January 9, 2024

National Trust Awards $195,925 in Grant Funding to Organizations Nationwide

More: Grant Programs
By: Catherine Killough

The National Trust Preservation Fund, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s small-dollar grant program, has been providing catalytic funding to organizations across the country for over 50 years. In the October round, the National Trust received 50 eligible applications and awarded a total of $195,925 in grants to 34 organizations in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about these projects below. Learn how you can apply to our upcoming February 1 grant round and sign up for email reminders about our grant programs.

October 2023 National Trust Preservation Fund Grant Recipients

A view of a historic house with some fall foliage around it. — The Governor’s Academy will use $7,500 to support an architectural assessment of the Morgan Tower, a structure designed and built by Christiana D. Morgan. A member of Carl Jung’s inner circle, Morgan was a pioneering figure in 20th century psychology, as well as an artist who built the Tower to embody her life’s creative and intellectual work. This project is part of a larger effort to create an educational and creative space consonant with Morgan’s work.

Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities | Telluride, Colorado

$10,000 to renovate Telluride’s Transfer Warehouse into a public arts and community gathering space. The warehouse, built in 1906, was once an axis for regional transportation.

FDR Memorial Legacy Committee | Washington, DC

$5,000 to promote and expand the reach of the FDR Wheelchair Statue Video Series, a resource for educators to teach about the fight for FDR’s disability to be shown at his presidential memorial.

Scenic America | Washington, DC

$5,000 to develop six case studies that encourage communities to preserve their historic character while evolving to meet the needs of residents and businesses, as well as resources on adaptive reuse ordinances, mixed-use developments, and diverse housing.

Meridian International Center | Washington, DC

$5,000 to develop a landscape master plan that addresses the site’s historic preservation needs and accessibility goals.

Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center | Makawao, Hawaiʻi

$3,500 to support the restoration of the weather-damaged entry threshold at Kaluanui Estate Main House Solarium.

Glessner House Museum | Chicago, Illinois

$5,000 to conduct a feasibility study to develop ADA accessibility for the Glessner House entrance.

Gibson City Restoration Association | Gibson City, Illinois

$4,000 to draw up architectural plans for the restoration of the Burwell Building’s original Opera Hall, built in 1883.

Historic Downtown Kendallville | Kendallville, Indiana

$5,000 to hire a preservation architect to determine the appropriate renovations to save a blighted building within the historic district of downtown Kendallville.

Garden Club of Kentucky, Inc. | Paris, Kentucky

$5,000 to hire a historic preservation architect to survey the twelve-room Wallis House, built in 1851.

Carnegie Center of Corbin, Inc. | Corbin, Kentucky

$10,000 to support the second phase of a window restoration at the historic Carnegie Library.

Friends of the Cartmell House | Lexington, Kentucky

$5,000 to restore the top surface flooring in a room of the Historic Cartmell House that will provide more space for visitors to tour the Civil War-era property.

Louisiana Main Street Managers Association | New Iberia, Louisiana

$3,750 to support speaker costs for two Louisiana Main Street quarterly meetings focused on strategic planning and design thinking in local communities.

Friends of Minute Man National Park | Concord, Massachusetts

$10,000 to support an archaeological investigation into Elm Brook Hill, a significant site that marked a dramatic escalation in fighting during the opening battle of the American Revolution.

Chinatown Community Land Trust | Boston, Massachusetts

$10,000 to develop the Immigrant History Trail, a multimedia public art and education project that celebrates the history and future of Boston’s Chinatown.

The Governor’s Academy | Byfield, Massachusetts

$7,500 to support an architectural assessment of the Morgan Tower, a structure designed and built by Christiana D. Morgan. This project is part of a larger effort to create an educational and creative space consonant with Morgan’s work.

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association | Boston, Massachusetts

$5,000 to develop renovation plans for a heritage center that educates visitors and residents about the history and contributions of Boston’s Chinatown.

Grosse Pointe War Memorial Association | Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

$5,000 to assess the historic interiors of the Alger House, a 1910 mansion that became the temporary home of the Detroit Institute of Arts and a public library before becoming the Grosse Pointe War Memorial Association in 1949.

Scandia Heritage Alliance | Scandia, Minnesota

$5,000 to support the renovation of the Scandia Water Tower Barn. Built in 1895, the barn provided water to early residents and businesses and is believed to be the state’s only remaining tankhouse.

Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. | Branson, Missouri

$5,000 to support a digital and physical marketing campaign for preservation activities across Missouri during Preservation Month.

West Plains Downtown Revitalization, Inc. |West Plains, Missouri

$4,925 to create a coloring book that highlights 28 historic buildings, events, and stories to educate and inspire younger generations about the historic downtown of West Plains.

Louisburg Historic District, Inc. | Louisburg, North Carolina

$5,000 to hire a preservation consultant to assist in a community-backed effort to save the historic Louisburg Theater from eminent demolition.

Charlotte Museum of History | Charlotte, North Carolina

$5,000 to support a program focused on 18th Century foodways and preparation with an emphasis on interpreting the experience of enslaved individuals in the newly restored Alexander Rock House kitchen.

The Archaeological Conservancy | Albuquerque, New Mexico

$8,000 to support the stabilization of the Haynie Archaeological Site in Cortez, Colorado.

School for Advanced Research | Sante Fe, New Mexico

$5,000 to support the creation of a compendium and cartography of architecture that reflects the history of Native American slavery

Canalway Partners | Independence, Ohio

$5,000 to support programming for Cleveland History Days, a major public event that offers lectures and tours on Cleveland’s history and contributions to the development of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage.

Central Market Trust | Lancaster, Pennsylvania

$15,000 to replicate and replace a set of original doors to the iconic Market House, which was built in 1889.

Newport Historical Society | Newport, Rhode Island

$5,000 to support an archaeological study of the attic of the c. 1697 Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, where evidence of enslaved Africans was found in 2005 when an African spirit bundle was discovered under the attic floorboards.

Saint Teresa Community Outreach and Empowerment | Lake City, South Carolina

$2,500 to conduct a historical structure report for the historic Greens Funeral Home and Ambulance Service, the first African American funeral home in Lake City.

Friends of the Texas Historical Commission | Austin, Texas

$5,000 to support stipends for the Preservation Scholars Program. Now in its 17th year, the program provides students from underrepresented communities with internship opportunities to lend their voices to the work of preservation in Texas.

Ivy Creek Foundation | Charlottesville, Virginia

$3,000 to create new interpretation on the African American farmers who lived and worked on River View Farm during the Jim Crow era.

Virginia Nottoway Indian Circle and Square Foundation, Inc. | Capron, Virginia

$3,750 to support the aging Nottoway Interpretative Center’s transformation into a full-service educational museum with renewed exhibits.

Whirlwind Johnson Foundation | Richmond, Virginia

$5,000 to develop plans for a capital campaign through community feedback on the preservation of Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson’s property, the epicenter of Dr. Johnson’s efforts to integrate tennis.

Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation | Gloucester, Virginia

$5,000 to create educational and outreach materials about the Woodville School. Built in 1923 with support from the Rosenwald Fund, the school is currently undergoing restoration for use as a museum.