Division for Historic Preservation outlines grant programs that support repair of community buildings and barns

Caitlin Corkins, who administers the Building Communities grants for the Division for Historic Preservation, briefed the committee on two grant streams the division manages.

Corkins said the Historic Preservation Grant Program (established 1986) provides 50/50 matching grants of up to $20,000 to nonprofits and municipalities to repair and restore historic public buildings. She said the program had $300,000 in the last fiscal year and the recommended funding remains $300,000 for the coming year; over the life of the program the division has funded roughly 675 projects totaling about $7 million.

Corkins also outlined the Barn Grant Program (established 1992), also offering 50/50 matches up to $20,000 for repairs to historic agricultural buildings. She said the programs together have supported thousands of volunteers and local caretakers but that demand remains higher than available funding. Corkins highlighted practical barriers applicants face, notably difficulty obtaining contractor estimates for specialized masonry, slate roofing and timber-frame repairs, which she said has dampened some application activity in recent years.

Committee members asked for examples; Corkins cited a slate-roof replacement in Middlebury and masonry and window work funded elsewhere and said the division recently awarded about $300,000 across 19 projects in 11 counties in its December round.