Applications are now open to small restaurant owners who qualify for Backing Historic Small Restaurants (BHSR), a grant program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, supported by American Express, which helps small and independent restaurants preserve their histories while celebrating their cuisines and supporting their local economies.

Now in its fifth year, the Backing Historic Small Restaurants program will provide $2.5 million in grants to 50 U.S. historic restaurants. The program has already provided over $5 million over the past four years to 130 restaurant owners in all 50 states, who have been impacted by economic hardship or disasters.

This initiative is part of America Express’ larger “Backing Small” grants program which includes its Backing International Small Restaurants program, also launching today. Together, the “Backing Small” restaurant grant programs will provide $3.95 million in funding and other resources in 2025 to restaurants around the world.

“American Express is proud to back local champions who strengthen their communities, and that includes many small and independent restaurants,” said Madge Thomas, Head of Corporate Sustainability and President, American Express Foundation. “Food brings people together and builds community. We aim to offer restaurants the support they need to expand, innovate, update their spaces, and improve operations, so they continue to grow and bring vitality to neighborhoods across the U.S and around the world.”

“American Express is an invaluable partner to the National Trust as together we work to strengthen neighborhoods across the country by supporting these small businesses that bring people together,” said Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Grantees from past years say the funding helped them make much needed infrastructure changes. Stephen Reeve, a 2024 Backing Historic Small Restaurants winner, runs New York Café in Ketchikan, Alaska — the state’s longest operating restaurant, which adventurer Tony Ohashi built more than 120 years ago. The grant helped Stephen restore key elements of the building façade and better document the café’s history with historic signage. “We want to honor the families that created the New York Café and much more of the surrounding historic Stedman-Thomas neighborhood,” Reeve said.

Applications are open today and close on May 30. Restaurant owners can apply for the grant program here. Community members can also nominate their favorite restaurant here.

About American Express "Backing Small" Initiatives

American Express launched Backing Historic Small Restaurants, and its sister program Backing International Small Restaurants, when many restaurants were forced to close their doors during the pandemic, and expanded the grant support over the years to help small restaurant owners address their evolving needs. As the founder of Small Business Saturday in 2010, American Express has brought communities together by connecting small business owners with local customers when these businesses needed the foot traffic. Since 2020, their grants have supported nearly 5,000 small businesses across six countries and 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Learn more about American Express’ community impact here.