After a fast-track review process of just 30 days, the History Colorado State Historical Fund awarded 25 historic preservation grants totaling $618,234 for the Spring 2020 “mini” grant round (requests of $35,000 or less) on May 1. These awards leverage an additional $316,779 in matching funding provided by grant applicants and their community partners for a total project impact of $935,013.

Following a nimble response to statewide stay-at-home orders, the State Historical Fund has continued its operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to handling this current mini grant round, the State Historical Fund was able to distribute $1,124,625.72 to ongoing grant projects throughout Colorado between March 20 and April 20. It has maintained its regular technical support for previously awarded projects, allowing construction and other activities to move forward.

“With so many challenges to our economy right now—especially in rural areas of our state, where more than 75% of our grants are currently allocated—we are eager to unleash the powerful economic and social impacts made possible by these awards,” said State Historical Fund director Tim Stroh, AIA.

A sample of grants awarded May 1 includes:

National Sugar Manufacturing Company Gates, Sugar City: $34,870 grant award, project total $43,770 to create design documents and a complete restoration of the monumental brick entrance gates.

The Pines/Pines Lodge, Rural Custer County: $3,705 grant award, project total $7,410 to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination.  This nomination will allow the site to become eligible for future funding from SHF and Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Heginbotham Home-Holyoke Library, Holyoke: $29,556 grant award, project total $39,408 for completion of construction documents that address ADA accessibility, drainage, and structure and roof load capacity which have all been identified as critical based on a recent building assessment.

Iglesia de San Antonio-Tiffany Catholic Church, Rural La Plata County: $21,969 grant award, project total $25,469 to complete construction documents that will help guide future preservation needs and identify the most critical deficiencies of the structure.

Truxaw & Kruger Grocery, Raymer: $27,419 grant award, project total $36,559 to complete construction documents on one of the few remaining historic buildings in Raymer.

Garcia Ranch (Potato Barn), Rural Conejos County: $17,134 grant award, $22,134 to provide construction documents to help guide future restoration work to the potato barn. The resource is significant for its relation to Ethnic Heritage/Hispano, agriculture of San Luis Valley, and one of few remaining adobe potato cellars left in Colorado.

To see a complete list of projects funded through the 21-M1 grant round, please visit historycolorado.org/recently-received-and-awarded-grants.

The State Historical Fund currently oversees more than 280 grant projects located in 52 Colorado counties, and provides technical assistance to all 64 counties. Seventy six percent of all current projects take place in rural communities throughout Colorado including Weld, Fremont, Custer, Montezuma, Alamosa, Gilpin, Grand, Phillips, Otero, La Plata, Conejos and Crowley counties. State Historical Fund grants help fund projects associated with historic preservation and archaeology across Colorado. Each project works to preserve a communities’ unique identity and generate economic activity through preservation work on historic and cultural resources important to the people of Colorado.

Nonprofit organizations and government entities interested in historic preservation projects that adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and that have strong public benefit are encouraged to contact the State Historical Fund for more information about the application process and deadlines. Please visit historycolorado.org/state-historical-fund or call (303) 866-2825 for more information.

About History Colorado
Inclusive, values-driven, and intentional, History Colorado has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with an agile reorganization following the temporary public closure of its eight museums. Its blitz has created new educational channels for adults and youth (including virtual field trips supporting educators), full-length episodes of its podcasts, a series of Archaeology & Preservation webinars, a major volunteer project, a weekly digest with over 20,000 subscribers, and one of the nation’s most comprehensive collecting initiatives: a partnership with dozens of schools, communities, and more than 40 newsrooms called History in the Making.

Its El Pueblo History Museum collects donated supplies for community elders in collaboration with local organizations. The Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center is a Community Access Site for San Luis Valley college students who need digital connection to attend online classes. Its curatorial and archaeology teams have donated masks and gloves for the medical effort.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and nine other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.