General Overview

overview

Since 2001, LCHIP has proudly awarded $54 million dollars to 364 organizations in 195 communities across New Hampshire to conserve and preserve New Hampshire's most important natural, cultural and historic resources. In 2022, LCHIP will be accepting applications from eligible applicants for natural resource acquisition, historic rehabilitation, and historic preservation planning grants.

Preservation Planning Grants
To support the study of eligible historic resources.

Historic Rehabilitation Grants
To support the restoration or rehabilitation of eligible historic resources.

Natural Resource Acquisition Grants
To support the permanent protection of ecologically significant lands.

2022 Grant Round Schedule

Eligibility

An organization applying for LCHIP funding must be either a municipality or other political subdivision of the state of New Hampshire, or be a publicly supported nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue code. Other interested parties may partner or work with an eligible organization or government entity but may not apply directly through LCHIP.

New in 2022! A representative from the applicant organization must attend a 2022 LCHIP Grant Orientation Workshop prior to submitting a proposal. Workshops will be delivered via Zoom webinar, and are recorded and available for viewing at your convenience. 

View Webinar recordings for 2022 Grant Workshop here.

Program-specific eligibility requirements are described in the following guidance documents:

• Preservation Planning Grant Eligibility Self-Assessment Tool
• Historic Rehabilitation Grant Eligibility Self-Assessment Tool
• Natural Resource Grant Eligibility Self-Assessment Tool

Application Process

Grant Round 22 will open in 2023!

Prospective applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) through LCHIP’s online grant management portal in May 2023. 

LCHIP staff will review the information provided for compliance with LCHIP’s eligibility criteria and respond within five business days. All eligible projects will be invited to submit a complete proposal in June 2023. 

The proposal and required documentation is also submitted through LCHIP’s online grant management portal. Detailed instructions on how to complete the application and additional guidance materials are provided within the portal.

A Review Panel comprised of experts in various elements of natural- and historic-resource conservation will review all proposals and conduct site visits to project sites in order to gain a better understanding of each project. The Review Panels provide recommendations to the Board of Directors, which is responsible for making the final funding decisions.

Each organization receiving an LCHIP award is required to enter into a Project Agreement with LCHIP. The Project Agreement summarizes the obligations of the Grant Recipient and LCHIP, and outlines the project’s scope, structure and purpose as understood by LCHIP. To accept an LCHIP Award, an authorized representative of the recipient organization must sign and return the Project Agreement by the established deadline.

If a proposal is not funded, a representative of the applicant organization will be invited to meet with LCHIP staff to discuss the project and proposal. The goal of these meetings is to assist applicants to identify ways in which the project or proposal could be strengthened in the future. There is no prohibition against resubmitting an improved proposal for the project in future LCHIP grant rounds.

Question lists (word documents containing the questions asked in each of the required forms) are available in the LCHIP Library (click “Library” in the green menu bar at the top of this page, then select the appropriate grant program).