Overview

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) offers Survey and Planning Grants for a variety of historic preservation planning purposes. These grants are part of a state commitment to provide increased funding for open space, farmland preservation, historic preservation and affordable housing.

Grant categories include:

Historic Resources Inventories
Historic Resources Inventories create detailed records of historic buildings, sites, structures and/or objects within a defined geographical area, or multiple resources related to a theme, throughout the state. These documents are based on archival research, field work and photography.

Planning and Pre-Development Grants

Historic Designation Reports
Survey and Planning Grants can be used to fund a variety of historic designation reports, including:

  • National Historic Landmark Nominations
  • National Register of Historic Places Nominations
  • Connecticut State Register of Historic Places Nominations
  • Local Historic District or Properties Reports
  • Archaeological Preserves

Municipal Historic Preservation Planning Reports
These reports can assist a municipality with integrating historic preservation and a community’s cultural resources into the local planning and design process.

Pre-Development Studies
Survey and Planning Grants can be used to hire a qualified consultant to complete pre-development studies on historic resources owned by Connecticut 501(c)3 or 501(c)13 nonprofits or municipalities, or if a municipality has a financial interest in the resource. Eligible activities in this program area include the following:

  • Historic Structures Reports
  • Feasibility or Adaptive Reuse Studies 
  • Structural Soundness Studies
  • Condition Assessment Reports
  • Architectural Plans and Specifications

See our Guidelines for Survey and Planning Grants.

Partners in Preservation Grants
These grants provide matching reimbursement to Connecticut municipalities and 501(c)3 and 501(c)13 nonprofits for projects that advance the goals of the State Historic Preservation Office through education, awareness, promotion, outreach and visioning initiatives.

See our Guidelines for Partners In Preservation Grants

Eligibility

  • Except where indicated, all work must be completed by a consultant who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards. In most cases, this will be an architectural historian, architect, or engineer.
  • Project consultants cannot be preselected, and any potential consultants cannot play any role in the design of the project or application.
  • The use of state and/or federal funds requires an open bidding process.

What's Next

SHPO accepts applications on a rolling basis, and all complete applications will be reviewed and considered for funding. Once an application is reviewed, SHPO will contact you with any questions or to request points of clarification.

If your application is complete, it will be placed on the next available agenda of the Historic Preservation Council, which meets the first Wednesday of each month.

Apply Now

Contact

Mary Dunne
(860) 500-2356
mary.dunne@ct.gov