Preservation Assistance

If you own an older property that is at risk due to development pressures, or perhaps it’s just in need of some TLC, and you’d like to talk to someone about what you can do, please contact us. We can give you a sense of whether your property might qualify as a historic landmark, walk through what your options are for preservation, and connect you to professionals that have experience working with historic properties.

While our introductory services are free, repairs, maintenance, and documentation are not. But there are a variety of loans, grants, and other assistance programs available to owners of historic properties. Each program works differently, with different requirements as well as varying levels of assistance. We can suggest which programs might be most appropriate for your situation and direct you towards people who might be able to help you secure financial assistance.

Getting Listed on a Historic Register

Some grant programs require that properties be either listed through a local historic landmarking program, or through the State or National Register of Historic Places. Within Larimer County, only properties in Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud and Windsor can be locally landmarked. For properties outside of these municipalities, a National or State Register listing may be required.

Fort Collins: Contact Karen McWilliams through the Fort Collins Historic Preservation Department.

Loveland: Contact Nikki Garshelis through Loveland Department Services.

Berthoud: Contact Adam Olinger, the Community Development Director.

Windsor: Learn more about Windsor’s historic preservation program on the City’s website.

State or National: Contact the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). History Colorado has extensive resources available on their website.

Grant Programs

State Historical Fund Grants: Funds are distributed through a competitive process and all projects must demonstrate strong public benefit and community support.  Grants vary in size, from a few hundred dollars to amounts in excess of $200,000.  The State Historical Fund assists in a wide variety of preservation projects including restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings, architectural assessments, archaeological excavations, designation and interpretation of historic places, preservation planning studies, and education and training programs. Learn more. And even more.

Certified Local Government Grants: CLG grants are only awarded to counties and municipalities that have been designated as a CLG prior to the grant application submittal deadline in order to be eligible for CLG grant funding. If you’re looking for financial assistance with something that will also benefit your local municipality, and your local municipality is a CLG, then you may be able to work together to secure the funds. Larimer County is not currently a CLG, but Fort Collins, Loveland, and Berthoud are. Learn more. 

Larimer County Small Grants for Community Partnering: Initiated in 1997, the Small Grants for Community Partnering (SGCP) program is an inherent part of Larimer County Natural Resources’ Open Lands Program as a way to give back a portion of the Help Preserve Open Spaces 1/4-cent sales tax funds directly to communities throughout Larimer County. Since 2008, Larimer County has awarded $287,800 for 192 community and neighborhood projects that connect people to the land. The Help Preserve Open Spaces sales tax initiative was initially approved by Larimer County citizens in 1995 and extended by the citizens in 1999 and again in 2014. Learn more.

Hart Family Fund for Small Towns: Grants from the Hart Family Fund for Small Towns are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects in small towns. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for particular projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. Grants from the Hart Family Fund for Small Towns generally range from $2,500 to $15,000. The selection process is very competitive. The review process is generally completed within three months of the application deadline, and applicants are notified via email once the review process is complete. Learn more.

The National Fund for Sacred Places: The National Fund for Sacred Places is a grant-making program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Fund is guided by an Advisory Committee, bringing together faith leaders, architects, and philanthropists from across the country to inform the grant-making process. Through this partnership, roughly 50 houses of worship will be awarded $10 million over 4 years beginning in 2016. The National Fund is made possible by generous financial support from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., with additional support in 2019 from the Gerry Charitable Trust. Learn more.

Peter Grant Preservation Fund for Colorado: In 2004, the National Trust received a gift from the Gates Family Foundation in recognition of William W. “Peter” Grant’s outstanding service as a trustee of the Foundation from 1978 to 2003 and to honor his lifelong devotion to historic preservation in Colorado.  Additional gifts from individuals and businesses created the Peter Grant Preservation Fund for Colorado.  Grants from this fund will help preserve and enhance historic places in Colorado for future generations. Grants made from the Peter Grant Preservation Fund for Colorado will normally range from $1,000 to $10,000.  It is anticipated that the total amount of grants from the endowment will be $30,000 each year.  The endowment will be managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Only Organizational Level Forum members or Main Street America members of the National Trust are eligible to apply for funding from the Peter Grant Fund for Colorado. To learn more about Forum and to join today, visit our website. Public agencies, 501(c) (3), and other nonprofit organizations are eligible. Learn more.

El Pomar: A private general purpose foundation, El Pomar accepts applications from 501(c)3 organizations serving the state of Colorado in the areas of arts and culture, civic and community initiatives, education, health, and human services.

Daughters of the American Revolution: To get a better sense of what our local DAR group does, check out their What We Do page. They place historical markers and plaques, but are also involved with education and may be interested in hearing about local preservation projects.

Questers: Questers provides grants for some types of building repair and maintenance as well as for historic artifacts associated with the buildings. Buildings must be already listed on a historical register, “museums and/or landmarks which are 501 (c) (3) non profits and publicly owned government agencies.” Any buildings that are individually owned are not eligible. And any new construction, new windows, new doors, etc. are not eligible.

Rotary: There are Rotary clubs throughout Larimer County and each have community grant programs. The Rotary Club of Fort Collins offers grants quarterly with a different focus for each quarter. The Rotary Club of Loveland also has grants as well as a Berthoud satellite (which may offer its own grants?). The Rotary Club of Estes Park offers grants periodically. 

Tax Credit Programs

Colorado State Tax Credits: Receive back 20% of all approved costs, in the form of a dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit, for work on both the interior and exterior of designated resources. Any unused credit may be carried forward for ten years. Learn more.

Federal Tax Credits: An additional 20% federal tax credit, for the substantial rehabilitation of historic buildings utilized for income-producing purposes (including rental properties). 10% federal tax credit for the substantial rehabilitation of non-residential buildings, not eligible for designation but located within a designated historic district. These are in addition to the 20% State Tax Credit. Learn more. (Note: These tax credits are currently at risk in the latest Federal budget cycle. Let your representatives know that you’d like to keep these tax credits available into the future.)

Loans

Fort Collins Landmark Rehabilitation 0% Interest Loans: The City of Fort Collins provides matching funds of up to $7,500 each year, for approved exterior work to locally landmarked properties within the city. The no-interest loan amounts are paid back only when the property is sold. The loan program is competitive, so actual funding will depend upon the quantity and quality of applications received that round. Learn more.

Colorado Historic Foundation Loans: Below market, fixed-rate loans to recipients of State Historic Fund grants, to supplement the grants. Loans typically require minimal down payments and have flexible repayment terms. Loans of less than $100,000 or over $750,000 are considered only under unusual circumstances. Learn more.

Local Contractors

Wattle and Daub: Wattle and Daub’s project management and construction activities are focused exclusively on historic building preservation, restoration and construction. They tend to focus on important public buildings such as state capitols, courthouses, museums, theatres, churches and schools. Learn more.

Empire Carpentry: Empire Carpentry specializes in ground-up construction, renovations, add-ons, and remodeling. Their focus is in residential, commercial and historical restorations in Colorado. Learn more.

Deep Roots Craftsmen: Deep Roots Craftsmen (formerly Deep Roots Timberworks) pride themselves on creative approaches to difficult problems with everything from small renovations to ground-up commercial and residential. Learn more. 

More to come. Have a recommendation, let us know! (Use the contact us page.)