Browse Grants

You can review the types of grants we offer below or download our guide to grants and loans from Indiana Landmarks.

Grant eligibility

To qualify for Indiana Landmarks’ grants and loans, an organization generally must:

• Be registered as a nonprofit corporation in the state of Indiana.
• Be classified by or have applied to the Internal Revenue Service for status as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
• Be enrolled as a nonprofit member or affiliate organization of Indiana Landmarks.
• Possess a charter that identifies preservation of the built environment as a primary organizational purpose.
• Have a clearly defined organizational structure that includes regular meetings and an ongoing program.
• Have been in existence for three years and/or have demonstrated responsible fiscal management.

Learn more about grants awarded in 2023.

Making an Application

Application forms for Indiana Landmarks’ financial programs are easy to complete and may be submitted at any time unless otherwise noted. Also unless otherwise indicated, your first stop in the application process is the the Indiana Landmarks regional office that serves your county.

Efroymson Family Endangered Places Grants

Indiana Landmarks awards Efroymson Family Endangered Places Grants to nonprofit organizations for professional architectural and engineering studies and restoration cost estimates—often the first step in saving a historic structure—as well as for organizational development. The grants may not be used for brick-and-mortar restoration work.

The grants offer a favorable four-to-one matching requirement—four dollars from Indiana Landmarks matches each local cash dollar up to 80% of the total project cost or a $4,000 maximum or $5,000 for affiliate organizations. For more information, contact the Indiana Landmarks regional office nearest you.

Sacred Places Indiana Grants

In order to help congregations in historic houses of worship with restoration needs, we created Sacred Places Indiana supported by funding from the Lilly Endowment. The program offers two grant paths designed to assist congregations that have identified significant repair needs and are prepared to raise matching funds through a capital campaign.

Both paths offer the opportunity to apply for planning grants up to $25,000 and capital grants up to $500,000. Emergency grants are also available.

Congregations selected to participate will receive intensive training in landmark stewardship, community engagement, and fundraising. For more information please contact Sacred Places Indiana staff at sacredplaces@indianalandmarks.org or call 317-822-7952 to speak with program director, David Frederick.

black heritage preservation Grants

Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program offers grants to help preserve and promote historic places associated with the state’s Black history. The grants may be used for a variety of purposes, including organizational development, architectural or engineering studies, or programs promoting preservation, interpretation, or visitation of a historic place. To learn more, review the grant guidelines and FAQs. When you’re ready to apply, you can download the grant application. For more information, contact Eunice Trotter, director of the Black Heritage Preservation Program, 317-639-4543, 800-450-4534, etrotter@indianalandmarks.org.

Indiana Landmarks also partners with Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) to make grants through two funds established by the late Eli Lilly chemist and preservation champion Standiford “Stan” Cox. Cox, who passed away in 2019, joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1957 as its first Black chemist. He established the Standiford H. Cox Fund and the Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund with CICF to support the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana. To suggest a property that might qualify for grants from the Cox funds, contact Mark Dollase, Vice President of Preservation Services, 317-639-4543, 800-450-4534, mdollase@indianalandmarks.org.

Historic Preservation Education Grants

Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Humanities make grants up to $3,000 for educational projects related to historic places in Indiana. Eligible projects include lectures, workshops, exhibits, digital productions, heritage and cultural tourism programs, and educational publications. Applicants must be an Indiana-based tax-exempt organization, but 501(c)3 status is not required.

Applications for Historic Preservation Education Grants are due February 29, 2024 or September 30, 2024. Organizations are eligible for one grant per year. Download an application here.

For more information, contact Suzanne Stanis, Director of Heritage Education and Information, 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534 or sstanis@indianalandmarks.org.

Legal Defense Grants

While Indiana Landmarks regards legal action as a last resort, we recognize that it is sometimes required to save endangered structures and reinforce preservation laws. Nonprofit preservation organizations may request grants to pay for legal fees to defend or compel conformance with a local preservation ordinance, enforce protective covenants, or seek an injunction to prevent the demolition of a historic building.

Indiana Landmarks’ Legal Defense Grants cover 80% of the cost of legal counsel up to $2,000. For more information, contact the Indiana Landmarks regional office nearest you.

Marion County Historic Preservation Grants

Through a special fund we established in partnership with The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, Indiana Landmarks makes grants to support nonprofit organizations working to preserve historic buildings and neighborhoods in Marion County.

We accept applications year round and consider grant requests on a monthly basis. The grants range from $1,000 to $10,000, with the average grant $5,000.

For more information about the Marion County grants, contact Mark Dollase, Vice President of Preservation Services, 800-450-4534, 317-639-4534, or mdollase@indianalandmarks.org.

Endangered Places Loans

Nonprofit preservation organizations may apply to Indiana Landmarks for Endangered Places loans to buy and/or restore historic properties. The loans have a $100,000 limit and low-interest terms for the first three years. The recipient of a loan must attach Indiana Landmarks’ protective covenant to the property deed.

In making loan decisions, we give special consideration to projects that will save buildings listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or located in a National or State Register historic district.

For more information, contact the Indiana Landmarks regional office nearest you.

Endangered Places Acquisitions

To save vacant and endangered buildings, Indiana Landmarks sometimes buys the place. We attach protective covenants to the property’s deed when we resell to a buyer who agrees to restore the landmark within a specified time. When the property sells, the revenue returns to our Endangered Places fund.

For more information, contact the Indiana Landmarks regional office nearest you.