$125,000 in Massachusetts Historic Preservation Grant Awards Announced

Plymouth, MA – May 5, 2023 – Preservation Massachusetts, in partnership with The 1772 Foundation, has announced the recipients of their historic preservation matching grant program for Massachusetts. A total of $125,000 was awarded to sixteen nonprofit organizations. The grants ranged in amount from $745 to the grant maximum of $10,000, with eight organizations receiving the latter amount. Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage, and the 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting historic preservation nationwide.

The 1772 Foundation works with statewide historic preservation organizations throughout New England and the northeast, including Preservation Massachusetts, to administer 1:1 matching grants of up to $10,000. Grants are awarded to non-profit organizations to support historic preservation projects for exterior work: painting; surface restoration; fire detection/security systems; repairs to/restoration of chimneys, porches, roofs, and windows; repairs to foundations and sills; and masonry repointing. Projects were evaluated by Preservation Massachusetts staff, who also will manage the grants. Each grantee was required to have matching funds for its project.

President and CEO of Preservation Massachusetts Erin Kelly states, “We were grateful to partner for the fourth consecutive year, with the 1772 Foundation to provide this funding program to stewards of historic buildings across the Commonwealth. Since 2020 this program has demonstrated the significant impact that even small grants can make. The need for dollars to fund critical repairs and the ongoing maintenance of these buildings grows each year. The projects that this year’s grant recipients will undertake help ensure that the historic resources that are integral parts of our communities remain for tomorrow. Over the past three rounds of offering this program, we have been able to assist grateful organizations from the Cape and Islands to The Berkshires with the support of our partners at The 1772 Foundation.” President of The 1772 Foundation Margaret Waldock commented on the importance of these grants to the preservation community. “With these grants, The 1772 Foundation continues its investment in preservation efforts that protect assets of community importance. While the individual grants may seem small, we have found they leverage considerable local resources and opportunities — community provided matching dollars, support for local businesses and tradespeople, and the long-term power of incremental, small-scale capital investments in roofs, windows, and structural improvements that protect and maintain the value of assets over time.”