Certified Local Government Grants
About Certified Local Government Subgrants
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) annually passes through 10% of our federal Historic Preservation Fund grant to Certified Local Governments (CLGs) through a competitive subgrant program.
Subgrants to CLGs in Wisconsin are awarded once per year. The application deadline is typically in December, and awards are finalized in February.
Deadlines for the federal fiscal year 2027 grant cycle
September 11, 2026: Letter of Intent is due
December 18, 2026: Application is due
Subgrant Awards for 2026
The State Historic Preservation Office has awarded $127,000 in federal Historic Preservation Fund subgrants to five Wisconsin Certified Local Governments (CLGs) for 2026. These funds were provided to the State Historic Preservation Office by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (federal, state and local) is required by CLGs and any consultants hired to complete these subgrant projects.
The CLGs will initiate a competitive bidding process for qualified consultants with experience in historic preservation who meet the professional qualifications set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations 36 CFR 61, Appendix A, the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation." The work is to be started following a signed contract between the CLG and the consultant and must be completed by March 2028.
This subgrant program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:
Office of Equal Opportunity
National Park Service
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240
City of Mineral Point, Iowa County
Update historic property survey of city, up to $34,500
City of Stoughton, Dane County
Update historic property survey of city, up to $30,000
Green Bay, Brown County
Nominate the Astor Park Historic District, up to $20,000
Middleton, Dane County
Nominate the Saks Woods Historic District, up to $14,000
Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County
Nominate two historic districts and one individual property, up to $28,500
General Program Information
No match is required for subgrants. The total funding amount available is approximately $125,000 each year. The maximum individual grant amount is $50,000. Grant funds are disbursed on a cost-reimbursement basis.
The federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior. The HPF is derived from federal offshore oil leases, not from tax revenues. The Catalog of Federal Assistance number is 15.904. In Wisconsin, subgrants from this fund are administered by the Wisconsin SHPO.
Who May Apply?
Only Wisconsin CLGs may apply.
Please see our map of all current Wisconsin CLGs.
What Type of Projects are Eligible for Funding?
All proposed projects must assist Wisconsin historic resources in one of the following ways:
Surveys of communities or neighborhoods to identify architectural, archaeological, and historical places important to local history. For intensive survey projects, the applicant must have survey boundaries approved by SHPO staff prior to application.
Nominations of historic places to the National Register of Historic Places or as local landmarks. For nomination of a historic district, the CLG must have a defined district previously evaluated by SHPO and hold a community engagement meeting for property owners with SHPO staff prior to submitting the application.
Educational projects including workshops, apps, webinars, publications, or other innovative public programs that use historic places to teach about local history.
Planning documents such as historic preservation plans or design guidelines for local historic properties.
Host CAMP training in collaboration with National Alliance of Preservation Commissions to host a Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program (CAMP) in your city.
- Identify an eligible project in your CLG community, in consultation with the SHPO CLG coordinator.
- If the project is a survey or National Register nomination, conduct public engagement sessions during the summer or fall prior to submitting your application.
- Submit a Letter of Intent to apply by the deadline outlining the proposed project.
- Consult the Application Guidelines for full eligibility requirements and applicable rules.
- Complete a CLG Subgrant Application and submit to Certified Local Governments by the deadline.
Subgrant Criteria
Federal Fiscal Year 2027
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) staff use these criteria to review and rate CLG subgrant applications. Staff are available to review project ideas and draft applications as schedules allow, in the order they are received, until the application deadline.
Grant proposals must first meet the minimum requirements of the Subgrant Criteria to be considered. Applications that meet the minimum requirements are then scored by reviewers in seven categories.
A National Register Listed Property
Scoring
Reviewers assign scores based on the quality of the information provided for each category:
- zero points for a poor response
- mid-point for average
- maximum points for a comprehensive response.
The reviewers' scores are averaged to determine the application's final score. All applications are then ranked by score to determine which projects will receive subgrant funding.
High Score
Projects to be awarded up to the amount of Historic Preservation Fund subgrant funding available.
Medium Score
Projects that would be appropriate to fund if remaining subgrant funding is available after all high score projects have been fully funded.
Low Score
Project as submitted is not recommended for funding because it did not meet the application criteria.
Application Review and Grant Award Process
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Review & Score
SHPO staff reviews and scores applications according to the Subgrant Evaluation Criteria above
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Board Approval
CLG Coordinator presents staff award recommendations to the Wisconsin Historic Preservation Review Board at the February board meeting for approval.
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Final Grant Awards Announced
CLG Coordinator announces final grant awards in March.
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Sign Grant Agreement
CLG representative and the State Historic Preservation Officer sign grant agreement.
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Request for Bids Issued
CLG issues a Request for Bids (RFB) for qualified historic preservation consultants according to the municipality's established RFB process.
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Contract Executed
CLG staff executes a contract with the chosen consultant. Sample contracts are available from the CLG coordinator.
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Work Performed
Consultant performs the work of the project with technical assistance from CLG staff.
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Reimbursement
CLG submits expense records to SHPO using the Reimbursement Request Form for reimbursement up to the amount of the grant award.
Refer to the Subgrant Manual for complete guidance on the rules, procedures, and requirements of this grant program. Failure to meet all of the requirements and procedures in the manual may result in cancellation of a subgrant and return of any affected reimbursement.
Rehabilitation, repair, or restoration
Rehabilitation, repair, or restoration work is not eligible for CLG subgrant funding. The Wisconsin SHPO also coordinates the historic preservation tax credit program.
Contact Us Today!
You can contact the below offices by phone or by email using the links:
Archaeology: 608-264-6496
Review and Compliance: 608-261-2457
Historic Buildings: 608-264-6502
Burial Sites Preservation: 608-264-6464
National Register of Historic Places: 608-264-6502
Certified Local Governments: 608-264-6512
Report Burial Discovery Emergencies (Toll-Free in WI): 800-342-7834
Last Updated: June 29, 2026
