IBF Preservation Award Grant

IBF Preservation Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Iowa Barn Foundation
Last Updated: October 07, 2025

Summary

The Iowa Barn Foundation's Preservation Award Grant aims to recognize and support the restoration of historic barns across Iowa. With a mission to preserve agricultural heritage, the foundation invites barn owners to apply if their structures are at least 50 years old and exhibit unique craftsmanship. Award recipients will receive a plaque and an invitation to participate in the annual barn tour. This initiative not only honors the past but also encourages community engagement and awareness of Iowa's rural identity.

Overview

Our Primary Mission Barns, America's symbols of honesty, integrity, and the American dream, are disappearing from Iowa's countryside at a rapid rate. With mechanized agriculture of today, barns are no longer the center of the farm. But, they remain poignant reminders of our agricultural heritage. Founded in 1997, the Iowa Barn Foundation, an all-volunteer, all-state organization, is dedicated to preserving Iowa's rural agricultural buildings. The Iowa Barn Foundation is an Iowa non-profit corporation with tax-exempt status under paragraph 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The primary mission of the Iowa Barn Foundation is to educate the public about the significance and importance of Iowa's barns through the Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine and our Barn Tours. It raises money to provide barn rehabilitation or restoration matching grants to help property owners restore their barns. In addition, property owners who use their own funds to restore or rehabilitate barns that would otherwise qualify for a matching grant, are eligible to receive an Iowa Barn Foundation Award of Distinction. Award of Distinction icon Take a look at some of the restored barns that have been featured on the IBF Barn Tours since 2001. The Iowa Barn Foundation, in keeping with its mission to preserve Iowa's agricultural heritage, accepts economically and financially self-sustaining farms and farmland. Through the foundation's farm conservancy, these farms and farmland are saved in perpetuity for agricultural purposes according to the owner's wishes. Preservation Award ( New - October 2023) The Iowa Barn Foundation’s Preservation Award program recognizes historic barns which have preserved by their owners using modern exterior materials (i.e. metal siding and metal/vinyl windows). Recipients of the award are invited to participate in our annual all-state fall barn tour and receive an award plaque to display on their barn. Note: Barn interior must maintain a significant portion of the architectural detail of the original construction with allowance for some modern updates for personal, non-commercial usage).

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Barn Owners are eligible to apply.To be considered:Structures must be no less than 50 years oldThe structure exhibits unique or distinctive methods of construction, materials, finishes or examples of craftsmanship.The structure contributes in a significant way to the appearance of the rural landscape and/or the community identity.The structure is associated with lives of persons or events significant to Iowa’s history.