Owners of endangered historic or archaeological sites in Texas have the opportunity to apply for grants from the Texas Historical Commission's (THC) Texas Preservation Trust Fund (TPTF). These grants support projects related to acquisition, survey, restoration, preservation, planning, and heritage education that aim to preserve Texas' historic architectural and archaeological properties.
For Fiscal Year 2026, the estimated grant amount is $330,000. The THC expects grant awards to range between $10,000 and $50,000. Applicants must provide a one-to-one cash match. Projects are evaluated based on endangerment level, significance, viability, and special considerations.
The THC has also allocated special funds for projects in Dallas and the Panhandle. In Dallas, $783,719 is available for eligible projects with anticipated matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000. In the Panhandle region, $243,617.69 is available for projects within TxDOT’s Amarillo District counties with expected grant awards between $10,000 and $100,000.
Applications for the TPTF grant cycle of Fiscal Year 2026 will be accepted until 5 p.m., February 3rd, 2025. Interested parties can find more information on THC’s website at thc.texas.gov/tptf.
In a recent meeting held in Odessa on October 25th by the THC board members awarded TPTF funding to 15 projects out of 45 applications received for Fiscal Year 2025. The total amount awarded was $1,008,099.39 across three categories: Archeology; Heritage Education; and Architecture.
Nine regular TPTF-funded projects included an archeological curatorial project at First Street Cemetery in Waco; a heritage education translation project at Laguna Gloria in Austin; and several architectural restorations such as Mission Concepcion in San Antonio and Bishop’s Palace in Galveston among others.
Six additional projects received special funding: architecture projects like Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas; DOE Nuclear Weapons Railroad Transport Guard Escort Car Restoration in the Panhandle; heritage education initiatives including Amarillo Symphony Centennial Book Project.
The TPTF was established by the Texas Legislature in 1989 as an interest-earning pool combining public and private funds managed by the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company. Grants are distributed annually based on investment earnings. For further details or inquiries contact Ashley Salie via ashley.salie@thc.texas.gov or visit thc.texas.gov/tptf.
