The most enduring highway in our public consciousness, Route 66 represents a unique moment in history that continues to define the nation’s identity: the rise of the automobile and its implications of freedom, mobility, and a quintessential American story. Grants from this fund will help preserve and enhance historic places on or connected to Route 66 for future generations.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund provides financial support to public agencies, tribal governments or nonprofit organizations to preserve and interpret historic places along the Route 66 corridor. The National Trust has a special interest in illuminating the narratives of communities whose places and stories have been historically underrepresented, which may include communities and neighborhoods along the Route 66 corridor associated with People of Color (including but not limited to indigenous peoples, Latinx, Black Americans and others), women, immigrants, LGBTQIA communities, veterans, and economically distressed communities.

Grants made from the Preserve Route 66 Fund will generally range from $2,500 to $10,000.

Application and Review Timeline

The application deadline is October 16, 2024. Applicants will be notified via email once the review process is complete, which we anticipate being mid-January 2025.

Eligible Applicants

Projects must be located in a community, neighborhood or tribal land along the Route 66 corridor in the following states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or California. While organizations do not need to be located directly on Route 66, they should demonstrate geographic or thematic connections to Route 66.

Applicants must be either a public agency, tribal government, 501(c) (3), or other nonprofit organization to be considered eligible. Applicants that have received previous National Trust financial assistance are eligible provided that all grant requirements are current.

No more than three grants will be awarded in any two-year period to a single grantee. Only one grant will be awarded per organization in any grant round. Only one grant will be awarded for a particular project phase.

Eligible Activities

Grants from the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund are awarded to preserve historic places on or connected to Route 66. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts. Grants awards may be made for activities and projects such as:

• Restoration, rehabilitation, stabilization, and preservation of designated historic sites and structures, including bricks-and-mortar construction and work to preserve archaeological sites
• Obtaining the services of consultants with expertise in the areas such as archaeology, architecture, planning, engineering, economics, law, fundraising, organizational development, media relations, and education
• Sponsoring preservation conferences and workshops
• Designing and implementing innovative preservation education programs
• Designing, producing, and marketing printed materials or other media communications to advance historic preservation
• The acquisition of historically significant land and/or buildings
• The purchase of perpetual easements

Eligible Expenses

• Construction or other capital improvement costs
• Fees for consultant services
• Nonprofit applicants may include staff salaries for staff members directly working on the funded project
• Speaker/faculty costs (honoraria, travel, and lodging), room rental for conferences
• Mailing costs for distribution of materials
• Web site development
• Acquisition costs
• Materials and services such as printing, photographs, telephone, and supplies. With the exception of publications projects, these costs may not exceed 10 percent of the project budget.

Ineligible Expenses and Activities

• Academic research
• Costs associated with planning for or constructing new buildings or new structures, including the creation of monuments and statues
• Costs associated with the creation or maintenance of archival collections (books, documents, ephemera, etc.)
• Organizational overhead costs that exceed 10% of the project budget
• Catering, food and beverage, entertainment
• Expenses incurred prior to award date

Criteria

Eligible grant recipients proposing projects that help to preserve historic places or to tell stories associated with Route 66’s legacy will be selected by considering the following criteria:

• The connection of the project to a community or neighborhood on Route 66.
• The need for funding and the urgency of the project.
• The lack of other grant funding opportunities that could address this need.
• The long-term objectives or potential impact of the project.
• The qualifications of the key personnel, including consultants or staff.
• The potential to replicate the project in other communities.
• The historic significance of the property to be assisted.
• The extent to which the requested assistance will make a difference in preserving or interpreting the historic property or site, including what other funds might be leveraged by an award.
• The potential of the project to be a catalyst for further positive action to benefit other historic properties, neighborhoods or communities.

Grant Conditions

• Applicants must be capable of matching the grant amount on a one-to-one basis. Both cash and in-kind donations count toward the one-to-one required match.
• The required match can come from private or public sources, from income earned from registration fees or sales, or from fundraising activities. In-kind donations of labor, materials or services will also be considered eligible for meeting the matching requirement. Matching funds must be used to fund eligible expenses listed above. Other funding from the National Trust may not be used to match a grant from the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund.
• Grants or matching funds cannot be used directly or indirectly to influence a member of Congress to favor or oppose any legislation or appropriation.
• Any documents or plans for preservation work that result from the project must conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
• At least three (3) competitive bids/quotes must be obtained for any procurement of services that exceed $50,000. This provision applies only to portions of the project supported by Preserve Route 66 grant funds.
• Consultants, if being used, must be approved by the National Trust before grant funds are disbursed. This approval process will happen post-notification. Board members of the application organization cannot serve as consultants unless appropriate conflict of interest procedures are followed and documented.
• If the applicant does not own the historic place that is the focus of the grant-funded project, then the applicant must have a recent letter of consent from the property owner stating that the grantee has permission to undertake the grant-funded project.
• Grant recipients are required to sign a contract agreeing to the conditions of the program.
• Grant projects must either begin within six months of award date or a formal extension must be requested by email. Failure to begin the project or request an extension in this time frame may result in the cancellation of the grant and you will need to reapply for funding.
• Grant recipients must include appropriate acknowledgement of the National Trust’s financial support in all printed materials generated for the project.
• Within one year from the grant disbursement date, a final report and financial accounting of the expenditure of the grants must be submitted. If the project is not completed in accordance with the contract, the grant funds must be returned.
• Applicants must agree not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, creed, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, mental and physical disabilities, sex (including pregnancy), personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation or veteran status. The ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed plans or activity if assistance is awarded.

How to Apply

You will need the following items as part of your Preservation Funds application:

• Up to six digital images of high quality (300 dpi) with caption and credit information, including one exterior photograph of your site (if applicable).
• Applicant's Internal Revenue Service determination letter of tax-exempt status. If tax-exempt status has not been fully approved by the IRS, please provide evidence of filing for certification and letter of opinion from an attorney concerning the applicant's tax status (nonprofit organizations).
• Letter of consent from property owner (if applicant does not own property).
• Completed Route 66 Grant Fund application, which includes a budget section that outlines proposed expenses and revenue for the project.

National Trust grants staff can provide helpful guidance for the application process if you have questions. If you have specific questions about your project's eligibility, please contact our grants staff at grants@savingplaces.org.

Application Procedure

Access the application for the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund.

You will be taken to the National Trust grants application system where you will need to create a user profile for your organization. If your organization has applied for a grant previously, you will sign into your existing organization profile. If you have questions, please email us at grants@savingplaces.org.

Please add administrator@grantinterface.com to your address book to ensure you receive email communications sent from our grants application system about your application.