Find What Funds are Available to Your Projects
As you begin your historic preservation or community revitalization project, there are several funding sources you should consider. Below is a list of organizations in Ohio that can help fund your project.
Historic Preservation
Ohio History Fund
The Ohio History Fund was created to support the preservation and sharing of Ohio’s heritage by funding local, regional, and statewide projects, programs, and events related to the broad sweep of the state’s history and pre-history.
Certified Local Government (CLG) Grants
Certified Local Government (CLG) grants support historic preservation projects in your community.
Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program
The Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program provides a tax credit to leverage the private redevelopment of historic buildings. The program is highly competitive and receives applications bi-annually in March and September.
Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program
A 20% income tax credit is available for the rehabilitation of historic buildings that are determined by the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to be “certified historic structures.”
Jeffris Family Foundation
The Foundation supports significant projects that strive for high preservation standards and show a strong degree of local support.
Site Remediation
Clean Ohio Fund
The Ohio Public Works Commission offers grants to protect conservation properties in perpetuity. Eligible applicants include local governments, parks districts, conservation districts, and environmental and conservation organizations (501c3).
Brownfield Remediation Program
The Brownfield Remediation Program provides grants for the cleanup of brownfield sites, to assist in the remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum at an industrial, commercial, or institutional property. Remediation includes acquisition of a brownfield, demolition performed at a brownfield, and the installation or upgrade of the minimum amount of infrastructure necessary to make a brownfield site operational for economic development activity.
Downtown Revitalization
American Express Backing Small Businesses Grants
In partnership with American Express, the Backing Small Businesses grant program supports economically vulnerable and under-resourced small businesses with community reach and/or cultural significance.
T-Mobile Hometown Grants
T-Mobile is committing up to $25 million through 2026 to support small towns, villages, and territories across America by funding community projects. Elected officials, town managers/employees, tribal leaders, or nonprofit community leaders from small towns with population less than 50,000 can apply.
USDA Rural Economic Development Grants & Loans
The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs provide funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas
US Small Business Administration Grants & Loans
The US Small Business Administration offers loans and grants for small business development.
The Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI) Loans
ECDI offers several types of funding streams aimed at small businesses, including funding available for new businesses and start-ups, woman and minority-owned businesses, and businesses in need of incubator space.