently being accepted until 5 p.m. Aug. 15, 2024. The SHPO HPF grants manager will review the pre-applications and provide comments to the applicant before Nov. 1, 2024. Pre-applications are required for all submissions. Final applications are due by 5 p.m. Dec. 6, 2024.

How to apply:

Pre-applications, consisting of a filled-out application form and supporting documentation sufficient to evaluate the project’s scope of work, must be emailed to the SHPO grants manager (andrew.dial@dnr.mo.gov) before the pre-application deadline. Final applications must be submitted through the Department of Natural Resources online Funding Opportunities Portal. This system permits entities applying for funding to submit their application, track the status of the award, and to submit invoices and reports electronically. Project sponsors will need to request access to the system so they may submit the grant application in the portal.

To request access to the system: 

  • Go to the department’s Funding Opportunities Portal.
  • Under New User, click the “Click Here” link to request an account.
  • Complete and submit the Funding Opportunity Portal Access Request form.
  • Check "Historic Preservation" at the bottom of the form, in the section used to indicate the program(s) in which the project sponsor is interested in applying for financial assistance. Project sponsors may select other options in addition to Historic Preservation. This form may take 24 to 48 hours to process. Once the form is processed, the project sponsor will receive an email with their logon credentials.

Note: HPF grants are 60/40 matching grants and can therefore only fund 60% of a project budget. We are required to earmark a minimum of 10% of our Historic Preservation Fund monies for exclusive use by our Certified Local Governments (CLG) partners. Last year, this required CLG amount was $123,651. Once the 10% pass-through funding has been adequately awarded, the SHPO will consider all remaining grant applications equally.

Awards are competitive. Final applications will be scored based on the proposed project's contribution to Missouri's statewide preservation goals as noted in the Missouri Comprehensive Statewide Historic Preservation Plan and the technical quality of the application.

For more information or assistance with Historic Preservation Fund grants, please contact our office via email or by calling 573-751-7958.