(SOMERVILLE, NJ) -- The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission is accepting applications for the 2024 Somerset County Historic Preservation Grant Program. This grant helps support local history organizations that serve the public. The Commission is accepting applications from historical societies, organizations, nonprofits, and municipalities that are responsible for historic structures or archaeological sites.

“This year, the County is celebrating the 25th year of the grant program, which has awarded over $23 million to 57 historic sites and a total of 72 historic structures across the County,” said Commissioner Melonie Marano, liaison to the Cultural & Heritage Commission. “The Somerset County Board of Commissioners developed this valuable program in 1999, which provides funding for acquisition, restoration, preservation, and planning of historic sites deemed eligible to be listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. Preserving these historical sites are very important to telling the story of the past and for future generations.”

Grant Guidelines - Funding is competitive and will be awarded to organizations that demonstrate managerial competency, fiscal stability, excellence in historic preservation and programming, and have the organizational capacity to execute a proposed program or project. Grant funding may be requested for projects in construction or planning that follow the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Historic Preservation and Standards for Rehabilitation.”

Deadline for Submission - Somerset County Historic Preservation Grant applications are due no later than 4:00pm on Friday, June 14. Applications can be hand-delivered or mailed to the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, P.O. Box 3000, Administration Building, 20 Grove Street, Somerville, New Jersey 08876.

For more information about application guidelines, visit http://bit.ly/CHPPGrant.

Technical Assistance Workshops for Application Process of the Somerset County Historic Preservation Grant (SC HPGP)

It is strongly recommended that organizations attend at least one of two free SC HPGP Technical Assistance Workshops that will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, May 7 at 6:00pm and Friday, May 10 at 12:00pm.

To register for a workshop, visit https://bit.ly/HistoricPreservationGrants. A Zoom link will be sent to participants who register.

This grant opportunity is made possible by funds from the Somerset County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.