Historic preservation is not easy. It requires passion, dedication, and persistence. It also requires financial assistance. That’s where grants can make a huge difference. The Texas Historical Foundation provides grants to nonprofits to save buildings, documents, artifacts, and even the traditions of our state’s history.
Every quarter they award grants to organizations throughout the state and have just announced eight new recipients.
“The process is open to anyone, and the grant application form is on our website,” Executive Director David Preziosi said. “We encourage applications, and this quarter provided funds for most of those we received. We complement the existing funds of these organizations rather than the sole funding source.”
Quite often, that Texas Historical Foundation grant is exactly what pushes a project over the finish line. This year, the Aldredge House received a grant aiding their efforts to expand their living play, extend visiting hours, and start a historic book club.
“The Texas Historical Foundation grant is a great Attaboy,” Coordinator of Living History at Aldredge House Marianne Howells said. “That means a lot. We want to give the public more and ensure our actions are meaningful. We don’t just open the house without explaining the context of the Aldredge house within East Dallas and Texas. It’s not just a home tour. It’s only special if you understand what makes it special beyond its physical beauty.”
Other Texas Historical Foundation Grant Winners
Dallas’s Architecture and Design Foundation was awarded a Texas Historical Foundation grant for creating an exhibit based on their long-running Columns Magazine column, Lost + Found. This column investigates past and present sites in the area that have been preserved, repurposed, or abandoned.
“We are so honored to receive this grant and look forward to partnering with the Texas Historical Foundation,” AD EX Managing Director Katie Hitt said.
Texas Historical Foundation grants were also presented to two other area organizations. The Heritage Guild of Collin County in McKinney will use their grant to install a historically accurate second fireplace in the 1854 Faires-Bell House, one of nine historic structures operated by the organization as the Chestnut Square Historic Village. The North Texas Masonic Historical Museum and Library in Plano will use the grant funds to refurbish and maintain markers in the Masonic section of the historic Plano Mutual Cemetery.
Grants were also awarded to the Archer County Museum and Arts Center in Archer City, The Latinos in Heritage Conservation in Bastrop, The North Texas Society for History and Culture in Nocona, and the San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation.
The Texas Historical Foundation is an excellent resource for anyone involved in historic preservation, whether you are seeking funding or would like to donate to ensure Texas history is preserved for future generations.
