Historical Heritage Grant Program

The Historical Heritage Grant Program, established by the County of Santa Clara in 1990, supports the preservation of significant cultural and historical resources. Grants are awarded based on competitive reviews and recommendations, focusing on projects that stabilize or restore designated historic sites. While funding priorities exist, projects located in public parks or involving city-protected resources are favored. However, past recipients may face lower priority for new funding.

The Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara established the Historical Heritage Grant Program (HHGP) in 1990 to promote historic preservation and the awareness of significant cultural, historical, and archaeological resources within Santa Clara County. Funding is provided through the dedication of a portion of the County Park Charter Development Funds to the HHGP.
The Board of Supervisors awards grants on a competitive basis following staff review and Historical Heritage Commission (HHC) recommendation. The Board of Supervisors is not obligated to fund any HHGP projects, even if the project has been deemed eligible for funding and/or the HHC recommends funding in any amount.
What kind of projects are funded?
Projects must involve stabilizing, preserving, restoring, or interpreting locally designated historic resources.The HHGP is limited to projects involving the development of real property, as opposed to personal property. The project must be located in a public park or on private property dedicated to park purposes. The project must involve a locally designated historic resource (landmark or contributing resource to a local historic district or the equivalent) protected by a city or County historic preservation ordinance.
Low Funding Priorities
Budgets involving low funding priorities may be scored lower. Low funding priorities are projects or elements of a project that involve state or federal code compliance, infrastructure improvements (e.g. utilities, landscaping, signage), new construction (e.g. an addition to a historic resource), or interior finishes that are not preservation focused. In addition, projects and grantees that have previously received HHGP funds may be considered a low funding priority.