Ohio History Fund Grants

The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grant program that annually awards grants for history-related projects. Eligible applicants include a wide range of nonprofit organizations and local government entities. See our list of recipients for the variety of organizations and projects we have funded.

The Ohio History Fund is also a way for Ohioans to support community history. A large share of the money we grant is voluntarily contributed by you!

The Ohio income tax check-off “Ohio History Fund” is the main source of grant funding. The January–April tax filing season is the time to act. About 90% of all contributions are made during these four months.

If you receive an Ohio income tax refund, you can donate part of it to the Ohio History Fund: fill in an amount on line 26 on your Ohio income tax return, “Ohio History Fund.”. (The average donation is $13 - but be above average and give more!)

Not receiving a refund?  There are other ways to help:

1. Purchase an Ohio History “mastodon” license plate, at Ohio BMV - click on “History.” $20 from each purchase goes to the History Fund.
2. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Ohio History Connection: Ohio History Connection-History Fund.

The more tax check-off donations the Ohio History Fund receives, the more grants we make!

The History Fund is also supported by the State Historic Preservation Fund (SHPF), part of the Ohio Historical Foundation. Income from the SHPF is reserved for the support of historic preservation projects.

Applications are due the second Tuesday in September. Applications are only accepted via our online application portal, at: Apply for a Grant - Ohio History Connection.

Application deadlines through 2029:

2026 - September 8

2027 - September 14

2028 - September 12

2029 – September 11

Since its first round of grants in 2013 through March 2026, the History Fund has awarded 164 grants totaling more than $1.8 million. However, during the same period, the Ohio History Fund has received 675 applications for a total of more than $8.4 million in requests - proving there is a great need for this grant!

The average grant amount from 2013 – 2026 has been approximately $11,000. Grants have ranged from more than $2,000 to $20,000 (the maximum award allowed).

The Ohio History Fund is also a way for Ohioans to support community history. A large share of the money we grant is voluntarily contributed by you!

The Ohio income tax check-off “Ohio History Fund” is the main source of grant funding. The January–April tax filing season is the time to act. About 90% of all contributions are made during these four months.

The Ohio income tax check-off “Ohio History Fund” is the main source of grant funding. The January–April tax filing season is the time to act. About 90% of all contributions are made during these four months.

If you receive an Ohio income tax refund, you can donate part of it to the Ohio History Fund: fill in an amount on line 26 on your Ohio income tax return, “Ohio History Fund.”. (The average donation is $13 - but be above average and give more!)

Not receiving a refund?  There are other ways to help:

1. Purchase an Ohio History “mastodon” license plate, at Ohio BMV - click on “History.” $20 from each purchase goes to the History Fund.
2. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Ohio History Connection: Ohio History Connection-History Fund.

The more tax check-off donations the Ohio History Fund receives, the more grants we make!

The History Fund is also supported by the State Historic Preservation Fund (SHPF), part of the Ohio Historical Foundation. Income from the SHPF is reserved for the support of historic preservation projects.

The mission of Ohio History Connection is to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories by embracing the present, sharing the past and transforming the future. The Ohio History Fund grant program also meets a strong need expressed by the state’s history community: money for local history and preservation projects.

The Ohio History Fund was created in the state’s two-year budget signed into law by Gov. John R. Kasich on June 30, 2011. The legislation allowing for the change in state tax forms was initially brought to the General Assembly by former State Representative Kathleen Chandler (D-Kent) in 2005. Former State Senator (then State Representative) Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green) reintroduced it in early 2011 before it was enacted in the state budget.

While the Ohio History Fund supports the widest range of history and preservation projects in the state, it’s not Ohio’s only history-friendly grant program: click here for more. The Ohio History Fund is one of the few grant programs that support historic preservation projects statewide and is a source of funding for archaeological projects, too.

The Ohio History Fund has inspired similar grant programs in Indiana and Kentucky, and in turn was inspired by programs at the Ohio Humanities Alliance and the Ohio Arts Council, as well as at the Minnesota Historical Society, the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Eligible applicants are listed in the Ohio History Fund Grant Guidelines, found here, and include:

1. Ohio-based, nonprofit organizations in good standing, as defined by the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
2. Public entities in Ohio, such as units of local government, public libraries, and educational institutions.
3. Nonprofit organizations operating Ohio History Connection sites under “site management agreements” are eligible to apply under their own names. Functions and fiscal responsibilities assigned to the Ohio History Connection under site management agreements are not eligible for History Fund grants. An applicant operating under a site management agreement must upload its up-to-date agreement to their application.

Examples of eligible applicants include, but are not limited to local historical societies, historic preservation groups, public libraries, genealogical societies, university archives and special collections, archeological societies, county records management offices, and incorporated “friends” groups of any of the above.

 Ineligible applicants include for-profit businesses and entities, private individuals, current History Fund grant recipients with projects underway, and the Ohio History Connection.

1. Ineligible applicants may serve as paid contractors to grant awardees but are not eligible to apply for History Fund grants directly.
2. Ohio History Connection staff or programs shall not serve as contractors for a History Fund projects. The Ohio History Connection staff shall not endorse projects for funding.
3. One grant per organization at a time. Otherwise eligible grantees who have an open project with the History Fund are not eligible to apply again until previous project is closed (i.e. the History Fund has not approved the grantee’s final report and disbursed grant funds).

History Fund grants will support projects in three categories: Bricks & Mortar, Organizational Development, and Programs & Collections. The examples listed below are not all inclusive but illustrate the types of projects eligible in each category. The following information is also in the Ohio History Fund Grant Guidelines, found here.

Bricks & Mortar

Bricks & Mortar projects can involve:

1. Rehabilitation, restoration, protection, or acquisition of historic properties and archaeological sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated by a local historic preservation ordinances (usually as a Certified Local Government: https://www.ohiohistory.org/preserving-ohio/certified-local-governments/).
2. Building work or construction directly related to the preservation of historical or archival collections regardless of the building’s historic status. If an extant building is in the National Register, any addition “shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property” (for details regarding additions to NR-listed properties see the Standards for Rehabilitation, #9 and #10: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/treatment-standards-rehabilitation.htm

 Requirements:

1. Grant Minimum-Maximum: $2,000-$20,000
2. Project Length: up to 24 months
3. Match Requirement: 60/40. The grant will pay 60% of the total cost of a project and the applicant will be responsible for a 40% match.  Example: for a $10,000 project, the History Fund would provide $6,000.  The applicant’s match would be $4,000. To meet the Grant Minimum amount and Match Requirement, the total cost of your project (grant request + match amount) must exceed approximately $3,350 ($3,350 x 60% = $2,010).
4. Properties under consideration for rehabilitation, restoration, or preservation must be owned or under long term lease by the applicant.
5. Bricks & Mortar projects will require a preservation agreement under which the property owner agrees to maintain the historic features of the property (for historic properties), or retain the building for its intended use (for non-historic) for a period of five years.

Organizational Development

Organizational Development grants focus on building capacity: providing the training and materials to help historical societies and like organizations help themselves.

Grants in this category can include, but are not limited to: training for board and staff, professional assistance with organizational issues, improving governance structures, volunteer or membership program development, and assessments or strategic plans (including paid facilitators/consultants).  Applications must explain the issue(s) faced by the organization and how the grant will address the issue(s). Solutions must align to the issues identified.

Requirements:

1. Grant Minimum-Maximum: $1,000-$4,000
2. Project Length: 12 months
3. Match Requirement: 80/20.  The grant will pay 80% of the total cost of a project and the applicant will be responsible for a 20% match.  Example: for a $3,000 project, the History Fund grant would provide up to $2,400 and applicant’s match would be $600. To meet the Organizational Development Grant Minimum amount and Match Requirement, the total cost of your project (grant request + match amount) must exceed $1,250 ($1,250 x 80% = $1,000).

Programs & Collections

Programs & Collections encompasses a variety of projects that further the study, recordation, interpretation, publication and dissemination of historical information, engagement of communities in history, or preservation of historical collections and archives.

Projects funded under this broad category can include, but are not limited to, public programs, exhibits, care and management of archival materials and artifacts, digitization of collections, oral history, archeological/architectural/historical surveys, archaeological field work, nominations of historic buildings and sites to the National Register of Historic Places, preparation of historic preservation plans or feasibility studies, mobile or online applications, walking tours, and events.

Requirements:

1. Grant Minimum-Maximum: $2,000-$20,000
2. Project Length: up to 24 months
3. Match Requirement: 60/40. The grant will pay 60% of the total cost of a project and the applicant will be responsible for a 40% match.  Example: for a $10,000 project, the History Fund would provide $6,000.  The applicant’s match would be $4,000. To meet the Grant Minimum amount and Match Requirement, the total cost of your project (grant request + match amount) must exceed approximately $3,350 ($3,350 x 60% = $2,010).

Links to standards documents for the variety of projects supported by the History Fund are listed in the Ohio History Fund Grant Guidelines, found here.

The History Fund expects that the applicant organization will have or will obtain the requisite professional expertise to carry out the project. Applicants will apply current professional standards and best practices to carry out their projects.

The Guidelines list standards for these kinds of projects, although others not listed here may also apply. A single project may address standards across more than one field

1. Projects related to American Indian cultures
2. Archeology
3. Archives
4. Museum Collections
5. Digitization
6. Genealogy
7. Historical Societies and Museums
8. Historic Preservation
9. Historical Scholarship
10. Museums
11. Nonprofit Organizations
12. Oral History

Click on Apply for a Grant - Ohio History Connection to get started.

Note that the Ohio History Fund incrementally revises the application every year. We revise the application annually to ensure that it meets applicants' and the programs' needs. Applicants, however, can use the previous year's application materials to begin developing their proposals.

Application materials from the previous year remain available until a revised application is posted. The revised application is available after June 30 annually.

The information gathered in the application does not change substantially from year to year. The way the application asks for that information may change.

The Ohio History Fund notifies applicants by letter in mid-February. The Ohio History Connection publicly announces grant recipients on or around Ohio Statehood Day, March 1.

After the grants are announced, leaders from the Ohio History Connection schedule visits to recipients to present giant checks and celebrate their accomplishments. Visits are scheduled at mutually convenient dates in March and April.

The following kinds of projects are not eligible for History Fund grant support. This information is also in the Ohio History Fund Grant Guidelines, found here.

**Acquisition of historical materials for an institution’s collection.

**Buildings: cost of moving or reconstructing. Costs for remodeling buildings unrelated to what is described in “Bricks & Mortar” above are also ineligible. For example, general maintenance and redecorating are not eligible.

**Copyright: Projects that would convert to a digital format material to which the applicant intuition does not hold the copyright.  Materials must no longer be restricted by copyright, the applicant must hold copyright, or the applicant must document that copyright has been turned over to the organization or ceded to the public domain.

**Ongoing costs of operation, such as utilities, security system maintenance fees, grounds keeping, website hosting services, digital image storage, etc.

**Creation of new public works of art, including monuments, sculptures, and murals that do not address Ohio history and the goals of the History Fund. History Fund grants can support the preservation of historic public works of art.

**Equipment: Purchase of equipment not related to accomplishing a specific project goal.

**Historical markers: Grants to erect or repair Ohio Historical Markers. For grants for markers, go to www.remarkableohio.org.

**Honoraria when the primary intent is to confer distinction.

**Insurance costs, unless shown as match for an event or program.

**Interest and debt payments.

**Direct lobbying or fundraising.

**Mitigation costs (under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act).

**Oral history that does not focus on a particular subject or theme.

Contact the Ohio History Fund at the Ohio History Connection if you have a question about whether an activity is eligible for funding.

The review process is described in detail at Apply for a Grant - Ohio History Connection. Click of tab #3, “Application Review.” At the site, you can also see the forms reviewers use to evaluate proposals.

In summary, there are three stages of application review, intended to ensure the projects are vetted and that the most grant-worthy examples are selected. In order, the stages are Technical Review, Staff Review, and Panel Review. The total review period extends from just after the application deadline in September though the first weeks of February of the following year.