ETF Grant Guidelines

ETF Grant Guidelines is sponsored by Alabama Humanities Council. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

# ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION # 2026 Historic Sites Grant # Grant Application Guidelines The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) will administer a $3,600,000 Historic Sites grant program with funds appropriated by the Alabama Legislature for improvements to and educational programming at historic sites in Alabama.

Grant amounts will not exceed $75,000 for any one entity and must be used within two years of Incomplete applications will not be reviewed . Applications must have all attachments and information requested (names and contact information of personnel, hours of operation, geographic area served, photographs, budgets, E -Verify, Alabama Beason -Hammon Act, signatures, etc.).

Please note the attachment of blank or incomplete forms to allow application submission will be counted as incomplete applications. Grants will be awarded to public or non -profit entities who: ➢ own and operate historic sites in Alabama that are open to the public and reflect a historical education -based mission and concentrate on historical educational programming; or ➢ own monuments that commemorate historical events and places.

Preference will be given to: • any property listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places that was built before 1840 and is publicly owned and accessible to the public; • any property built in or before 1943 that is listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places; • any property built after 1943 that significantly contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. > II.

NON -ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Grants will not be awarded to the following: any state agency, any entity receiving funding directly or indirectly from the Education Trust Fund or the General Fund, including the Alabama Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, or any private or for -profit business or organization. > III.

APPLYING FOR FUNDS Please read these guidelines completely and have all information ready BEFORE you begin the application process. Applicants must complete a 2026 Historic Sites ETF Grant application through the Submittable portal available at the AHC website . The authorized official of the entity who has the authority to apply for grants and sign grant agreements for the organization must sign the application.

Individuals completing applications on the behalf of organizations must submit a letter of approval from the entity along with the application. All attachments must be uploaded with the application to be reviewed. > IV.

Application Components All applicants must have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) to be eligible to apply and must submit a completed and signed Certificate of Compliance with the Alabama Beason -Hammon Act, and a Disclosure Statement (required by Act 2001 -955). Both forms are available on the AHC website . If the organization has one or more employees, an E- Verify Memorandum of Understanding must also be submitted.

The entire E- Verify MOU must be received (not just the signature page). 2 Nonprofit organizations, in addition to the above forms, are required to submit their entity or charter identification number from the Secretary of State of Alabama or a copy of their tax exemption letter from the Internal Revenue Service (if claiming tax -exempt status).

Nonprofit organizations are subject to verification of their non -profit status prior to being evaluated for funding. If awarded a grant, the organization must register with STAARS , the state’s accounting system. For questions about these components and STAARS, > IV.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES These funds may be used for improvements to or educational programming at historic sites in Alabama, and for repair to monuments that commemorate historical events and places.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: correcting structural deficiencies; keeping moisture out of the building; repairing or replacing the roof; painting; correcting conditions that pose a safety hazard to the building occupants or to the building itself; making changes necessary to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); repairing or upgrading mechanical systems; removing cemetery vegetation; repairing grave markers; educational programming; interpretive signage; and monuments to commemorate historical events and places.

For questions about eligible and ineligible activities, contact Grants Team / 334. 230. 2680 Eligible improvement activities include work to historic buildings that follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation .

Work must not alter or remove materials, features, or finishes that are important in defining the building's historic character. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read applicable technical preservation information . Published by the National Park Service, these guidelines contain state -of -the -art information about caring for historic buildings.

For questions about work that follows the Standards for Rehabilitation, contact Chloe Mercer / 334. 230. 2669 Eligible cemetery projects include cleaning and repairing grave markers, repairing fences, and removing vegetation necessary for cemetery preservation.

Work at historic cemeteries must follow proper preservation advice . If the cemetery is 75 years old or older, a cemetery permit will be required from the AHC. Additional guidance about historic cemeteries is available at the AHC cemetery webpage .

For questions about cemetery projects , contact Leanne Waller -Trupp / 334. 230. 2653 > V.

INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES Funds may not be used to purchase alcohol; to fund social activities, ceremonies, banquets, entertainment; lobbying; as contributions to endowment funds; personnel; advertising; to purchase real estate or historic artifacts; landscaping; consultant expenses; administrative overhead, office supplies; or traditional historical markers. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on March 31, 2026.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. AHC will announce the grant awards in May 2026. 3 > VI.

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS Grant funds will be authorized when the applicant and the AHC have received a fully executed agreement signed by the grantee and AHC's Executive Director. Funds will be distributed in two disbursements. Semi -annual reports will be required, along with photos of the completed project(s).

Funds from the grant program may not be expended in cash. All work funded by this grant program must be completed within two years of execution of the grant agreement. The Alabama Historical Commission would appreciate any expression of thanks that grant applicants might give their local legislators for funding this program to help preserve and promote history across our state.

# Karen Smith / 334. 230. 2680 # Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026