Heritage Grants | AustinTexas.gov

The Heritage Grant serves to promote tourism through the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings, sites or districts.

Eligibility

Use of hotel occupancy taxes must directly enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry. Non-profit, government entities and commercial properties who own or lease historic designated properties -OR- are a historic property within a designated historic district are eligible to apply. Projects must be at, or in the immediate vicinity of, convention center facilities, or located in the areas that would be frequented by tourists.

Eligible Heritage Grants:

Heritage Capital Projects
Preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings, sites or districts.

Site-Specific Heritage Tourism Projects
Planning, educational and marketing related projects that enhance the understanding of significant historic places/events or provide new insight or new perspectives on well documented places/events tied to a historic site. Potential projects could include:

Digital projects
Improved preservation and access to special collections and exhibits
Development of augmented and virtual reality applications or websites
Audiovisual collections
Preservation Plans
Historic nomination/designation fees
Website improvement
Exhibit materials
Tourist marketing materials, such as brochures and rack cards

Please Note: Owner-occupied properties are ineligible to apply.

The Heritage Grant Application Period is Closed.

Process

Before you apply, make sure that the property is historic, and that you are registered as a vendor. Both of these are requirements for eligibility. Below are the steps you will need to take, along with some helpful links, before you fill out your application for the Heritage Grant.

Step 1: Verify if the property is historic: A property can be designated historic at three levels: local, state, and national.

Verify local or National Register designation by looking up the property's address using the City of Austin Historic Property Viewer;
Verify if a property is designated historic at the state level (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark/RTHL) or individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, search on the Texas Historic Sites Atlas Map. If the property has a Historical Marker, click on the Details link and look at the “Designations” line to find out if the property is an RTHL. A Historical Marker is not equivalent to historic designation;
Use this guide for additional search options and insight from the Historic Preservation staff; or
Contact the Historic Preservation Office.