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2026 National Grant Program
for LGBTQ+ Historic Sites

The LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance facilitates the first nationwide grant program dedicated to documenting, recognizing, and interpreting historic places connected to LGBTQ+ culture and heritage in the United States. 
 

Building on a successful pilot round, the program continues to promote a fuller understanding of the contributions of LGBTQ+ people in American history with a focus on historic preservation projects. 

Highlights

  • Grant requests in the range of $500 to $5,000 will be accepted. 

  • Projects must have a direct connection to LGBTQ+ historic places, streetscapes, landscapes, or other resources.

  • Open to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, as well as  individuals, initiatives, or projects applying through a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, including applicants at all levels of experience.

Key Dates

  • Informational Webinars: April 22 & May 1

  • Deadline: Friday, June 12, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. ET

  • Awards Announced: September 2026

  • Project Period: November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027

Application Webinars

​Prospective applicants are invited to attend an optional virtual meeting to review program goals, eligibility requirements, and the application process. These sessions will not be recorded to protect participant privacy. Register here:

  • Wednesday, April 22 at 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT

  • Friday, May 1 at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT

Program Guidelines

Project proposals must clearly focus on one or more LGBTQ+ historic places and employ the tools of historic preservation, the professional and advocacy movement focused on identifying, documenting, recognizing, protecting, and interpreting buildings, structures, sites, streetscapes, landscapes, and archaeological resources with cultural and historical significance. 

Application Resources

The following documents are available to help applicants review the program requirements and prepare submissions. ​

  • Grant Guidelines (PDF)

  • Preview the Application (PDF)

  • Required Documents Checklist (PDF)

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants without formal experience are welcome. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Individuals, initiatives, and projects without 501(c)(3) status may apply with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, which will receive and administer grant funds on behalf of the project if awarded. All applicants must be based in the United States or its territories. Previous grantees may apply. 

 

Applicants are encouraged to review the Required Document Checklist below to confirm eligibility and ensure all materials can be provided. 

What We Fund

The program supports public-facing projects involving the research, recognition, or interpretation of historic places with LGBTQ+ significance prior to 2000. Awarded projects for this round must be completed by October 31, 2027. Multi-year or phased proposals are welcome for consideration. 

Research projects document, investigate, and expand knowledge of LGBTQ+ historic places.

  • Historic context statement on LGBTQ+ history in a city or state

  • Survey of LGBTQ+ historic sites in a city, region, or state

  • Research identifying historic LGBTQ+ spaces (bars, gathering places, community centers, etc.)

  • Research leading to the reinterpretation of a house museum

  • Research on a specific historic place

  • Oral history project documenting a specific LGBTQ+ historic place

  • Study of an LGBTQ+ historic landscape

Recognition projects formally acknowledge LGBTQ+ historic places, streetscapes, landscapes, and other resources through preservation or commemorative frameworks.

  • Nomination to the State or National Register of Historic Places

  • Local landmark designation

  • Installation of a historic marker or interpretive plaque

Interpretation projects share and interpret LGBTQ+ place-based history for public audiences through exhibitions, tours, digital platforms, and educational materials connected to specific historic places.

  • Public exhibition or museum installation

  • Walking tour or heritage trail highlighting LGBTQ+ places

  • Digital heritage project, map, or website interpreting LGBTQ+ history

  • Online exhibition or multimedia storytelling project

  • Educational materials or teaching resources on LGBTQ+ place-based history

We especially welcome submissions documenting historically marginalized communities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, including but not limited to people of color, Two-Spirit and Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and transgender, non-binary, intersex, or gender nonconforming people. We also encourage proposals from geographically underrepresented areas, including rural, suburban, and other communities that have received limited LGBTQ+ research attention. 

What We Do Not Fund

General education programs, oral history, archiving, collecting, and digitization projects are ineligible unless they are directly tied to the interpretation of a specific place with LGBTQ+ historic significance. Political advocacy campaigns, documentaries, books, social media projects, performances, travel costs, food, equipment purchases, and capital projects are always ineligible.

Application Process

The application process is entirely online. The application requests information about the proposed project including activities, experience, intended audience, and promotion or collaboration plans. The application requires the upload of compliance documents to verify eligibility, detailed below. Time-limited projects, such as exhibitions or walking tours, must include a plan to ensure funded materials remain publicly accessible and connected to the place-based focus after completion. Applicants must also complete a separate budget template. 

Application Deadline

The application must be submitted including all required materials, by Friday, June 12 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Required Documents Checklist

Successful submission of the application requires the upload of supporting materials and compliance documents, including the following: 

 

Nonprofit Organization or Fiscal Sponsor Eligibility Documents
☐ IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
☐ Most recent IRS Form 990
☐ List of Board of Directors, including titles and institutional or professional affiliations
☐ Most recent financial statement with fiscal year stated (preferably audited)

If no audit is available, include one of the following:
☐ Internally prepared balance sheet and income statement with fiscal year dates
☐ Organizational budget showing actual income and expenses from the most recently completed fiscal year

 

Project Supporting Documentation
☐ Resume, CV, or brief biography for the project’s Primary Contact

☐ Up to three relevant images or documents (For example: site photograph, ephemera, website screenshots, brochures, maps, or media clippings

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by the grant review committee, composed of professionals  with experience in historic preservation, LGBTQ+ history, and public history. Projects will be evaluated based on the historical significance of the place and the extent to which the project advances the documentation, recognition, or interpretation of LGBTQ+ historic places. Strong applications will clearly explain the importance of the place, the proposed work, and the outcomes or deliverables the project will produce. 

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Reviewers will also consider the applicant’s capacity to complete the project within the grant period and whether the proposed work will result in publicly accessible outcomes, such as web-based resources, reports, or interpretive materials that extend the project’s impact beyond the grant period.

 

Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in September 2026. Successful applicants will be required to sign a grant agreement before funds are released, complete the project within the grant project period, and submit a final report and project deliverables by the conclusion of the grant.

Contact

Please contact us at grants@lgbtqheritagealliance.org with any questions, including those about eligibility requirements or whether your proposed project fits within the grant guidelines. 

About the Program

The LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance is fiscally sponsored by the National Center for Civic Innovation, which has received support from the Mellon Foundation. 

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