2023 Rhode Island Preservation Grants Awarded
pomfret, connecticut
16 grant recipients announced
The 1772 Foundation, partnering for a fourth year with Preserve Rhode Island, awarded historic preservation one-for-one matching grants totaling $125,000 to sixteen private nonprofit organizations maintaining historic sites in Rhode Island. The grants ranged in amount from $3,250 to the grant maximum of $10,000, with nine organizations receiving the latter amount.
Grants were provided for exterior work: painting; surface restoration; fire detection/security systems; repairs to/restoration of chimneys, porches, roofs, and windows; repairs to foundations and sills; and masonry repointing. Projects were evaluated by Preserve Rhode Island staff, who also will manage the grants. Each grantee was required to have matching funds for its project.
Stated Valerie Talmage, executive director of Preserve Rhode Island, “Preserve RI is grateful to The 1772 Foundation for partnering with us to provide vital funding to help nonprofits from all around with state with important capital repair projects to their historic sites. All of the projects allow these historic buildings to continue to be utilized for the benefit of all Rhode Islanders.”
President of The 1772 Foundation Margaret Waldock commented on the importance of these grants to the preservation community. “With these grants, The 1772 Foundation continues its investment in preservation efforts that protect assets of community importance. While the individual grants may seem small, we have found they leverage considerable local resources and opportunities – community-provided matching dollars, support for local businesses and tradespeople, and the longterm power of incremental, small-scale capital investments in roofs, windows, and structural improvements that protect and maintain the value of assets over time.”
Grant recipients were AS 220 (Providence), Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association (Jamestown), Borders Farm Preservation, Inc. (Foster), Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse (East Providence), Gilbert Stuart Birthplace & Museum (Saunderstown), Glocester Heritage Society (Glocester), Historic New England (Jamestown), The Historical Society of Smithfield (Smithfield), Hope & Main (Warren), Hopkinton Historical Association (Hopkinton), Jamestown Historical Society (Jamestown), Jonnycake Center of Westerly (Westerly), Newport Historical Society (Newport), Revive the Roots (Smithfield), Sojourner House (Providence), and South County Arts Association (Kingston). Grants were also awarded in each of the other five New England states and in Georgia.