Ohio History Fund Grants: Bricks & Mortar Grant

The Ohio History Fund Grants: Bricks & Mortar Grant supports history-related projects through competitive matching funds. Eligible applicants include Ohio-based nonprofits and government entities, aiming to preserve historical properties and sites. Grants range from $2,000 to $20,000 with a 60/40 match requirement. Since 2013, over $1 million has been awarded across the state, highlighting significant community interest and need for historical preservation funding.

The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grant program that annually awards grants for history-related projects. Eligible applicants include a wide range of non-profit organizations and local government entities.
The Ohio History Fund is also a way for Ohioans to support community history. All the money we grant is voluntarily contributed by you! Most funding comes from contributions of portions of state income refunds, which you make using your donations to the Ohio History Connection are ever-increasing sources of grant support, too.
Since its inception in 2012 and first round of grants in 2013, the fund has awarded 110 grants in half of Ohio's 88 counties totaling over $1 Million as of March 2022. However, the Ohio History Fund has received 474 applications for a total of more than $5.7 million in requests - proving there is a great need for this grant program!
Brick & Mortar Grants
Brick and mortar projects can involve:
Rehabilitation, restoration, protection, or acquisition of historic properties and archaeological sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated by a local historic preservation ordinances.Building work or construction directly related to the preservation of historical or archival collections regardless of the building’s historic status. If an extant building is in the National Register, any addition “shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property”
Requirements:
Grant Minimum: $2,000 Grant Maximum: $20,000Project Length: up to 2 yearsMatch Requirement: 60/40. The grant will pay 60% of the total cost of a project and the applicant will be responsible for a 40% match. Example: for a $10,000 project, the History Fund would provide $6,000. The applicant’s match would be $4,000.To meet the Grant Minimum amount and Match Requirement, the total cost of your project (grant request + match amount) must exceed approximately $3,350 ($3,350 x 60% = $2,010).The applicant must own properties under consideration for rehabilitation, restoration, or preservation.Brick and Mortar projects will require a preservation agreement under which the property owner agrees to maintain the historic features of the property (for historic properties) or retain the building for its intended use (for non-historic) for a period of five years.

Eligibility

Ohio-based, nonprofit organizations in good standing    Public entities in Ohio, such as units of local government, public libraries, and educational institutionsOrganizations operating Ohio History Connection sites under “site
management agreements” are eligible to apply under their own names.
Functions and fiscal responsibilities assigned to the Ohio History
Connection under site management agreements are not eligible for grants
from the History Fund. Examples of eligible applicants include, but are not limited to
local historical societies, public libraries, genealogical societies,
university archives and special collections, historic preservation
groups, archeological societies, county records management offices, and
incorporated “friends” groups of any of the above.

Ineligibility

Ineligible applicants include for-profit businesses and entities, private individuals, and the Ohio History Connection.Ineligible applicants may serve as contractors to grant awardees but are not eligible to apply for History Fund grants directly.One grant per organization at a time:  otherwise eligible grantees that
have an open grant with the History Fund are not eligible to apply for a
second History Fund grant until the first grant has been closed (i.e.
the History Fund has accepted the grantee’s final report).Ohio History Connection staff or programs shall not serve as contractors for a History Fund projects. The Ohio History Connection staff shall not endorse projects for funding.Kinds of costs, which are ineligible for History Fund grant assistanceAcquisition of historical materials for an institution’s collection.Buildings – moving or reconstructing:  Cost of moving historic
buildings, generally.  (Contact the Ohio History Connection if you are
contemplating such a project.)  Cost of reconstructing historic
buildings.Buildings – remodeling:  Projects to remodel or modernize building
interiors unrelated to the guidelines above.  For example, general
maintenance and redecorating are not eligible.Copyright:  Projects that would convert to a digital format
material that the applicant intuition does not hold the copyright to.
Materials must no longer be restricted by copyright, the applicant must
hold copyright, or the applicant must document that copyright has been
turned over to the organization or ceded to the public domain. Costs of operation, such as utilities, security system maintenance
fees, grounds keeping, hosting services for website, digital image
storage, etc.Public works of art, including monuments, sculptures, and murals
that do not address Ohio history and the goals of the History Fund (see
above section).Equipment:  Purchase of equipment not related to accomplishing a specific project goal.Historical markers:  Grants to erect or repair Ohio Historical Markers.  For grants for markers, see www.remarkableohio.org. Honoraria when the primary intent is to confer distinction.Insurance costs, unless shown as match for an event or program.Interest and debt payments.Direct lobbying or fundraising.Mitigation costs (under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act).Oral history that does not focus on a particular subject or theme.Contact
the Ohio History Connection if you have a question about whether an
activity is eligible for funding.