Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund (US)

Funding Information

• Grants range from $500—$10,000. The size of the grant will be determined by the need of the Eligible Applicant and will be awarded on a 3:1 matching basis. A match may be a direct dollar amount or using volunteer labor or services.

Eligible Projects

• A project must benefit one or more specifically identified Eligible Structures or Sites and one or more specifically identified preservation issues. Projects relating to Eligible Structures or Sites on Landmarks Illinois’ most recent “Most Endangered” list will be given priority consideration.
• A project must be for the purpose of preserving (rehabilitation, restoration, adaptive reuse) all or part of an Eligible Structure or Site. Ordinary expenses of owning or maintaining an Eligible Structure or Site will not be considered preservation expenses.
• Landmarks Illinois strongly recommends that any documents or plans for preservation work prepared for the project conform to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, as appropriate.
• A project may include one or more of the following services provided each service can satisfy the project conditions described above:
  • Engineering, architectural and feasibility studies
  • Stabilization
  • Rehabilitation
  • Legal services
  • Surveys and National Register Nominations
  • A projects may not include services that have been completed at the time a grant is requested
  • Engineering, architectural and feasibility studies
  • Stabilization
  • Rehabilitation
  • Legal services
  • Surveys and National Register Nominations
• A projects may not include services that have been completed at the time a grant is requested.

Eligibility Criteria

• Structures/Sites
  • Eligible beneficiaries of Timuel D. Black, Jr. Fund grants are significant structures or sites located on Chicago’s South Side that are of such architectural or cultural importance that their preservation will benefit the public and community.
  • Structures or sites within the grant program’s geographical boundaries that are listed on Landmarks Illinois’ most recent “Most Endangered” list are presumed to be Eligible Structures.
• Applicants
  • Commercial property owners, business owners or nonprofit organizations including community organizations, faith-based and educational institutions.
  • Applicants must own the Eligible Structure or Site or have sufficient legal control of the Eligible Structure or Site to permit the Eligible Project to be completed and protected as required by Landmarks Illinois.
  • Applicants must own the Eligible Structure or have sufficient legal control of the Eligible Structure or Site to permit the Eligible Project to be completed and protected as required by Landmarks Illinois.
  • Applicants must possess the capacity to manage the grant funds prudently and have the expertise to execute the Eligible Project in accordance with its approved conditions. An applicant that lacks one or both of these attributes must submit to the expertise of a pro bono sponsor elected by Landmarks Illinois if, in its sole discretion, it offers to provide it.
  • Applicants are encouraged to seek preservation protection for the Eligible Structure or Site from local, state or national preservation organizations as applicable if not already protected.
  • Landmarks Illinois must receive a follow-up report of the project within a determined time period.

For more information, visit Landmarks Illinois.