TOPEKA— The Kansas Historical Society announced that applications are now available for the Kansas Rural Preservation grant program. The Kansas Historical Society received a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service's Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program and those funds are now being offered through this subgrant program to the owners of historic downtown commercial properties for repair and rehabilitation projects.
A complete program description, application information, and application link are available online at kshs.org/20430; applications must be submitted online via this weblink by midnight July 1.
Applicants must own a property listed in the National Register of Historic Places individually or as a contributing property in a National Register-listed historic district, or have their property determined eligible for listing before the grant application is submitted. Properties determined eligible must be listed officially to the National Register during the grant period. The property must be within a community with a population of less than 30,000 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Projects in Designated Main Street communities will receive priority consideration. Applicants must provide justification of their rural location as part of the application and how their property serves a commercial function. Property owners may not be the state or federal governments.
Grant awards will reimburse 90 percent of eligible project activities up to an award maximum of $100,000. Grant recipients will provide at least 10 percent of eligible project activities as match.
All rehabilitation work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards & Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. Eligible activities include professional services (architect and engineering fees) and projects involving the preservation, rehabilitation, or restoration of an eligible property. Repairs involving building components such as walls, doors, windows, chimneys, roofing, and foundations are eligible activities. Projects involving the preservation or restoration of non-building properties such as archeological sites, parks, cemeteries, bridges, and monuments are also eligible if they serve a downtown commercial purpose. Because this grant is supported by funding administered by the National Park Service, projects must follow federal project requirements including competitive selection of contractors and consultants. In addition, an easement will be placed on the property following the project completion.
Kansas Historical Society staff members will offer a free webinar with specifics for this program at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Staff members will discuss the application process, approaches to writing the application, and answer questions about the program. Contact the Historic Preservation Office at 785272-8681, ext. 240; or kshs. [email protected] to register for this workshop or to request additional information.
