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Are you looking for a grant to help with historic preservation efforts? 

​​​​When a building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, some people believe its owners can automatically receive grants for its restoration. When the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was first passed, many Federal grants were available for restoration and facade improvement projects. In 1977, the Historic Preservation Fund was established - and continues today! - to support preservation-related objectives.

However, the Kentucky Heritage Council does not have brick-and-mortar grant funding available at this time, nor is financial planning our area of expertise. However, we administer many wonderful programs that offer financial incentives, such as Rehabilitation Tax Credits and others, listed under "Kentucky's Financial Resources," below.

Funding opportunities are constantly changing, and we try our best to stay up-to-date on all the opportunities that may be available, but the following list of resources is not exhaustive and is provided to give constituents a head start in their research journey for grants! 

​​National Funding:

​National Trust for Historic Preservation Fund (NTPF) Gr​ants

The National Trust for Historic Preservation offers many competitive grants through its National Trust Preservation Fund (NRPF). These grants are available for property improvement, research, and education! These grant opportunities are intended to "encourage preservation at the local level by supporting ongoing preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects" (NTPF). The majority of these NTPF grants are only available to public agencies, 501(c)(3), or other non-profit organizations, and most have deadlines in February, June, and October; however, you should check the Application Process for each grant's eligibility requirements and submittal details. The NTPF's grant offerings (and their respective deadlines) can be found here: https://savingplaces.org/grants​

NTPF Grants, which may be of particular help to Kentuckians, are:

• The Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer Preservation Fund for Kentucky: A national grant only for Kentucky properties! Applicants must be a public agency, 501(c)(3) or nonprofit organization. Grants are offered at a one-to-one match and typically range from $2,500 to $10,000. 

• African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund: annual grants designed to advance historic preservation projects at sites related to Black and African American history, ranging from $50,000 to $150,000.

• American Battlefield Preservation Fund: restaurants that
  

• Backing Historic Small Businesses ​(in partnership with American Express): restaurants that help preserve their community's historic identity can receive $50,000 in funding to improve their business. This program started in 2021, and Louisville's Local Food Hub & Pizza Pub​ was a grant recipient in 2025!
  

• Hart Family Fund for Small Towns: Public agencies and nonprofits in towns with a population of 10,000 or less can receive seed money for planning and education purposes (not building or construction activity), ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. The annual deadline is in May. 
  
  
• Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors: Grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 for the preservation or restoration of a National Historic Landmark's interiors. The annual deadline is in March. 
  
  
• Fund for Sacred Spaces of all Faiths (in partnership with the National Fund for Sacred Spaces and the Lilly Foundation): Competitive capital improvement grants are available from $50,000 to $500,000 for historicly designated properties that have urgent repair needs.
  
  
• Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation: Funding for a wide variety of activities (including brick-and-mortar improvement projects) with awarded grants typically ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. The annual deadline is in March. 
  

American Battlefield Protection Program​s

Kentucky's Financial Resources: 

​Our agency is within the Executive Branch of the Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet. While we do not administer grants, we have several other incentives and there are other agencies that may offer incentives to accomplish your project goals! For a list of Kentucky Tax Incentives, see the following resources: 

Kentucky Heritage Council's Financial Resources:  

• ​State and Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits, offer 20-40% of project expenses back to historic property owners​ for proposed rehabilitation projects.
  
  
• Certified Local Government grant opportunities ​for qualifying local governments that apply for a competitive grant to fund education, research, and documentation initiatives.
  
  
• Kentucky Main Street ​Program ​​provides grassroots guidance and support to downtown revitalization and economic development efforts. ​
  

​Department of Revenue's Tax Incentives:

• ​Individual and Business Tax Credits, including New Market, Energy Efficiency, Decontamination, Economic Development, and​ more!
  
  

KY Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA): 

• KEDFA offers a wide variety of incentives, which could be stacked in your capital deck to make a Preservation project financially feasible. They have an "Incentives at a Glance" PDF that is available on their website and here: Funding Sources_State KEDFA Offerings.pdf
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Tourism and Development: 

• Tourism Programs and Incentives for a wide variety of properties, partnerships, and goals!
  

• ​Tourism Development Act​, designed to encourage the development of Kentucky destinations to support economic growth and new job opportunities​.
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