N.H. Preservation Alliance Gets LCHIP Grant for Planning Studies

Thanks to a grant from the New Hampshire Land & Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), the N.H. Preservation Alliance has secured funding to sponsor more planning studies across the state.

The Orange Town House received a planning study grant in 2021.

The Alliance will use its $60,000 award to distribute approximately fifteen grants to non-profits and municipalities for preliminary planning studies and re-use feasibility studies. These reports are useful tools for groups starting a preservation project or advancing to a new phase. (They are also required for any grant request to LCHIP of $25,000 or more.) The process brings preservation professionals, architects, and/or engineers together to inspect and document a structure’s construction, evolution, and condition; make recommendations for repair and reuse; and provide cost estimates.  The Alliance’s grant program has helped property owners and advocates create “road maps” for 104 community landmarks in 85 towns and cities to date. More on the grants program here.

The LCHIP Board of Directors announced the Preservation Alliance’s grant award on December 14, a list that included ten projects that received a planning study grant in the past, and several others that received advice and cheerleading from Alliance staff. “The Preservation Alliance is proud to have been part of the project development process for many of the new LCHIP grant recipients and extends an invitation to new projects that are seeking funding and guidance for getting started and moving forward,” said Beverly Thomas, deputy director of the N.H. Preservation Alliance. 

“This news is a great boost for communities across the state,” said Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the Preservation Alliance. “LCHIP grants are matching investments that revive historic landmarks, help protect our sense of community and drive new economic activity.”

South Sutton Schoolhouse received a planning study grant in conjunction with the adjacent South Sutton Meetinghouse in 2019.

LCHIP grant recipients are required to match each dollar contributed by LCHIP with a minimum of one additional dollar, and to complete the funded projects according to the program’s rigorous standards. This year’s awards of $4.3 million will be matched by more than $15 million in funding from other public and private sources, infusing a total of more than nineteen million dollars into the state’s economy in direct project activity. Recipients will be expected to completed the funded work within two years. A list of previously completed LCHIP-funded projects can be found at www.LCHIP.org.

Historic preservation activity supports jobs, enhances the tax base, and helps spur additional investment. Because of the labor-intensive nature of rehabilitation, more money circulates in local economies than it does with new construction.

About the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance strengthens communities and stimulates local economies by encouraging the protection and revival of historic buildings and places. The organization worked with legislators, business leaders and conservation colleagues to create the LCHIP program and continues to advocate for sustaining LCHIP’s effective investments.

For more information about a project’s eligibility for this grant program, please contact Andrew Cushing at the N.H. Preservation Alliance, (603) 224-2281.

Stoddard’s Congregational Church will receive a $200,000 LCHIP grant after completing a planning study, courtesy of the Preservation Alliance in 2021.

About New Hampshire’s Land and Community Heritage Investment Program

The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) is an independent state authority created by the legislature in 2000 to ensure the perpetual contribution of natural, cultural and historic resources to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire. Since 2000, LCHIP has provided 564 matching grants to municipalities and non-profit organizations, investing over $58 million to help partners conserve more than 236,000 acres of land and rehabilitate 341 historic buildings. Grants have been awarded in all parts of the state and in 195 of New Hampshire’s 234 communities. The money for LCHIP grants comes from a surcharge assessed when recording documents at county Registries of Deeds. For more information about LCHIP, visit LCHIP.org or call (603) 224-4113