Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) – Preservation

Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) – Preservation

Congress has appropriated emergency supplemental funds from the Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) to provide relief to owners of historic properties and support preservation in communities that received a major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). Funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Office capacity and survey is available under a separate notice of funding opportunity for fiscal year 2025.
Who May Apply?
What is Funded?
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States and Territories
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Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined by 54 USC 300300
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Local Governments, including Certified Local Governments
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Non-profit Organizations
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Educational Institutions
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Repair and recovery of cultural and historic resources damaged by a disaster with a major disaster declaration in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024. Applicants can interact with this map to verify their location within a declared disaster area. More information about major disaster declarations can be found at Disasters and Other Declarations | FEMA.gov.
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Resources must be listed in or determined eligible by the applicable State or Tribal Historic Preservation Office for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, equivalent tribal register, or designated a National Historic Landmark, either individually or as contributing to a district. Projects not listed in the National Register or equivalent tribal register must prepare a nomination as part of the grant project.
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Eligible activities include program areas as defined by the National Historic Preservation Act (54 USC 3001 et seq.), focusing on physical preservation, administration, National Register, planning, review and compliance, and pre-preservation activities such as survey and inventory, architectural plans and specifications, and historic structure reports as necessary to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation.
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Reconstruction that meets the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Reconstruction and possesses sufficient historical documentation may be eligible. Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for further details on eligible activities.
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Significance: Describe the resource(s) receiving assistance, and their significance at the National, State, Tribal, or local level.
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Need/Urgency/Threat: The proposed project must address issues that threaten the resource(s) as a result of an eligible major disaster declaration and fulfill a clear financial need. Documentation of the damage must be included in the application.
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Feasibility: The proposed project must be achievable within 3 years, within a reasonable budget, and be performed with qualified personnel and/or consultants.
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Sustainability: Proposed projects must provide a community benefit and develop sustainable long-term preservation of the resource(s), including a risk management plan for future damage.
Additional Information
April 8, 2025
Evaluation Criteria
Process and Deadlines
Applications are anticipated to open in April 2025 and are due in late July 2025. Pursuant to FY2025 Public Law 118-158, $48,000,000 will be awarded under the ESHPF grant program by NPS. All applications must be made through Grants.gov. No paper applications will be accepted. Registration in Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and other federal systems can take up to four weeks, so please start early. Extensions will not be granted due to incomplete registrations in these systems. To be notified when the grant opportunity opens, please visit Grants.gov and subscribe to a saved search for CFDA number 15.957. You can create a saved search on Grants.gov under the “Connect” menu, then “Manage Subscriptions.”
Visit go.nps.gov/disaster for more information about this grant program.
For more information on our other programs, please visit go.nps.gov/grants. For application assistance: National Park Service ST***@np*.gov 202-354-2020
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NPS personnel and qualified Federal employees will review all complete proposals using the criteria outlined below. Reviewers’ evaluations are based solely on the material provided in the application. Additional materials not specifically required by the application, and materials sent separately from the application, will not be considered.
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In addition to the criteria below, NPS may use planning numbers derived from US Census and FEMA data to guide allocation of funding across affected areas. This may include: US Census population of affected areas, number of approved FEMA Individual Assistance applications, and amount of FEMA Public Assistance Awards.
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A summary of the review panel comments may be provided to the applicant if requested after the grant process is complete. All funded grantees will undergo a risk assessment as part of the award process.
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Construction of new buildings that are not approved reconstruction projects
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Cash reserves, endowments, revolving funds, or fund-raising costs
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Lobbying or advocacy activities
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Administrative costs to manage the grant may not exceed 25% of the total budget per statute
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Miscellaneous costs, contingencies, reserves, and overhead
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Work to federally-owned properties
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Acquisition of collections or historic sites
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Conservation of collections
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Long-term maintenance or work outside the grant period
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Grants to sites or collections owned or leased by the NPS, or in which the NPS holds a property interest
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Costs for work already completed or funded through other federal programs
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Costs reimbursed by FEMA or insurance
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Local Government Certification
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Preservation Tax Incentives
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Moving historic properties or work on moved historic properties that are no longer eligible for listing in the NRHP
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Work performed prior to award announcement, except for damage that occurred within the FEMA-declared disaster period
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Costs related to Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA ) activities
Grant Amounts
Awards may range from $75,000 to $15 million. Applicants are encouraged to apply for the funding that they need, but should take into account the amount of funding available for a large number of major disaster declarations eligible under this appropriation. Matching funds are not required.
Selection Process
For Grants.gov assistance: su*****@gr****.gov
1-800-518-4726
What is Not Funded?