Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Click below to learn more about the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund.
The Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund was established by legislation in 2016 to provide an annual source of matching grants from the state’s corporate business tax for historic preservation projects. The Preserve New Jersey Fund continues the work of the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund (2000-2012) and the Historic Preservation Bond Program (1990-1997). Since 1990, more than $145 million in matching grants has been awarded to worthy historic preservation construction and planning projects throughout the state.
In November 2014, New Jersey voters approved a change to the state constitution to provide a stable source of funding for open space, farmland, and historic preservation by dedicating funds from the Corporate Business Tax.
The implementing legislation (S2456) was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in June 2016. The legislation defines the percentage of funding for the Historic Preservation Fund at 5 percent (likely between $3 and 4 million in available grant funds each year). However, the specific amount of available funding each year will be determined upon the resolution of that year's budget.
We are pleased to announce the 2023 Preserve New Jersey grant round!
Applications are due no later than 4:00pm on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. For this round, the Trust will be offering Capital, Historic Site Management, Municipal, County, and Regional Planning, and Heritage Tourism Planning grants.
For full details about each grant type, award limits, matching requirements, and eligibility, please see the 2023 Grant Guidelines. Click the links below to learn more about each specific grant type:
Click here for more information about Capital grants.
Click here for more information about Historic Site Management (HSM) grants.
Click here for more information about Municipal, County, and Regional Planning grants.
Click here for more information about Heritage Tourism grants.
Please note, the application is digital. In addition to your digital submission, you will also be required to submit a USB with all required supporting documents. Please see the "Supporting Documents" section below for links to the Supporting Documents Checklist for each grant type.
If you are sending your USB to us via the United States Postal Service (USPS), please use the following address:
New Jersey Historic Trust
Department of Community Affairs
P.O. Box 457
Trenton, NJ 08625-0212
If you are sending your USB to us via a delivery service such as FedEx or UPS, please use the following address:
New Jersey Historic Trust
101 South Broad Street, Sixth Floor
Trenton, NJ 08608
If you are unable to send your USB via mail or delivery service, we will be allowing in-person deliveries on Wednesday, April 19 in room 129 of the lobby of the DCA building at 101 S. Broad Street. You will be able to drop off your USB from 8am to 4pm.
- Entities of county, municipal, or state government
- 501(c) tax exempt organizations that comply with New Jersey charity registration laws
Nonprofit organizations are not eligible to apply for projects that benefit churches and houses of worship
Read the guidelines carefully before applying. The guidelines include important information about eligible applicants and activities, criteria for evaluation, schedule for review, and more.
2023 Preserve New Jersey Grant Guidelines
Each grant type has its own separate application for the 2023 grant round. All applicants are required to submit the online application, as well as a USB with all required attachments by the application deadline of April 19, 2023 at 4:00pm. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grant application, please reach out to NJHT staff directly.
Below are links to the online applications for each grant type:
Historic Site Management (HSM) Online Application
Municipal, County, and Regional Planning (MCRP) Online Application
Heritage Tourism Online Application
Below are links to the Word and PDF versions of the applications for each grant type:
Capital Application - Word and PDF
Historic Site Management (HSM) Application - Word and PDF
Municipal, County, and Regional Planning (MCRP) Application – Word and PDF
The Trust requires specific supporting documentation as part of the grant application. These documents must be uploaded to a USB Drive and must be received via mail or in-person by April 19, 2023 at 4:00pm. If you are having trouble completing all the required attachments, please reach out to NJHT staff directly.
Supporting documents must be organized into labeled folders that correspond to the attachment section. The USB drive must also contain a Table of Contents listing all supporting documents on the drive. Please note that the documentation requirements vary slightly among the different grant types--be sure to use the correct checklist when completing your application. Below are links to the Supporting Document Checklists for each grant type:
Capital Supporting Documents Checklist
Historic Site Management (HSM) Supporting Documents Checklist
Municipal, County, and Regional Planning Supporting Documents Checklist
Heritage Tourism Supporting Documents Checklist
Below are links to some of the required forms:
Click here for the Governing Body Resolution form.
Click here for the Applicant Assurances form.
Click here for the Owner Assurances form.
Click here for the MCRP Owner Assurances form.
Click here for the Owner Authorization form.
On January 19, 2023 the Trust held a free Applicant Workshop as a virtual webinar hosted via Zoom. We strongly encourage prospective applicants to review the workshop materials to learn about the 2023 grant application.
Click here to view the presentation on YouTube
Click here to view a PDF of the presentation