DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Division of Historical ResourcesFY2015 Historic Preservation Special Category Grants Solicitation
Notice of Solicitation for
2015 Special Category Grants-in-Aid
October 15, 2012 – December 15, 2012
The purpose of this notice is to formally announce that the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, is currently soliciting applications for the Historic Preservation Special Category Grants-in-Aid Program.
SPECIAL CATEGORY GRANTS PROGRAM
The purpose of the Special Category Grants Program is to provide funding to assist major local, regional and state-wide efforts to preserve significant historic structures and archaeological sites, to assist major archaeological excavations, and assist in the development, fabrication and installation of major museum exhibits that will promote knowledge and appreciation of the history of Florida. For the purpose of this program, the term “major” means projects with grant funding needs in excess of $50,000. This program does not fund operational support for museums or historic preservation organizations.
SOLICITATION PERIOD
The solicitation period begins October 15, 2012, and extends through December 15, 2012. The online application is available at www.flheritage.com/grants. Online applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., December 15, 2012. In addition, one paper copy of the application and all required attachments must be delivered to: Bureau of Historic Preservation, R. A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250 no later than 5:00 p.m., December 15, 2012 OR be clearly postmarked on or before December 15, 2012, OR show evidence of submission to an express mail service on or before December 15, 2012. If access to the online application is not available, arrangements for the submission of paper applications may be made by calling: The Bureau, (850)245-6333 or Toll Free: 1(800)847-7278.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
Funding availability will depend upon legislative appropriation during the 2014 Legislative Session. Recommended grant awards will range from $50,000 to $350,000.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY
Eligible applicants include departments or agencies of the State of Florida (including state universities); units of county, municipal or other local governments; or any Florida not-for-profit corporation, institution, or organization.
Religious organizations are eligible to apply for grant-in-aid assistance. However, eligible development activities involving religious properties are limited to work on the exterior of the property and only to those interior activities that are essential to the preservation of the structural integrity of the property. For clarification, “religious properties” include any real property and associated improvements owned by a religious institution such as churches, schools, meeting halls and parish houses and any real property, regardless of ownership, that is used as a place of worship.
For historical museum projects, applicants must be a governmental or non-profit Florida history museum. A Florida history museum is an institution established permanently in Florida, promoting and encouraging knowledge and appreciation of Florida history through the collection, presentation, exhibition, and interpretation of artifacts and other historical items related to Florida history. The mission of the museum must relate directly to the history of Florida.
PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING
1. Acquisition of historic properties or archaeological sites;
2. Development activities, including: restoration, rehabilitation, preservation, and reconstruction, and site-specific planning required for these activities;
3. Archaeological excavation projects, including: research, field investigation, testing, analysis and publication of findings; and
4. Museum exhibit projects for Florida history museums, including: research, exhibit design, fabrication and installation.
Museum Exhibit projects involve development and presentation of exhibitions and educational materials on the history of the human occupation of Florida through use of artifacts, graphics, audiovisual elements, text panels and educational materials. Projects must result in a tangible product related to Florida history.
Property for which an applicant is requesting Special Category grant assistance does not need to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. However, if a property is not listed in the National Register, the applicant must provide sufficient information to allow its historic significance to be fully evaluated. Such historical information for properties that are designated under a local historic preservation ordinance may be contained in a local Designation Report. For other properties, this information may be contained in a historic sites survey report or other documentation. For those properties where this information is not available, the applicant may include historical research as one of the proposed grant work items. A portion of grant funding (up to $2,000) may be used to pay for this activity. It is not necessary to supply this information for historical museum exhibition projects, unless the museum is located in a historic building.
All proposals for restoration or rehabilitation work must follow the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and all proposals for archaeological excavations must follow the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Archaeological Documentation.
Other preservation activities may also be eligible for grant assistance. If you have a question about the eligibility of a project or work element, please call: The Bureau of Historic Preservation, (850)245-6333 or 1(800)847-7278.
AWARD AMOUNT AND MATCH REQUIREMENTS
The applicant shall request no more than $350,000 in a single application. The minimum grant request amount for the Special Category Grant Program is $50,000.
The match requirement for the Special Category Grant Program shall be the greater of $50,000 or 50 percent of the requested grant amount unless as reduced for communities participating in the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) program, administered by the Governor’s Office of Department of Economic Opportunity. The match requirement shall be reduced to 10 percent of the requested grant amount for projects within rural communities designated as REDI-qualified in accordance with Sections 288.0656 and 288.06561, Florida Statutes. The community in which the project site is located must be a REDI community at the time of application. A list of REDI qualified counties and municipalities is available from the Department of Economic Opportunity, http://www.florida-redi.com/.
An applicant organization may submit only one (1) Historic Preservation Special Category Grant Application under a single application deadline. State, county or city governments, or universities may submit single applications from more than one division or department during any grant cycle, provided that those divisions or departments are separate and distinct budgetary units, and provided that applications do not address the same facility, project or site.
Grantees may have no more than one (1) previously awarded Special Category grant open at the time of application. Applications from applicants with more than one open Special Category grant shall be declared ineligible by staff and such applications shall be returned to the applicant with a written explanation.
In computing grant match, please note that, while direct administrative costs for conducting grant activities will be considered allowable expenditures, in aggregate, the amount of these costs (whether grant funded and/or part of the match) may not exceed 10% of the grant award request. In valuing in-kind services and donated materials, please be sure to use a value that reflects a typical fair market value you would pay if you were purchasing such services. Volunteer labor is typically valued at the current State of Florida minimum wage.
Please be aware that you may not use expenditures of any kind made prior to the grant period as part of your match.
Match must be fully documented in Attachment A of the application. This documentation will be reviewed in detail by staff. In review of applications, no preference will be given to projects with an overmatch. Match may be in the form of cash, in-kind services, volunteer labor, or donated materials. A minimum of 25 percent of the match must be cash on hand. The match must relate directly to the specific project for which grant funds are being requested and not to activities or expenditures involving other exhibits, or buildings or sites in an associated complex of historic buildings or archaeological sites. The match, as stipulated in the application, must be expended during the grant period on the described project and be fully documented. Any promised match that is not spent may result in reduction of the grant award by a proportional amount.
It is important that an applicant document support for the project for which funding is requested. It is highly recommended that between 10 and 15 letters of support, endorsements, resolutions, and other documentation evidencing local, regional or statewide support for the project be included with the submission of the paper copy of the application.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Applications will be accepted online between October 15, 2012 and 11:59 p.m., December 15, 2012. In addition to the submission of the online application, to be considered for funding, one paper copy of the application plus attachments and signature forms must be delivered to the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources on or before 5:00 p.m., December 15, 2012 OR be clearly postmarked OR show evidence of submission to an express mail service on or before December 15, 2012.
APPLICATION REVIEW AND PROJECT SELECTION
Eligible applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis by the Florida Historical Commission (FHC) in a public meeting scheduled for March 21-22, 2013 (subject to change). The Commission will review applications pursuant to criteria in subsection 1A-39.008(8), Florida Administrative Code, and recommend those applications that should be forwarded to the 2014 Legislature for funding consideration. A level of funding (full or partial) will be recommended for each project. In accordance with the Government Performance and Accountability Act of 1994, the Division of Historical Resources is mandated to increase the number of historic and archaeological properties protected or preserved for public use. As a result, in order to meaningfully benefit as many properties as possible, projects may not be recommended for the full amount requested; rather, the Commission may recommend an amount intended as a significant contribution to the project. The Commission will also rank, in priority, those projects that it recommends.
Unfunded projects included on the State Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Roll Over List will receive no advantage in the competition for 2015 Special Category grant funding. This solicitation is for a new and open competition for eligible applicants and projects.
The Florida Historical Commission will recommend to the Secretary of State, the projects that should be forwarded to the Legislature to be considered for funding. This recommendation will not result in any immediate grant award. The award and level of funding for each Special Category project will be subject to specific legislative appropriation.
The Commission will take into consideration which applicants appear best able to utilize funding within 24 months, beginning on July 1, 2014 and ending on June 30, 2016. In this reference, applicants should be careful not to request more funds than they could reasonably expect to expend within a 24-month period. It is important to keep in mind that, for large projects, five or six months may be required to develop satisfactory plans and specifications before actual work could begin. Plans, specifications, and all contracts must be submitted to the Bureau of Historic Preservation for review and approval before the implementation of any work.
For projects receiving funding from the 2014 Florida Legislature, funds will become available after July 1, 2014, which is the beginning of the 2014-2015 State Fiscal Year. The funds must be fully obligated (under contract) by June 30, 2015. Any unexpended balance of grant funds will revert to the state at the end of the 24-month period, on June 30, 2016.
ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
To receive grant funds, grantees will be required to sign a Grant Award Agreement containing specific administrative responsibilities. Grantees with rehabilitation or restoration projects will also be required to execute Restrictive Covenants that must be recorded with the property deed by the Clerk of Circuit Court in the county where the property is located. These covenants require that, in exchange for state grant funds, the grantee will not undertake modifications to the property (other than routine repairs and maintenance) for a period of ten years without review and approval of plans and specifications by the Division. Additional information regarding these covenants is available from the Bureau on request.
For projects involving properties other than real property (e.g. aircraft, locomotive or marine vessel), the grantee must submit an executed and notarized Preservation Agreement in which the grantee and property owner shall commit to assuming the cost of maintenance and repair of the property, permit no alterations without prior permission from the Division, and allow the inspection of the property by the Division for a period of ten years. Detailed information about the Preservation Agreement is available from the Bureau upon request.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you have any questions regarding proposed projects or the online application form, please call staff of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, 1(800)847-7278 or (850)245-6333. Questions regarding architectural projects should be directed to: Phillip Wisley, R.A. Other questions regarding the Historic Preservation Special Category Grants Program can be directed to any member of the Bureau’s Historic Preservation Grants staff.
