Do you have a building or site in south-central Pennsylvania that could use a small grant to accomplish a project?
The Louis J. Appell, Jr., Preservation Fund for Central Pennsylvania, jointly administered by Preservation Pennsylvania and the National Trust for Historic Preservation is designed to encourage preservation at the local level and provides money for the maintenance and preservation of historic places in Central Pennsylvania.
These grants, available to nonprofits and municipalities, enable local groups to respond proactively to a preservation challenge by providing funding for bricks and mortar preservation and technical assistance, while building public awareness of the value of preserving Central Pennsylvania’s unique heritage. Grant applications in the range of $5,000 – $15,000 will be accepted. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2022. Awarded grants will generally be announced in the late spring.
Past projects included the rehabilitation of Bogart’s Covered Bridge (Lehigh County), the conservation and restoration of a historic mural at the Yorktowne Hotel (York County), archaeological field work at Fort Halifax (Dauphin County), creation of a historic overlay district in Mt. Gretna (Lebanon County), the restoration of the 1917 Lynnewood Pullman car (built for the Wideners of Philadelphia) at the Colebrookdale Railroad (Berks County), and the rehabilitation of the Mt. Tabor AME Church (Cumberland County).
Since the fund was established in 2013, 28 projects have received grants.
About Louis J. Appell, Jr.
Louis J. Appell, Jr. was a founding member of Preservation Pennsylvania, serving as a board member from 1983-1993 and advisor from 1994 until his death in 2016. In 2013. He established the Louis J. Appell, Jr. Preservation Fund for Central Pennsylvania at the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be jointly administered by the Trust and Preservation Pennsylvania and participated in the review of projects each year until his death. He was a strong supporter of historic preservation and was especially interested in the preservation of York City.
Grant Details
For complete information on how to apply, and grant requirements, please visit the page at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Click here. In order to apply, the property and project must be located in one of the following Pennsylvania counties:
Adams
Berks
Chester
Columbia
Cumberland
Dauphin
Franklin
Fulton
Huntingdon
Juniata
Lancaster
Lebanon
Lehigh
Mifflin
Montour
Northumberland
Perry
Schuylkill
Snyder
Union
York
Eligible Activities
- Restoration, rehabilitation, or preservation of historic buildings, including bricks-and-mortar construction and repair, as well as costs associated with retaining the services of professionals in the areas of architecture, engineering, preservation, land-use planning, or natural resource conservation
- Activities related to the conservation of land that contribute to the historic or cultural heritage of Central Pennsylvania
Preservation services that directly contribute to the preservation of a specific historic or cultural site including planning, development of promotional/marketing materials, and interpretive or educational programming - Ineligible Activities
- Property acquisition
- Academic research
- Book-length publications
- Historic resource surveys to create inventories or to list resources in the National Register
Criteria
- The Louis J. Appell, Jr., Preservation Fund for Central Pennsylvania selection committee will place particular importance on the likelihood that the requested assistance will make a significant contribution to the preservation, restoration, or interpretation of a specific historic property.
- Related factors to be considered include:
- The historic significance of the property to be assisted
- The extent to which the requested assistance will make a difference in preserving, restoring, or interpreting the historic property or site, including what other funds might be leveraged by an award
- The effort which owners and local supporters are willing to commit to the project
- The potential of the project to be a catalyst for further positive action to benefit other historic properties, the local community, or Central Pennsylvania
- The adequacy of plans for the future maintenance of the property or the continuation of the activity for which grant support is requested
- The ability and willingness of the applicant to carry out the proposed plans or activity if assistance is awarded
Applications are now being accepted. The deadline for applications is March 15, 2022.