Preservation Planning Grants

overview

Historic preservation endeavors to protect and preserve buildings, structures, districts and sites which reflect elements of local, state or national history. 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.

Preservation Planning grants support the development of preservation plans such as Historic Structure Reports or Historic Building Assessments. These reports serve as road maps for the reuse of historic resources. They are prepared by historic preservation professionals and are often multi-disciplinary because they address the history and function of the resource over time as well as identifying and assessing the resource’s preservation needs and priorities. The end result is a report that provides prioritized recommendations, following the appropriate Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties, for the next steps in a resource’s restoration or rehabilitation.

Eligibility

To be eligible for LCHIP funding, historical buildings, structures, lands, features, or archeological sites (referred to here as “resources”) must be publicly owned, or owned by a qualified publicly supported nonprofit corporation, and must be listed or determined eligible for listing on the State or National Register of Historic Places prior to applying for an LCHIP grant. Documentation of the determination of eligibility or listing must accompany the Letter of Intent.

To ascertain if your resource is already listed, or to obtain a Determination of Eligibility (DOE), contact the NH Division of Historical Resources at 603-271-3483.

Program-specific eligibility requirements are described in the Eligibility Self Assessment for Preservation Planning Grants

Project Completion Requirements

Guidance documents pertaining to project completion can be found in Documents and Forms.

Preliminary Documentation 

Once a grant has been awarded by LCHIP, Grant Recipients will be required to submit documentation describing the work to be completed using the LCHIP award. This documentation must be approved by LCHIP before work begins. If an applicant chooses to enter into a contract with a preservation consultant or to begin work on the study prior to receiving LCHIP approval and the completed study does not adhere to LCHIP’s standards, the grant award may be revoked.

Following approval of the Preliminary Documentation, 50% of the grant award will be released and work on the study can commence. Recipients must submit a draft of the study to LCHIP for review and comment, and the final study must address any LCHIP comments provided. Upon receipt and approval of the final study, the remaining 50% of the grant will be released.