Applying for State Support of Historic Sites

Museums and historic sites across Virginia are taking advantage of state historic preservation grants in increasing numbers. The matching grants, managed by the Department of Historic Resources, are available to local governments, nonprofit museums, historical organizations, and historic sites that need extra funding for operations, to complete rehabilitations, or to maintain collections. The grants are funded by the Virginia General Assembly and make possible the revitalization of key community historic resources. The outcome is viable cultural assets that attract tourists, educate citizens about their heritage, and instill a sense of place and cultural identity in communities.

How have grant funds been used? The Miles Carpenter Museum, in Waverly, has used state grant funds to rehabilitate the 1890s house where folk artist Miles Carpenter worked and lived. A series of small awards, coupled with major volunteer assistance, funded rehab of several outbuildings on the property as exhibit spaces and classrooms that provide services to visitors.

The Academy of Music, in Lynchburg, is poised to become a cultural anchor of the community as the result of an ongoing multimillion-dollar rehabilitation to restore it as a fully functional theater. The privately sponsored project, still in its early stages, has received more than $500,000 in state grants, and state funds have been harnessed to acquire adjacent properties for administrative and support services critical to the theater.

In Prince William County, the park authority is restoring Ben Lomond, a manor house built in 1837. State grants have helped accomplish the restoration and to make the site accessible to visitors with disabilities.

In all, the use of historic preservation grants around the state has increased 930% since 1993, representing a growing understanding among communities of the value of heritage stewardship—and Virginians and our visitors are experiencing the results.

For more information about the historic preservation grant application process and requirements, go to the State Historic Preservation Grants Overview and the Frequently Asked Questions sections. If you have additional questions, contact Ann Andrus, State Grants Coordinator, Phone: (804) 367-2323, ext. 133; Fax: (804) 367-2391.

Following rehabilitation, the 1908 Grayson County Courthouse includes space for a local museum and offices as well as the local tourism office. The former courtroom serves as an auditorium.



Historic Preservation Grants Overview

Frequently Asked Questions about State Grants

Guidelines for Disbursement of State Grant for Restoration of a Presidential Home