Historic Preservation Grant Program: The Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage (EPF)

Historic Preservation Grant Program: The Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage (EPF)

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Amount: Up to US $675,000
Last Updated: August 11, 2025

Summary

The Historic Preservation Grant Program, part of the Environmental Protection Fund, supports projects enhancing parks and historic sites in New York. This matching grant program aims to acquire, develop, and improve properties listed on state or national registers, ensuring long-term public benefits through preservation covenants and conservation easements. Applicants, including municipalities and nonprofits, are evaluated on criteria such as project significance, public awareness, and the ability to complete the project effectively, fostering stewardship of historic resources.

Overview

Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage (EPF) Title 9 NYCRR (sections 439.1 – 443.4) implements the Environmental Protection Fund Act of 1993 (Title 9 of Article 54 of the Environmental Conservation Law), which created OPRHP's program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage Grants. The Environmental Protection Fund Grant Program for Parks, Preservation and Heritage (EPF) is a matching grant program for the acquisition, planning and development, and improvement of parks, historic properties, and heritage areas located within the physical boundaries of the State of New York. Funds may be awarded to municipalities or not-for-profits with an ownership interest. The EPF legislation requires the public benefit from the investment of state funds. All properties acquired or developed with grant funds will receive long-term protections (samples below). The method and term of the protection is dependent upon the type of applicant and project undertaken.One application covers all three program areas (Parks, Historic Preservation, Heritage Areas) Eligible Activities/Program Benefit and Long Term Protection Requirements Funding under the EPF Parks, Preservation and Heritage Grants program is available for the activities and programs described below. An application will be evaluated in all categories for which it qualifies. Applicants should be alert to the requirements for each category for which they wish the application to be considered. To ensure the public benefit from the investment of State funds, properties acquired or developed with grant funds will receive long term protections, either through parkland alienation law, conservation easements, or public access or preservation covenants recorded against the deeds. Historic Preservation Program The Historic Preservation program is to improve, protect, preserve, rehabilitate, restore or acquire properties listed on the State or National Registers of Historic Places and for structural assessments and/or planning for such projects. Properties not currently listed, but scheduled for nomination review at the State Board for Historic Preservation meeting on the specified days are eligible to apply. Questions about or proposals for listing on the State or National Register should be directed to the OPRHP National Register Unit at (518) 268-2213 or contact the National Register representative for your county. All work must conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. To ensure the public benefit from the investment of state funds, preservation covenants or conservation easements will be conveyed to the State (OPRHP) for all historic property grants. Funding Priorities Each year the Commissioner establishes program priorities for which projects will receive additional points. Rating Criteria The Priority Evaluation Form is based on the following rating criteria: the extent to which the project site has suffered from physical deterioration, decay, vandalism, neglect or disinvestment or may be threatened with closure, demolition or inappropriate development, and the degree to which the project addresses the property's need; the relationship of the project to a local, regional and/or statewide planning document or other assessment of need; the extent to which the project protects, enhances or interprets natural, cultural or historic resources; the ability of the project sponsor to initiate and complete the project on a timely basis, at a reasonable cost, and operate or maintain the completed project; the historic significance of the property in the National, State or local context, and the extent to which the project protects or enhances its significant features; the degree to which the project will increase public stewardship or awareness of historic resources; annual programmatic and funding priorities. Among the rating criteria, the Commissioner may award any of the following factors up to a maximum of ten points. All applications will be reviewed for the relevance of these to the project scope: the geographic distribution of other fundable projects in any given application cycle; consideration may be given to projects in areas that have or have not received funding in recent cycles or where funding is not commensurate with the population of the area. This will be based on the proximity to other funded sites and the diversity of projects being funded on a regional and local basis, as well as the service area of the developed or planned facilities. the extent to which the project will maximize the use and accessibility of a facility; consideration may be given to projects where funding will allow underutilized facilities to be accessed or to develop underutilized resources for public use. This will be based on the resources offered by the facility, the use of those resources and whether the proposed project will help the facility expand and enhance its public use. special engineering, environmental and historic preservation concerns or benefits; consideration may be given to develop particularly significant resources and facilities or to develop innovative approaches to preserve valuable resources. This will be based on the type of resource being developed or rehabilitated; its rarity on a local, regional, statewide and national basis; the ability of an innovative technology to address an emergency or mitigate future problems; how well a technology can be "exported" for use on other properties and resources; and how/if the project will allow public access that would not otherwise be available. the past performance, if any, of the project sponsor on previous projects; Consideration may be given to how timely an applicant completed previous projects, including its reporting requirements; how successful it was in outreach, especially to minority- and woman-owned businesses; the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the property; and its cooperation in allowing OPRHP to complete inspections and other follow-up actions.

Eligibility

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