2024 Georgia Preservation Grants Awarded

Macon, Georgia

10 grant recipients in 9 counties announced

The 1772 Foundation, partnering for the second time with The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, awarded historic preservation one-for-one matching grants totaling $100,000 to ten private nonprofit organizations maintaining historic sites in Georgia. Each grantee was awarded the grant maximum of $10,000.

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. Georgia Trust staff reviewed the grant applications and selected funded projects based on criteria including organizational capacity, realistic budget, community support, and immediacy of need. The Georgia Trust will manage the grants.

Ethiel Garlington, executive director of The 1772 Foundation, recalled, “Our founder, Stewart Barney Kean, fell in love with historic preservation through the act of restoration. He appreciated the materials and workmanship of historic buildings. More importantly, he recognized the value of maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to ensure historic places survive for the next stewards. These grants exemplify his spirit and love of historic preservation.”

Grant recipients were Candler County Historical Society (The History Museum, Metter); Fresh Air Home (Tybee Island); Friends of Massie Heritage Center (Massie School, Savannah); Historic Cobbham Foundation (Old Clarke County Jail, Athens); Historic Desoto Theater Foundation (Rome); Old Clinton Historical Society (McCarthy-Pope House, Gray); Rise Risley (Colored Memorial Building, Brunswick); Sautee Nacoochee Community Association (Sautee Nacoochee School, Sautee Nacoochee); Stone Mountain Historical Society (Wells-Brown House, Stone Mountain); and Thomasville Cultural Center, Inc. (Thomasville Center for the Arts, Thomasville). Grants were also awarded in each of the six New England states.

President of The 1772 Foundation Margaret Waldock, commenting on the importance of the matching grants, said, “These bricks and mortar grants across New England and Georgia prove that small investments can have transformational results. Our statewide partners continue to demonstrate the power of historic preservation in communities in seven states. We are in awe of their work and the work of the grantees saving these fascinating places.”