REGIONAL & STATE NEWS | Did you know the Underground Railroad ran through Tennessee? From Chattanooga to Lower Broadway to Memphis, our state boasts a rich Civil War-era history and a state grant seeks to help preserve these spaces.
The Tennessee Wars Commission, the Tennessee Historical Commission division responsible for preserving the state’s significant military history, recently announced the August 14 opening of this year’s grant cycle for the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (CWSPF). This fund is provided by legislation to the Tennessee Historical Commission who approves and awards TCWSPF grants. The Tennessee Wars Commission administers the application and grant processes.
Begun in 2013, the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund acts as a key source for matching funds for the acquisition and preservation of properties associated with the 38 most significant Civil War sites in Tennessee. Additionally, grants can assist in funding the acquisition and protection of Underground Railroad sites eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, or eligible for designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit. This grant will pay a one-to-one, 50 percent match where the grantee provides the match from a non-state source. Applications are scored, rated, and ranked by Tennessee Historical Commission and Tennessee Wars Commission staff members. The board of the Historical Commission has voting approval of eligible grant projects.
“Since its debut in 2013, approximately $11 million in funding from this program has helped save almost one thousand acres of threatened Tennessee battlefield lands,” said Tennessee Historical Commission Director Patrick McIntyre. “This year, the Wars Commission awarded over $5,055,000.00 in Tennessee TCWSPF grants that will help to preserve approximately 38 acres of battlefield properties, with projects focused on core battlefield areas associated with the Franklin and Stones River battlefields,” notes Tennessee Wars Commission Director of Programs, Nina Scall.
The deadline for submissions is November 3, 2023.The grant application process is digital. Create an account and complete the application at by clicking here. For questions regarding the grant process or application procedure, contact Nina Scall, Program Director of the Tennessee Wars Commission via email at [email protected]. More information is available on the Tennessee Historical Commission website.•
{The Lynchburg Times is an independently-owned, community newspaper located in Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of The Jack Daniel Distillery. We focus on public service, non-partisan, rural journalism. We cover the Metro Moore County government, local tourism, Moore County schools, high school sports, Motlow State Community College, as well as whiskey industry news and regional and state stories that affect our readers.}