In June, the Connecticut Trust’s board authorized $50,000 in Maintenance & Repair grants to four historic churches. After a pre-application round, seven religious organizations were chosen to apply for up to $15,000 each; they requested a total of $99,400 in grants, nearly twice the available funding. With some recipients exceeding the required one-to-one cash match, the grants will make possible more than $150,000 in Restoration and repair work.
The Maintenance & Repair grants are funded by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Department of Economic and Community Development, using moneys generated by the Community Investment Act. For several years, the Trust has earmarked funds for religious organizations, for which preservation resources are sometimes limited. Factors considered in reviewing requests include urgency of the need, the organization’s capacity to match the grant and carry out the work, and the organization’s community engagement.
The recipients are:
South Congregational Church, Granby (1917; NR): $15,000 for steeple repairs
Saint Justin-Saint Michael Catholic Church, Hartford (1931): $10,600 for an electrical systems upgrade
South Congregational Church, New Britain (1865; NR): $15,000 for roof repair
First Congregational Church of Woodstock, UCC (1821; NR): $9,400 for roof replacement
For more information on the Maintenance & Repair grants from the Connecticut Trust, visit https://preservationct.org/current-funding or contact the Circuit Riders at (203) 562-6312.