ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

Projects considered for grants must support the DAR mission area of historic preservation, and successful applicants must agree to publicly recognize DAR’s contribution. In order to benefit posterity, secure recognition for DAR and produce lasting value from the grants, please note these important guiding principles:

1. Projects related to all chapters of American history will be considered; however, preference will be given to those projects that relate to the Colonial-through-the-Federal periods.
2. The maximum grant award is $10,000; smaller projects are encouraged. In order to assure ultimate completion of the project, all other funding (beyond that requested via this grant) must be already firmly secured. Projects should be tangible and long-lived, with lasting historic preservation benefit. Therefore, ineligible requests include administrative or operating expenses (e.g. rent, salaries, benefits, utilities, printing); surveys; permits; travel (e.g. mileage, lodging, meals, site rental); food/beverage; vehicles; fundraising; conferences; reenactments, performances; trips, camps, workshops; and political activities.
3. Recipients awarded a DAR Historic Preservation Grant during one administration must wait until the next DAR administration (e.g., July 2022–June 2025) before applying for an additional grant for another project or a different phase of the same project.
4. DAR Chapters and State Societies are eligible to apply for grants associated with properties/sites that are owned or operated by the DAR entity and included in the NSDAR Historic Sites database; no more than 20 percent of grants will be awarded to DAR Chapters or State Societies in a given cycle. Funding will not be approved for State Regent Projects, for digitizing Chapter records, or for other lineage societies projects.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

A grant application must be an online submission via the Historic Preservation Grant computer portal http://dar.academicworks.com/hpgrants. The portal is open from August 1st to October 31st. No emailed information will be accepted. All information must be submitted by the deadline. No exceptions will be made or granted
The portal address is my best guess!!

The application will require:

• Organizational description
• Contact information
• Brief project statement and budget summary
• DAR Chapter or State Society sponsor name
• Specific Organization Information
• General and financial information/overview about the organization
• Project Information — detailed description of the project, and phases if applicable
• Summary of the project need, urgency and benefit to the community
• Name and title of the project manager; information on consultation of professionals
• Description of how DAR will be recognized for participation in the project
• Detailed itemizations of the project budget, in-kind contributions and timeline – project may not begin prior to May 1, 2024. There is space for up to 10 items in budget and prospective timeline.

ATTACHMENTS

The following documents will need to be electronically included in your application.

1. Sponsorship Letter: A one-page letter of sponsorship signed by the current regent of a DAR Chapter or State Society, preferably on letterhead with complete contact information, citing its name, location and email address/telephone number of the officer. The letter may be brief but must express support for the project; personal endorsements are not accepted. (A grant applicant may contact the national vice chair by email to locate a local DAR Chapter or State Society.)
2. A DAR Chapter or State Society applying for a grant may write its own sponsorship letter.
3. IRS 501©(3) Public Charity Letter and EIN: A copy of page one of the applicant’s IRS 501©(3) public charity determination letter. If the EIN is not included on the IRS letter, it should be noted in the margin. Verification will be made to ensure the entity is current on its appropriate IRS 990 filing. DAR chapters or state societies appropriately filing their IRS 990/EZ/N returns are covered under DAR’s nonprofit umbrella. They need not provide their 501©(3) determination letter; their EIN must be provided in Part 1.
   
   Note: An entity may not apply under the sponsorship name and/or EIN of another non-profit.
4. Resume or summary of experience of Project Manager or person who will oversee the project.
   
   Note: Once a document is uploaded into your application it cannot be deleted. So please be sure you are uploading the correct document.

Only complete applications will receive consideration.

JUDGING AND AWARD OF GRANTS

All grants are judged and awarded competitively without regard to gender, race, color, religion, national origin or disability. Notification of an awarded grant, including a Grant Agreement Form, is emailed by the national vice chair by May 1 following approval by the NSDAR Executive Committee.

DISTRIBUTION OF GRANT FUNDS AND PROGRESS REPORTS

Following DAR’s receipt of the completed Grant Agreement Form and documentation of secured funds, half of the approved grant funds are disbursed to the grantee by July 1. A six-month project status report is required, along with receipts/invoices for work included in the report. The remainder of the funds is distributed, pending approval, after submission of the final report including paid receipts for ALL aspects of the project and at least three .jpg photos. This report is submitted to the National Vice Chair, either electronically or by mail. (Records substantiating that grant funds received have been used solely for the purposes described in the application must be maintained by the grantee and available for inspection.) Questions regarding DAR Historic Preservation Grants may be directed to hpgrants@nsdar.org