REvitalizeME Downtown Historic Preservation Grants

REvitalizeME Downtown Historic Preservation Grants is sponsored by Maine Development Foundation. Provides grants for historic preservation projects to foster economic development in designated downtowns.

REvitalizeME Downtown Grant | Maine Development Foundation REvitalizeME Downtown Grant Program Open REvitalizeME Downtown, funded through the National Park Service, Paul Bruhn Revitalization Grant Program will offer historic preservation grants to historic property owners located in 24 Maine Downtown Center communities that are classified as current Main Streets or Downtown Affiliates. Email Anne Ball with any questions.

REvitalizeME Downtown will offer development grants to historic properties for preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation in MDC downtowns. Eligible properties for this subgrant program will be those that provide infrastructure—broadly defined—that contributes to the social and economic life of the town and the surrounding area and represents the history of the local community.

Eligible properties may include, but are not limited to, historic theaters, community centers, libraries, museums, retail establishments, cafes/restaurants, co-working spaces, shared commercial kitchens, entrepreneurial hubs, and municipal buildings.

Buildings, structures, sites and objects listed in the National Register deteriorate over time; therefore, these properties require periodic work to preserve and protect their historic significance and integrity. Eligible projects include activities that preserve or restore historic properties, and may include exterior, interior, or historic landscape work, as well as limited updating of HVAC systems.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties define appropriate preservation and restoration treatments for historic properties. Project-specific plans and specifications that meet the SOIS for the Treatment of Historic Properties must be complete at time of application and submitted with application for review.

See if your project is eligible for this program See the grant manual for a comprehensive guide to applying and other grant info. **PLEASE NOTE: this is a draft manual, pending potential edits from NPS. The finalized manual will be shared soon.

Ready to apply? Fill out an application. DUE October 14, 2026 @ 5:00PM PDF of application linked here for planning purposes; the link to apply will be live soon pending final edits from NPS.

Watch the recording of the webinar providing an overview of the grant, application process, and a Q&A. Join us for virtual open-office hours for extra guidance. Preservation Professionals Directories of Architects, Engineers, Consutants, Contractors, Tradespeople, etc. See projects that have been previously awarded REvitalizeME funding.

Video Credit: Maine Preservation Check out two previous REvitalizeME grant recipients Peavey Memorial Library (Eastport, ME) and Johnson Hall (Gardiner, ME), honored this year at Maine Preservation’s 2025 Honor Awards. (Recognition for Johnson Hall starts at 5:05 and Peavey Memorial Library starts at 20:30).