Archive for category Funding Programs
Recipients of Heritage Fund Grants Selected
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Funding Programs, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories on March 1, 2013
Annapolis Market Space Flooding
Preservation Maryland is pleased to announce it has recently awarded Heritage Fund grants totaling $21,500 to nine nonprofit organizations and local governments. The Heritage Fund provides funds for preservation projects and organizations for a variety of purposes – from emergency repairs to case studies – and range from $500 to $5000.
$1,000 Apples United Church of Christ, Frederick Co.
$3,000 Chesapeake Conservancy, Harford/Cecil Co.
$4,000 City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co.
$2,500 Cromwell Valley Park Council, Baltimore Co.
$2,000 Historic Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co.
$2,500 Parks and People Foundation, Baltimore City
$2,000 Royal Oak Community UM Church, Talbot Co.
$3,000 St. Thomas Episcopal Parish, Prince George’s Co.
$1,500 Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, Anne Arundel Co.
The next deadline for grant applications is June 1, 2013. For further information about the recipients and Heritage Fund grants, click here or contact Marilyn Benaderet at 410-685-2886 x303.
Under Construction – Rosenwald Schools Initiative
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Preservation Stories on February 21, 2013
I am excited to announce that Preservation Maryland will soon kick of the Rosenwald Schools of Maryland Initiative. The Rosenwald School building program played a prominent and pivotal role in the education of African Americans in the early 20th century. A result of a partnership between Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute and Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, the Rosenwald Fund provided matching grants for more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher’s residences built in 15 southern states, between 1917 and 1932. The schools became obsolete in 1954 with the Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in education. Many of the schools were abandoned or demolished and their invaluable contributions forgotten. There are an estimated 800 schools still standing around the country.
Despite their critical role in the education of a large portion of the southern population, Rosenwald Schools are a largely unfamiliar component of the educational history of the United States. As a consequence, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) named Rosenwald Schools to its 2002 list of Most Endangered sites. More recently, Rosenwald Schools were designated as one of the first thirty-two of the National Trust’s “National Treasures.” A result of the restructuring of the National Trust, the campaign will eventually establish a portfolio of 100 National Treasures to preserve and protect, with the direct assistance of local preservation partners such as Preservation Maryland.
Restored Ridgeley Rosenwald School
Of the more than 5,000 Rosenwald program buildings constructed, only 156 of the schools and ancillary structures were built in Maryland. However our state boasts a higher percentage than average of extant schools, with 53 currently surviving. Additionally, Maryland is one of the few states where a survey of the schools has been completed. A Multiple Property Documentation Form has been submitted with the expectation that Maryland’s Ridgeley Rosenwald School will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation Maryland has previously supported projects at this site, as well as the Galesville Rosenwald School in Anne Arundel County and Wicomico County’s San Domingo Rosenwald School. All three sites have been successfully restored and are in active use by the communities in which they are located. The Rosenwald School Initiative seeks to increase the number of schools across the state that will fall into this category. The goal is to raise public awareness about the schools and put as many as possible back into everyday use. Preservation Maryland intends to serve as a statewide online clearinghouse for information regarding the schools. We expect to partner with local and national preservation organizations to provide general information and training opportunities on preservation practices, organizational development and financial assistance to restore and adaptively re-use those schools that are currently vacant. We’ll also share success stories of those who have labored to save a treasured school.
In the coming months our website will be updated with useful links to pertinent sites related to Rosenwald Schools around the country and in our state. There will also be opportunities for interested parties to share information about the schools. I’ll keep you updated.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Advocacy Alert! Budget Cuts Proposed. Contact Your Representatives.
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on February 8, 2013
On January 16, Governor O’Malley released his proposed budget for FY2014. This week the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presented budget recommendations to the Maryland General Assembly subcommittees. DLS recommended a $1.5 million decrease in funding for the Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit program from the Governor’s proposed amount of $10 million.
***If your community benefited from these recent commercial projects or any of the 597 other commercial projects or the 3,650 residential projects throughout the state, contact your representatives and ask them to maintain the Governor’s proposed funding level.
***If you want to see a new rehabilitation project in your community funded with this tax credit, contact your representatives and ask them to maintain the Governor’s proposed funding level.
Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit projects have produced more than $1.7 billion in total direct rehabilitation expenditures by owners and developers, assisted by over $370 million in state tax credits – a nearly fivefold return on Maryland’s investment. This program is good for Maryland and good for historic preservation.
In other historic preservation funding news, DLS recommended maintaining the funding for the African American Heritage Preservation Program ($1 million) and the Maryland Heritage Areas ($3 million)
Take Action!
1) If your representative is listed below as a subcommittee member, please contact them to encourage their support of the $10 million allocation in the Governor’s budget for the Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit program. Otherwise, please contact the committee chairs. Be sure to give examples of tax-credit projects in your community that have benefited from this program.
SENATE
Senate Budget and Taxation Committee: Capital Budget Subcommittee
- Amount in Governor’s Budget:
- $10 million for Sustainable Communities Tax Credit
- Committee Members (Click on the name for contact information)
HOUSE
House Appropriations Committee: Capital Budget Subcommittee
- Amount in Governor’s Budget:
- $10 million for Sustainable Communities Tax Credit
- Committee Members (Click on the name for contact information)
2) Familiarize yourself with the issues. Use the fact sheets on our Advocacy Resource Page to help craft your message to Legislators.
3) To identify your state representatives, click here.
Your voice is crucial to funding these important programs. Thanks for your support!
Tyler Gearhart
Discover Historic African American Sites During Black History Month
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Colleagues Corner, Education Programs, Endangered Maryland, Funding Programs, Montgomery County, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Stories on January 25, 2013
February is Black History Month. This annual commemoration of African American achievements was started in 1926 as “Negro History Week” by Dr. Carter Woodson. He chose February as the month of celebration as it was the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Since February has been set aside to honor the accomplishments of African Americans, I’d like to suggest a few related sites around Maryland you may consider visiting.
The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in downtown Baltimore is an educational and national heritage site that highlights African American maritime history and the establishment of the African American Community in Baltimore during the 1800’s. The museum chronicles the saga of Frederick Douglass’ life in Baltimore as an enslaved child and young man. You will also examine the life of Isaac Myers, a free born African American who became a national leader. The complex incorporates the oldest industrial warehouse on the waterfront.
The Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center is located in Salisbury Maryland. It is housed in the 1838, John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest standing African American church on the Delmarva. The building is now a cultural and special events center and small museum honoring the history of African Americans of the Eastern Shore region. Call to schedule an appointment.
Alex Haley monument in Annapolis
In Annapolis, there are two memorials commemorating African Americans. The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at the Annapolis City Dock features a life-size bronze statue of Alex Haley, author of Roots, located next to a plaque honoring his ancestor Kunta Kinte, an enslaved African brought to Annapolis in 1767. The statue was designed by nationally acclaimed African-American sculptor Ed Dwight. The Thurgood Marshall Memorial on Lawyer’s Mall at the Maryland State House honors Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. His most famous case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 1954, ended racial segregation in American public schools.In Southern Maryland, the restored slave cabin at Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood is one of few extant dwellings of enslaved African Americans in the state. Built between 1830 and 1850 it is the only surviving slave cabin at Sotterley, the sole Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public.
The Warren Historic Site in Poolesville interprets an African American community hub with all the essential structures traditional to such communities established around the United States at the end of the Civil War. The one room school (1886), the Warren UM Church (rebuilt 1903) and the Love and Charity Lodge Hall (1914) are located in Montgomery County.
Most Maryland counties have guidebooks of African American sites in their areas. Check the websites of Visitor Centers and historical societies also. Enjoy your journey into the rich history of African Americans in Maryland.
Marilyn Benaderet/Preservation Services Director
Advocacy Alert! General Assembly in Session
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on January 22, 2013
On January 9, 2013, the 433rd session of the Maryland General Assembly convened. During this session the General Assembly will consider many issues including gun control, the death penalty, funding roads and mass transit, rebuilding Baltimore’s aging schools, and the construction of offshore wind turbines. The most immediate issue is passing a FY2014 budget which Governor O’Malley introduced on January 16. Included in the Department of Planning’s budget are three historic preservation programs which will need your action. Future Advocacy Alerts will provide dates and locations for hearings on these programs. Fact sheets which provide information on projects supported by each program and the amount we are asking to be appropriated are available on our advocacy resource page.
- Sustainable Communities Rehabilitation Tax Credit: $10 million (level funding from FY2013)
- Maryland Heritage Areas: $3 million (level funding from FY2013)
- African American Heritage Preservation Grant Program: $1 million (level funding from FY2012)
Take Action!
1) Identify your representatives in the Maryland General Assembly by clicking here.
2) Now that the Governor’s budget was released on January 16, please contact your state senator and delegates to encourage their support of the three programs above. Be sure to give them examples of museums, historic sites, and tax-credit projects in your district which have benefited or could benefit from these programs.
3) Use our fact sheets to familiarize yourself with the issues. Also, familiarize yourself with the legislative process and the way the General Assembly works. Our advocacy page has everything you need to begin supporting preservation legislation and budget issues in Maryland. Among the resources are a description of the legislative process, important dates to remember, and talking points on key preservation issues.
4) Join colleagues at the 38th Annual Maryland Preservation Awards hosted by the Maryland Historical Trust on January 31, 2013. The awards ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Governor Calvert Ballroom in the Governor Calvert House located at 58 State Circle, Annapolis. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required.
Your voice is crucial to funding these important programs. Thanks for your support!
Tyler Gearhart
Help shape public policy and preserve Maryland’s heritage
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Advocacy, Advocacy Alert, Funding Programs on December 7, 2012
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 will mark the opening of the 433th session of the Maryland General Assembly. In an unusual turn of events, the General Assembly held two special sessions this past year. The first was to balance the budget including an income tax increase on six-figure earners, which was approved on May 16th. The second was to consider establishing a casino in Prince George’s County and legalizing table games, which were subsequently passed on August 15th.
Preservation Maryland, working with a coalition of statewide heritage interests and organizations, has developed a preservation agenda to guide advocacy efforts in Annapolis during the upcoming 2013 session.
Working together in this effort are representatives from: Archaeological Society of Maryland, Council for Maryland Archaeology, Greater Baltimore History Alliance, Main Street Maryland, Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions, Maryland Association of History Museums, Maryland Coalition of Heritage Areas, Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture, Maryland Higher Education Commission, Maryland Historical Society, Maryland Historical Trust, Maryland Humanities Council, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Governor O’Malley will submit his budget to the General Assembly in January. As always, we will be relying on your assistance to make sure that the final budget reflects the preservation priorities that protect and support our state’s unique heritage sites.
To learn more about how you can help shape public policy and preserve Maryland’s Heritage visit the Advocacy page of Preservation Maryland’s website.
Tyler Gearhart
Address your preservation needs in Baltimore County tomorrow!
Posted by Preservation Maryland in Funding Programs, Preservation and Your Community, Preservation Maryland Events, Promotion and Marketing on December 4, 2012
Do you have a property in Baltimore County that you think is “historic” and wonder how to have it designated as such? Are you interested in protecting your historic property from development or demolition, even if you were no longer able to look after it? Are you interested in receiving tax credits for work done to a historic property? Are you a member of an organization that needs funding for a historic preservation project in Baltimore County?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions you can find an answer at a workshop to be held TOMORROW, Wednesday, December 5th, Securing Historic Status on Structures in African American Communities in Baltimore County. Hosted by Louis Diggs, Baltimore County historian and author, and the Historical Society of Baltimore County, the workshop will feature local and statewide historic preservation professionals and grant makers. Representatives from the Baltimore County Historic Preservation Office, Maryland Historical Trust and the African American Historic Preservation Grant program, the Baltimore County Historical Trust, and Preservation Maryland will be available to provide information regarding the historic designation process, easements, and funding for African American sites in Baltimore County.
This workshop is FREE and open to the public. Space is limited, but still available so R.S.V.P. at louisdiggs2@verizon.net.
The event will be held on Wednesday, December 5th, 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. at the Historical Society of Baltimore County, 9811 Van Buren Lane, Cockeysville, MD 21030.
Hope to see you there.
Marilyn
