Introduction

Our office offers planning grants to Certified Local Governments for eligible historic preservation activities. These grants are:

• Awarded on a competitive basis.
• Evaluated and ranked according to grant application criteria.

We are required to regrant 10% of the state’s allocation of federal historic preservation funds for pass-through as sub-grants to Certified Local Governments (CLG). Annual funding levels vary and affect both the matching requirements for individual projects and the total amount available.

Grant project goals

• To identify resources that meet the criteria for inclusion in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
  • Types can include buildings, sites, structures, objects and districts.
  • Areas of significance can include history, architecture, archaeology and engineering.
• To design and implement planning tools for the protection of historic resources.

Typical grant projects

Eligible grant projects include:

• Architectural and archaeological surveys
• Preparation of National Register nominations
• Preparation of a Historic Preservation Element of a Municipal Master Plan
• Educational outreach materials
• Historic Structure Reports and Preservation Plans
• Local preservation planning activities
• CLG training
• Pre-development projects
• Preparing planning and construction documents
• Technical assistance
• Disaster planning for historic properties and districts

Grant activities

How to apply

CLG grants are now managed through the System for Administering Grants Electronically (SAGE). Communities interested in applying for a grant must review the CLG Grant Application Instructions and review the SAGE training webinar.

2026 grant round (FFY 2025)

The 2026 Certified Local Government grant round for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 accepts submissions between November 20, 2024 to February 28, 2025.