Grants from the Fund shall be made solely for (i) the fee simple purchase of, or (ii) purchase of protective interests (i.e. easements) in any Virginia battlefield property listed in the following reports issued by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program:
- Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields (1993, as amended); or
- Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States (2007, as amended).
Applications are evaluated and ranked in accordance with Virginia Code § 10.1-2202.4 and the eligibility and evaluation criteria contained in the grant manual. Such factors include proximity of a battlefield parcel to already protected lands, threats to the historic setting and character of the battlefield property, and the potential for education, recreation, research, or heritage tourism associated with the project.
Conveyance of a perpetual historic preservation and open-space easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources is required. Please contact Wendy Musumeci, VBPF Grant Program Administrator, for additional information.
Fiscal Year 2027 (Calendar Year 2026) Grant Round
The application period for the VBPF 2026 grant round opened on July 1, 2026, and up to $5,622,324 million in funds are available. The 2026 Grant Manual contains important information about program requirements, project eligibility, the application and evaluation process, and funds disbursement. A Scoring and Review Criteria document outlines how projects will be evaluated, scored, and ranked.
All applications for the VBPF 2026 Grant Round must be submitted through the WebGrants portal. We recommend using the Microsoft Word or PDF versions of the VBPF 2026 application form to review and prepare your application in advance of completing it through WebGrants. Make sure you have all maps, photos, and other required attachments available and ready before you begin completing the application form in WebGrants.
To submit an application form for the VBPF 2026 Grant Round, you must first register in WebGrants if you have not previously registered. The registration link is available at https://vadhr.webgrantscloud.com. Registrants must be approved by staff, so please allow up to 48 hours for this process to be completed.
Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 1, 2026.
| DATE | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|
| July 1 | Grant round opens; updated grant application form and grant manual released |
| July 8 | Virtual Grant Workshop |
| July 17 | Deadline for easement application to be submitted for August 17 Easement Acceptance Committee (EAC) meeting |
| August 17 | Last EAC meeting before VBPF application deadline |
| September 1 | Grant applications due by COB |
| September-October | Review and scoring of grant applications |
| November | Awards announced (tentative) and grant agreements signed |
POINT OF CONTACT