Grants:
The Reality
When
a building is designated as historic, some people believe
its owners automatically receive grants for its restoration.
During the first years after passage of the Historic Preservation
Act of 1966, Federal funding for restoration grants was available.
However, in 1981 Congress abandoned the grant approach in
favor of an expanded tax credit
program. As a result, funds directly targeted toward brick
and mortar restorations of historic buildings have largely
disappeared. Today, the Division of Historic Preservation has no regular, on-going grants program to assist individuals in restoring historic properties.
Facade Grant Program
For the Facade Grant Application Click here
Historic Building Recovery Grant Program
Last year Louisiana was the recipient of a special Congressional appropriation to offer grants to restore historic properties damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Grant applications were distributed beginning October 1, 2006 and were due into the Division of Historic Preservation by 5:00 pm, Friday, December 15, 2006. Any applications received after December 15th were not considered for this Congressional Appropriation.
The Division received 1883 applications. Of these, 1265 were eligible for consideration. Those determined eligible were scored according to published selection criteria by independent evaluation committees consisting of historic preservation specialists, architects, construction professionals, and community representatives. On January 29, 2007, $9,601,512 was awarded to 283 eligible applicants, according to a ranking of the applicants' final scores. All applicants were notified of the status of their applications by February 6, 2007.
Applicants who were not funded were given the opportunity to appeal within 15 business days of their notification of funding. Applicants were required to explain why they believe their application should be reconsidered for funding. In responding to appeals, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) choose to:
- Support the original decision of the SHPO;
- Support the finding that is the subject of the appeal;
- Recommend reconsideration of the finding;
- Enter into consultation to resolve the issue at hand; or
- Overturn the finding and take such action, as she deems appropriate.
The SHPO received 285 appeals. Of those, 43 were recommended for reconsidered of the finding and were re-evaluated. For the remaining 242 appellants, the SHPO supported the original decision. An additional 6 applicants were awarded funding totaling $275,800. The SHPO responded to all appeals within 45 days.
Overall, the Historic Building Recovery Grant Program allocated $9,873,307 to 289 recipients. To check the progress of this grant program, please visit the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism's Accountability website.
For additional information or to add your name to a list to be notified of any future opportunities, please contact the Historic Building Recovery Grant Program toll free at (866) 406-7043 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm or you can send your comments or questions to hpgrantscallcenter@crt.state.la.us.
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