Historic preservation endeavors to protect and preserve buildings, structures, districts, and sites which reflect historic elements of local, state, or national significance. Historic preservation not only protects the irreplaceable physical resources in the built environment, but also protects the vitality, quality of life, and sense of place in our communities.

RESOURCE ELIGIBILITY

To qualify, a resource (building, structure, land, or site) must be publicly owned or owned by a publicly supported nonprofit exempt from federal taxes, and it must be listed on, or eligible for, the State or National Register of Historic Places. Confirm resource eligibility with the NH Division of Historical Resources at https://emmit.dncr.nh.gov/landing.

PROJECT ELIGIBILITY

• Funded work should follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, which offer flexible, best-practice guidelines for preserving historic features.
• Where total project costs equal or exceed $50,000, a Qualified Preservation Plan must be submitted. A Qualified Preservation Plan is a plan that has been written by one or more qualified consultants, is no more than ten years old, and speaks to the proposed scope of work. LCHIP reserves the right to determine whether a submitted plan is sufficient to support the proposed work.
• Routine maintenance or modernization activities (e.g., HVAC, electrical, plumbing, sprinklers, accessibility features) are eligible only when those activities are necessary to fulfill the recommendations of the Qualified Preservation Plan.

Project Completion Requirements

Once funded, historic rehabilitation projects are completed in four phases:

1. Pre-Construction Approval: Detailed plans are submitted to LCHIP for approval before work begins. Once approved, an initial installment (generally 50% of the grant award) is released.
2. Mid-Point Review: When the funded work is roughly halfway done, LCHIP will review the work completed and begin working with the applicant to draft the final project documentation. At this point a second installment (generally 30% of the award) is released.
3. Final Approval: When all work is completed, LCHIP will work with the recipient to finalize project documentation and close out the grant, after which the final installment is released.
4. Grant Agreement: To close out the grant, recipients must enter into a term Grant Agreement with LCHIP. The Grant Agreement is a legal contract detailing the recipient’s (and property owner’s, if applicable) ongoing obligations for maintenance and use of the resource over a term of between 5 and 30 years, depending on the level of funding provided.

Stewardship: Throughout the term of the Grant Agreement, recipients must inspect the resource and submit an annual report to LCHIP documenting its condition and uses.

Quick Links

EMMIT+ – EMMIT+ is a GIS-based online inventory of historic and archaeological records on file at the NH Division of Historical Resources, NH’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). EMMIT+ is an interactive portal for agencies, municipalities and others who use NH’s SHPO programs. EMMIT+ allows users to submit, track and manage projects for Federal Section 106 Review, State Review and the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Independent Sector – This site provides an estimated dollar per hour value, updated annually, for volunteer time which may be included as appropriate in grant application budgets.

National Register of Historic Places Database – The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the United States’ historic buildings, structures, sites, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. It is maintained by the National Park Service and helps recognize and protect places that contribute to the nation’s heritage.

Secretary of Interior Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties – The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, Guidelines, and Preservation Briefs work together to provide a comprehensive framework for the responsible treatment of historic properties.

The Standards establish the core principles for preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction, while the Guidelines offer more detailed, flexible advice on how to apply those principles to specific building types, materials, and project conditions. Preservation Briefs complement both by addressing common preservation challenges and best practices in accessible, topic-specific documents.

LCHIP grant recipients should use all three resources in tandem; the Standards to understand the overarching expectations for historic integrity, the Guidelines to shape the overall project approach, and the Briefs to inform specific technical decisions—ensuring that funded work is consistent with national preservation practices and meets LCHIP’s eligibility requirements.