While always a reason for celebration, the announcement of the 2020 June round grantees of the National Trust Preservation Fund (NTPF) is particularly unique. This grant opportunity came at a time when many in the preservation field felt a deep sense of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the National Trust temporarily modified the NTPF guidelines to better serve the needs of the field. Modifications included:

• Allowing staff time as an eligible expense for non-profit applicants. This was the biggest change to our longstanding guidelines. This change allowed current staff of a non-profit to undertake work focused on a specific preservation project or initiative, relieving budget pressures caused by hiring consultants.
• Funding organizational capacity building activities. Applicants were encouraged to submit requests that would focus on organizational sustainability.
• Supporting on-going projects as well as new initiatives. We recognized that organizations may put a priority on continuing existing programs rather than starting new initiatives, and we hoped this change would help retain staff working on those programs.
• Including in-kind donations toward the required match. While one-to-one matches were a continued requirement for this program, eligible matches were expanded to include in-kind donations of labor and materials.

These modifications resulted in one of the most competitive rounds of NTPF funding to date. In total, the National Trust received 110 eligible applications and ultimately awarded a total of $379,082 in grants to 69 organizations in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

June 2020 National Trust Preservation Fund Grant Recipients

Many organizations took advantage of the altered guidelines, and some created projects specifically to pivot their work in response to coronavirus. From preservation projects focused on women’s, Black American, Latino/a, and Native American history, or issues involving climate change and Main Streets, we look forward to seeing how this important work will impact their communities.

ROSSIA | Karluk, Alaska
$5,000 for planning, communications, and fundraising for the relocation of the historic Ascension of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Chapel, which currently sits cliff-side.

Village School Foundation | Sheffield, Alabama
$5,000 to hire a fundraising consultant to create a comprehensive fundraising plan, including a social media component for collecting contributions and online fundraising events.

University of Arizona Foundation for the Benefit of the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture | Tucson, Arizona
$5,000 to conduct a regional marketing study that will examine the landscape of the preservation trades, including demographics, workforce saturation, earning potential and job opportunities.

City of Flagstaff | Flagstaff, Arizona
$5,000 to develop a cultural resource survey for the McMillan Mesa Natural Area, which will identify and document about 300 acres of open space and establish best management practices.

Ebell Friends | Los Angeles, California
$5,000 to develop architectural documents to improve accessibility throughout the women’s club’s garden.

Pasadena Heritage | Pasadena and Los Angeles, California
$2,750 to improve online platforms for digital preservation programming for the surrounding community.

Historic Italian Hall Foundation | Los Angeles, California
$5,000 to hire an architect to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and documentation of the site in preparation of the adaptive reuse of its historic saloon.

San Francisco Heritage | San Francisco, California
$5,000 to develop a branding and identity initiative for the organization’s 50^th anniversary.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. | Denver, Colorado
$5,000 to support speaker fees for the virtual 2021 Saving Places Conference.

Colorado Historical Foundation Revolving Loan Fund | Statewide, Colorado
$5,000 to develop a marketing and outreach plan to expand the reach and capacity of the CHF Revolving Loan Fund, which provides low-interest loans for Colorado preservation projects.

National Society of the Colonial Dames of America - Dumbarton House | Washington, D.C.
$2,500 to facilitate a three-day virtual workshop about the preservation of historic houses with demonstrations from experts in the field.

D.C. Historic Preservation Office | Washington, D.C.
$5,000 to add information on the Georgetown neighborhood to History Quest DC, a web-based map that provides historical data on buildings in DC.

The Second Baptist Church of Washington | Washington, D.C.
$5,000 to develop the Scholars for Historic Preservation program in which ten high school students will work with a mentor to identify African American churches in DC built prior to the abolition of slavery.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation | Statewide, Georgia
$5,000 to develop the African American Preservation Program, which will offer education and hands-on preservation support to organizations working to preserve African American history sites in Georgia.

Historic Macon Foundation, Inc. | Macon, Georgia
$5,000 to hire a collections consultant to oversee the sensitive process of documenting and deaccessioning the Sidney Lanier Cottage’s collection.

Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc | Savannah, Georgia
$5,000 to create an educational guide for younger visitors about the enslaved people who lived at the Isaiah Davenport House.

Historic Hawai’i Foundation | Ewa Beach, Hawaii
$5,000 to facilitate a three-day window preservation workshop, which will teach a facet of preservation trades to local carpenters.

Daughters of Hawai'i | Honolulu, Hawaii
$5,000 to hire a consultant to develop a three to five-year strategic plan that will build the capacity of one of the first organizations in Hawai‘i to recognize the importance of historic preservation.

Idaho State Historical Society | Bellevue, Idaho
$5,000 to hire a consultant to complete a historic structure report at the Dr. Allen House, a rare Italianate-style building in Idaho.

Landmarks Illinois | Chicago, Illinois
Landmarks Illinois was awarded $3,000 from the Kohler Fund for the Midwest of the National Trust Preservation Fund to develop and promote The Women Who Built Illinois, a web-based resource detailing the work of the unsung women who contributed to Illinois’s built environment. This online tool was conceived of after Landmarks Illinois discovered that Chicago had not designated a single building designed by a female architect. In response, they conducted an ongoing survey, which has identified over 65 women who designed, engineered, or built places in Illinois from 1879 to 1979. Landmarks Illinois plans to use the data to gain state-level designations for female-led projects, as well as engage with partner organizations to ensure that more women of color are included in the database.

Elmhurst Art Museum | Elmhurst, Illinois
$2,500 to support architectural services for the interior restoration of Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House.

Robbins Historical Society & Museum | Robbins, Illinois
$5,000 to conduct an economic feasibility study for the restoration of the home of S. B. Fuller, a successful entrepreneur and the first Black member of the National Association of Manufacturers.

Friends of the Ohio Theatre, Inc. | Madison, Indiana
$5,000 for architectural and engineering planning for the restoration of the Ohio Theatre.

Henry Clay Memorial Foundation | Lexington, Kentucky
$5,000 to develop a site master plan for Henry Clay’s estate, Ashland, which will accommodate expansion of programming that will tell the full story of the site.

Kentucky Organization of Professional Archaeologists | Stanton, Kentucky
$5,000 for the virtual edition of Living Archaeology Weekend, which teaches attendees about Native American and Pioneer technologies, archaeological interpretation, and site preservation.

Louisville Preservation Fund, Inc. | Louisville, Kentucky
$5,000 for the emergency stabilization of 2565 Bank Street, a longstanding historic corner commercial building in Louisville.

Fort Thomas Forest Conservancy | Fort Thomas, Kentucky
$5,000 to implement interior and exterior repairs to preserve the studio of painter and writer Harlan Hubbard.

Washington County Fiscal Court | Springfield, Kentucky
$3,482 to complete repairs to the cupola located on the 1816 Courthouse.

Twelfth District, Number Three, Association, Inc. | Many, Louisana
$2,500 to conduct a feasibility study for Sabine High School, a school serving African American students in the 1950s until desegregation.

The Woman's Exchange, Hermann-Grima and Gallier Historic Houses | New Orleans, Louisana
$2,400 to hire a preservation architect to develop a cyclical maintenance and conservation plan for two historic house museums in New Orleans.

Nantucket Preservation Trust | Nantucket, Massachusetts
$5,000 for the organization’s website redesign and development of online archives of local preservation research.

Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery | Cambridge, Massachusetts
$5,000 for a comprehensive conditions assessment of Washington Tower, the highest point in the Mount Auburn Cemetery which offers 360-degree views east to Boston and Cambridge.

Edith Wharton Restoration/The Mount | Lenox, Massachusetts
$5,000 to develop a master plan to guide the restoration of landscape features designed by Edith Wharton and landscape architect Beatrix Farrand.

Annapolis Maritime Museum | Annapolis, Maryland
$5,000 for a capital campaign consultant to provide guidance on navigating the unique fundraising climate resulting from COVID-19.

Maine Charitable | Portland, Maine
$5,000 to hire an architectural firm to develop a roof master plan for Mechanics’ Hall, home of the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association.

Michigan Historic Preservation Network | Lansing, Michigan
$5,000 for the Preservation Practice Workshop Series, a monthly webinar series that covers preservation practice, from identification and protection, to historic contexts, and rehabilitation best practices.

Brick + Beam Detroit | Detroit, Michigan
Brick + Beam Detroit, an organization that promotes fixer-upper homes as a pathway to homeownership, was awarded $5,000 from the Michigan Preservation Fund of the National Trust Preservation Fund for the development of a workshop series exploring the impact of racism on property ownership in Detroit. The workshop will consist of a four-part education series about historic policies, such as redlining, urban renewal, lending patterns, and deed restrictions, that are still creating barriers to home ownership for African Americans today. The workshop will target new and future homeowners and real estate professionals with the goal of creating awareness of racist policies and promoting change within this majority African American city.

Jackson State University | Jackson, Mississippi
$3,000 to create a virtual tour of the Mt. Olive Cemetery, one of the oldest private cemeteries for African Americans in Mississippi.

Montana Preservation Alliance | Helena, Montana
$5,000 to develop a weekly live podcast that will cast a spotlight on threatened places, the forgotten past, special guests, and traditional restoration skills.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church | Virginia City, Montana
$3,000 to hire an architect to conduct an assessment on St. Paul's Episcopal Church to determine next step for restoration.

Docomomo US | Nationwide
$5,000 to host webinars for preservation professionals and modern enthusiasts with information to strengthen education and advocacy efforts on the preservation of modern architecture nationwide.

New Bern Preservation Foundation | New Bern, North Carolina
$5,000 to hire a preservation architect to create rehabilitation plans for King Solomon Lodge #1, home of the first African American masonic lodge of North Carolina.

Preservation North Carolina | Wilmington, North Carolina
$5,000 to hire a consultant to complete a traveling exhibit about Black architects and builders in North Carolina.

Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice | Durham, North Carolina
$5,000 to support fundraising for the development of the site’s inaugural exhibits and programming.

Friends of the Rail Bridge | Bismarck, North Dakota
$5,000 to contract with an engineering firm to conduct a hydraulic analysis that will evaluate alternatives to save the bridge.

Preservation League of New York | Statewide, New York
$3,700 to host virtual educational opportunities led by preservation experts with the goal of building resilient and stable communities across New York State in the wake of COVID-19.

Prospect Lefferts Gardens Heritage Council Inc. | Brooklyn, New York
$5,000 to conduct a cultural resource survey of Prospect Lefferts Gardens to identify structures eligible for the National Register.

Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. | New York, New York
$2,500 to support development of a digital archive that will allow public access to the Apollo Theatre’s archival holdings.

Historic Ithaca, Inc. | Ithaca, New York
$5,000 to create community engagement workshops that will outline climate retrofits for six historic building typologies.

Crown Heights South Association, Inc. | Brooklyn, New York
$5,000 to conduct a survey of the Crown Heights South neighborhood with the goal of submitting a National Register nomination.

Nevelson Chapel | New York, New York
$5,000 to develop a collections management plan that outlines policies and procedures to responsibly care for the site and its unique environment created by sculptor Louise Nevelson.

Threatt Filling Station Foundation | Luther, Oklahoma
$5,000 to complete a historic structure report for the Threatt Filling Station, the only African American property on Route 66 in Oklahoma.

Tulsa Foundation for Architecture | Tulsa, Oklahoma
$5,000 to support TFA’s successful tours program and add digital resources to expand it into a multifaceted educational initiative.

Oregon Rural Action | La Grande, Oregon
$5,000 to design construction drawings for the restoration of the Peare Building, a historic commercial building in downtown La Grande.

Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$5,000 to expand the capacity and reach of Experience Eastern North, a community-designed and led tour series encompassing several Latinx neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Drayton Hall Preservation Trust | Charleston, South Carolina
$10,000 to develop research for the nomination of the Ashley River Historic District as a National Historic Landmark.

Ancient Art Archive | Pikeville, Tennessee
$5,000 to build a 3D/Virtual Reality model of Devilstep Hollow, an important ceremonial site and home to some of the most archaeologically significant pictographs, petroglyphs, and mud glyphs in the southeastern United States.

Neill-Cochran House Museum | Austin, Texas
$5,000 to create a site and interpretive plan for the 1855 slave quarters at the Neill-Cochran House.

Convict Leasing and Labor Project | Statewide, Texas
$5,000 to produce a series of graphic narratives to educate new audiences of the painful history and legacy of convict leasing and its role in Texas.

Friends of Cedar Mesa | The Lands Between, Utah
$25,000 to develop the tools and Indigenous partnerships needed to advocate for protection of the “Lands Between” Bears Ears & Canyons of the Ancients National Monuments, which hold more cultural sites than any other area in the U.S.

Weber County | Weber County, Utah
$5,000 to create Weber Wander: Weber County Interactive History, an augmented reality app aimed at bringing in new audiences to learn about the county’s global and intersectional history.

The Arlington Historical Society, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia
$5,000 to hire a consultant to evaluate and advise on the preservation of the AHS Museum and relevant programming for the surrounding community.

Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, Inc. | Middletown, Virginia
$10,000 to hire a consultant to create a historic structure report for the Heater House and the adjacent spring house.

Christiansburg Institute Incorporated | Christiansburg, Virginia
$3,300 create plans for the restoration of the historic windows in the Edgar A. Long building, a historically African American academic building that closed after integration.