4Culture: Preservation Special Projects Grant

4Culture: Preservation Special Projects Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: 4Culture
Amount: US $2,000 - US $25,000
Last Updated: January 18, 2026

Summary

The 4Culture Preservation Special Projects grant supports initiatives that promote the preservation of historic places in King County, Washington. It funds research, documentation, education, and advocacy efforts, enhancing public awareness and accessibility to historic sites. Open to individuals and organizations, this grant emphasizes quality, public benefit, equity, and feasibility in project proposals. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how their projects contribute to the long-term stewardship of important historic resources.

Overview

Preservation Special Projects The people and organizations preserving our historic spaces take on all kinds of challenges, from advocacy to long-term stewardship planning. Preservation Special Projects grants pave the way to a built environment that is valued and protected. What Preservation Special Projects Funds This grant funds research, documentation, planning, education, and advocacy to promote the preservation of historic places in King County, Washington. It is open to individuals, groups, and municipalities. Funds may be used to create printed or digital resources such as research reports, building or landscape assessments, landmark nominations, books, guides, brochures, recordings, or educational exhibits focused on the historic built environment. Funding may also be used to produce special events and programs that highlight our region’s historic places and encourage their preservation, such as advocacy initiatives, conferences, workshops, technical assistance programs, apprenticeship or training opportunities, guided tours, field schools and skill demonstrations. Criteria We award this grant through a competitive process, carefully evaluating each application. We want to see that you have a good plan behind your project, and that you’re exploring and sharing historic preservation in a tangible way. For this particular grant, we’ll look to see how well your project shows the following: Quality: your project directly addresses historic buildings or structures, older neighborhoods, or landscapes shaped by people. Your project aligns with best practices in historic preservation or shows innovation within the field. Your application is clear and complete.Public benefit: your project contributes to the preservation of King County’s historic buildings, sites, neighborhoods, or landscapes. Your project provides compelling and feasible public benefit for residents and visitors of King County. Your project has the potential to expand the public’s understanding and awareness of historic places in the county and/or highlights historic places in innovative ways, and makes clear efforts to be accessible to many ages, disabilities, languages, and communities. Your project focuses on the long-term preservation and stewardship of one or more important historic resources.Advancing Equity: 4Culture’s mission focuses on racial equity and envisions a county where culture is essential and accessible to all. Your project specifically serves or collaborates with communities of color and/or historically marginalized communities. This is not an eligibility requirement for funding, but it is one of the factors the panel will consider.Feasibility: you are able to start your project soon after award notification and complete the project within 24 months as demonstrated through a realistic budget, prepared project team, and ability to complete the project on a reimbursement basis. Public Benefit: Why It Matters Every time a visitor to King County stays in a hotel, they pay a Lodging Tax—this is where our funding comes from, and our mission is to put it back into the community. As you work through your application, tell us exactly how your fellow King County residents will be able to enjoy and learn from your work. Here are some ways Preservation Special Projects may benefit the public: Free or low-cost tours, presentations, or access to materials and documents created with the grant including research, publications, audio, or video recordings.Public meetings in multiple places around King County, including a mix of urban, suburban and/or rural.Good preservation planning for the long-term viability and use of a landmark property in King County. Equity Investments In order to combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture is introducing Equity Investments. This practice will incorporate indicators of structural inequity into our panel process, including geographic location, income, operating budget, audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors, we intend to more equitably distribute funds to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding. Each of our grant programs will implement an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments will function for this grant. This organization-wide change—and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. YouIndividuals, organizations, community groups, municipalities, Tribal governments, or unincorporated or fiscally sponsored groups, located and operating in King County, may apply.Individual applicants must be at least 18 years old and a resident of King County, Washington.If you receive funding, individuals will need to provide us with your Social Security number in order to receive payment. Organizations, community groups, and public agencies must operate within King County, and will need to provide us with a Tax ID or EIN in order to receive payment.You must contact Program Manager prior to applying if you or your group or organization has an open contract with 4Culture.You may only submit one project proposal to Preservation Special Projects per year.You must be able to complete your project on a reimbursement basis.Your ProjectYour project must contribute to the protection of King County’s historic buildings, sites, neighborhoods, and/or landscapes.You can request funding to develop documentation, identification, research, analysis, educational programming and advocacy efforts focused on historic preservation issues and/or the history of the built environment.Your project must provide a public benefit for King County residents and visitors.Your project must be accessible to and provide a public benefit for King County residents and visitors.Projects funded through this program, or portions thereof, may not begin prior to the award date of May 28, 2025, and must be completed by June 1, 2027.If your project involves multiple disciplines—historic preservation, heritage, and/or the arts—it may be eligible for consideration under more than one 4Culture projects funding program. You may request funding for different elements of your project through the separate funding programs but must disclose in your application what other 4Culture funding you have requested, or will request. Contact the Program Manager to discuss your project’s eligibility before applying.

Ineligibility

Organizations that receive 4Culture Sustained Support in 2025 are not eligible to apply.Individual applicants cannot represent or apply on behalf of ineligible entities.Current 4Culture staff, 4Culture Board members, or Advisory Committee members may not apply as an individual.Current employees, family members, or business partners of an employee of 4Culture may not apply.We do not fund schools or school districts. However, eligible applicants proposing the creation or enrichment of existing cultural programs in K-12 schools must partner with a King County public school or district.This grant may not be used for construction costs related to the stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation, or maintenance of historic buildings or landscapes, property acquisition, or new construction.This grant may not be used to support services and programs to be provided by the King County landmarks commission for land use regulation and archaeological resource management purposes as described in K.C.C. chapter 20.62. (Ord. 18684 § 16, 2018: Ord. 17461 § 3, 2012: Ord. 14917 § 1, 2004: Ord. 14482 § 43, 2002: Ord. 14440 § 3, 2002. Formerly K.C.C. 4.42.025).