Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(www.dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
March 8, 2023

Contacts:
Ivy Tan
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

Caitlin Sylvester
Grants Coordinator
caitlin.sylvester@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6461

—The Project Screening Form, the first step in the grant program application process, closes on April 1—

RICHMOND – The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) is calling on all eligible applicants of the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Historic Preservation Grant Program to complete and submit their Project Screening Form, the first step in the program’s application process, by 11:59 p.m. on April 1. Eligible applicants of the program are limited to representatives of state- or federally recognized Native American tribes, non-profit organizations registered as tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code, and Virginia localities (§ 1-221). DHR is not accepting applications from federal governmental entities, for-profit entities, and individuals at this time.

The Virginia General Assembly established the BIPOC Historic Preservation Fund in April 2022 with the intent to protect and support the commonwealth’s historically underserved and underrepresented communities and the cultural and historical sites associated with them. The fund will provide grants for the acquisition, protection, and rehabilitation of tribal lands and historic and archaeological sites of significance that are associated with Virginia’s BIPOC communities. Funding through this grant program will be restricted to the following uses on any cultural or historical property:

(Please note: “Real property” refers to fixed property, namely land and buildings.)

● Rehabilitation and/or stabilization of real property
● Purchase of a fee simple or protective interest in real property
● Data recovery (e.g. archaeological investigations)

To qualify for BIPOC grants, properties must be listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register, the National Register of Historic Places, be designated as a National Historic Landmark, or be determined eligible for such listing by DHR. All grant recipients must convey a perpetual historic preservation and open-space easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. The Project Screening Form will help us determine whether a property meets the minimum program eligibility requirements as set out in the legislation of the BIPOC Historic Preservation Fund and in DHR’s manual for the program. After an eligible applicant submits the Project Screening Form, we will let them know if their project property qualifies for the program. The full application form will be released to applicants with qualifying properties on April 15, 2023.

Eligible applicants must plan on requesting at least $50,000 in grant funding and no more than $1,000,000. Eligible applicants may apply for more than one project across application rounds, but grant awards per applicant will not exceed $1,000,000, whether that is for one grant project or more.

If the applicant is unsure about the eligibility status of a property, whether a potential project property will require an archaeological investigation, or has further questions about the BIPOC grant program, please email DHR Grants Coordinator Caitlin Sylvester at bipocgrantfund@dhr.virginia.gov.

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