Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Grants for Historic Properties

June 20, 2013 – The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission is preparing to award $3 million in historic preservation grants to preserve and/or rehabilitate historic properties and sites impacted by Hurricane Sandy. These federal funds were appropriated by the U.S. Congress for hurricane relief assistance. The grants will be administered in accordance with regulations of the National Park Service.

Only projects that are directly related to damage from Hurricane Sandy are eligible for grants. Properties must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places or must meet the criteria for listing on the National Register. The grants are available for privately-owned properties (such as residences and commercial buildings), nonprofit-owned properties (such as historic sites) and public (nonfederal) properties (such as state- and municipally-owned buildings and historic parks). All work performed on a historic property that receives grant assistance will be reviewed by RIHPHC and must be approved as meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Owners of historic properties and sites impacted by Hurricane Sandy are invited to submit a preliminary application for Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Grants for Historic Properties. The preliminary application should be submitted as soon as possible with the summary information requested. If the RIHPHC determines that the project appears to be eligible for grant funding, a more detailed final grant application will be requested. The deadline for filing a preliminary grant application is August 1, 2013.

For more information and the preliminary application form, visit http://www.preservation.ri.gov/grants/sandy.php. Or contact Sarah Zurier at sarah.zurier@preservation.ri.gov or 222-4142.