Tennessee Awards More Than $1.1 Million in Historic Preservation Grants: What Building Owners Should Know in 2026
Updated August 2026
If you own a historic building in Tennessee, an announcement from the Tennessee Historical Commission this month deserves your attention.
On August 11, 2026, the Tennessee Historical Commission announced 28 Federal Historic Preservation Fund grants totaling more than $1.1 million for preservation projects across the state. A recent report from WBBJ-TV highlighted the awards, which are funding everything from architectural surveys and National Register nominations to courthouse restoration, foundation repairs—and, in several cases, historic window restoration. The Tennessee Historical Commission's official announcement provides the complete list.
That's great news for preservation in Tennessee.
But if you're a homeowner, commercial property owner, church, nonprofit, developer, or steward of an older building, you probably have a more practical question:
Can any of this money help pay for my building?
The answer is...possibly.
Historic preservation funding is a little like an old house itself: there is usually more going on behind the walls than you expect.
What Tennessee Just Funded
The grants come through the Federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and are administered in Tennessee by the Tennessee Historical Commission, which serves as the state's Historic Preservation Office.
The 2026 awards cover properties and preservation initiatives throughout Tennessee. Among the projects receiving funding:
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Davidson County: $23,200 for Phase III window restoration.
Central High School in Crockett County: $36,000 for window restoration.
Lindsley Avenue Church of Christ in Nashville: $46,800 for stained-glass window restoration.
Hickman Tavern and Coach House in Dandridge: $66,000 for roof and masonry restoration.
Elmwood Cemetery Cottage in Memphis: $24,500 for exterior restoration.
Numerous courthouses, historic surveys, planning projects, National Register nominations, and preservation initiatives throughout the state.
For those of us who spend our days working with historic buildings, the window projects are particularly encouraging.
Historic windows sometimes get treated as though they're simply old versions of modern windows waiting to be replaced. Preservation programs increasingly recognize the opposite: original windows are significant architectural fabric worth maintaining when they can reasonably be repaired.
That distinction can also matter when public funding or historic tax credits are involved.
How the Historic Preservation Fund Works
The HPF program isn't a blank check for anyone who happens to own an old building.
Tennessee's program reimburses up to 60% of approved project costs, while the grantee provides the remaining 40% match. Typical grants average approximately $15,000 to $65,000. Restoration projects must involve properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places and must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
The next funding cycle is currently expected to run January 10 through February 28, 2027, subject to federal budget approval.
There is, however, a very important qualifier.
Private homeowners generally should not count on this particular grant.
The Tennessee Historical Commission states directly that the HPF prioritizes projects providing a public benefit, such as museums, courthouses, libraries, preservation planning, historic-resource surveys and other publicly focused projects. Privately owned residential homes have not historically received funding through this program, and commercially focused projects have not competed successfully under its current priorities.
That doesn't mean private owners are out of options.
It means you need to look in the right bucket.
Commercial Historic Properties May Have an Even Bigger Opportunity
Owners rehabilitating qualifying income-producing historic buildings should investigate the Federal Historic Tax Credit Program.
The program provides a 20% federal historic rehabilitation tax credit for certified historic structures when the project meets program requirements. Eligible properties may include commercial buildings, hotels, apartments, rental residences, industrial properties, agricultural buildings and other income-producing uses. Owner-occupied private residences generally do not qualify.
To qualify, among other requirements:
The building must be individually listed in the National Register or certified as contributing to a registered historic district.
The rehabilitation must meet the program's substantial-rehabilitation test.
The work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
The property must be used for an income-producing purpose following rehabilitation.
Most importantly, the Tennessee Historical Commission recommends contacting its staff before beginning the project.
That's a theme you'll notice repeatedly with preservation funding:
Figure out the rules before the hammers start swinging.
Doing beautiful work that would have qualified isn't particularly helpful if starting it too early makes the expense ineligible.
Another Tennessee Opportunity Is Open Right Now
As of August 2026, Tennessee's Downtown Improvement Grant Program is also worth watching—particularly for owners of historic commercial properties in participating downtown districts.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development's 2026 application cycle opened July 7 and is scheduled to close August 28, 2026. Eligible Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtown communities can apply for grants of up to $300,000 for district improvements. At least half of the proposed project must involve building façade improvements, and the grant requires a 25% match.
Eligible façade work can include:
Historic windows
Doors and entryways
Storefront rehabilitation
Masonry
Painting where appropriate
Awnings
Lighting
Signage
Certain roof and life-safety improvements
Individual building owners do not simply apply directly for the statewide grant. The participating community is the grantee and may select building owners as subgrantees. That's why owners of buildings in Tennessee Main Street communities should develop a relationship with their local Main Street or downtown organization, not just search state websites once a year.
The state's own design guidance also stresses retaining and repairing original historic materials whenever possible, with particular attention to historic windows.
Your ZIP Code Can Change the Funding Equation
One of the most important things Tennessee property owners should understand is that preservation incentives vary substantially by community.
Nashville and Davidson County
Metro Nashville maintains a collection of historic preservation financial resources, including a local Historic Tax Exemption for qualifying historic and endangered properties undergoing major rehabilitation, preservation-easement resources, federal rehabilitation tax-credit information, financing programs and other assistance. Eligibility depends heavily on property type and zoning.
Memphis
Within Downtown Memphis' Central Business Improvement District, the Downtown Memphis Exterior Improvement Grant is a matching program for commercial owners and businesses. Eligible improvements specifically include window and door repair or replacement, masonry repair, storefront work, exterior painting, lighting, signage and design/permitting costs.
Knoxville and East Tennessee
Knoxville offers one of Tennessee's more interesting preservation funding environments for residential properties.
The city's Residential Historic Preservation Program can provide qualifying historic residential projects with a zero-interest, short-term construction loan, reimbursing up to $200,000 in qualifying redevelopment costs, subject to available funding and program requirements.
Knox Heritage also operates preservation programs. Its regional Community Preservation Grants have offered up to $5,000 for qualifying projects in 16 East Tennessee counties, including exterior restoration of windows, doors, porches, roofs, siding and masonry. Its Small Renovation Grant Program can provide qualifying owner-occupied Knoxville homeowners in historic overlay districts up to $2,500 toward approved exterior preservation work.
Murfreesboro
Main Street Murfreesboro's 2026 Property Enhancement Grant offered matching reimbursement funding for eligible downtown properties, with work including window and door restoration, storefronts, masonry, cornices, gutters and other exterior improvements. The 2026 application period has already closed, but programs like this are exactly why local Main Street organizations should be part of an owner's annual funding search.
Franklin and Williamson County
Funding isn't always a traditional grant. The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County operates a preservation-easement program for qualifying historic properties. Easements can provide permanent protection and, in certain circumstances, may have federal tax implications. Owners considering an easement should involve qualified legal, tax and appraisal professionals before proceeding.
And these are only examples.
Tennessee's historic downtowns, Certified Local Governments, preservation nonprofits and redevelopment organizations can have entirely different tools available depending on where a property is located.
So, Where Should a Historic Property Owner Begin?
We've put together a separate resource that goes much deeper:
How to Fund a Historic Building Restoration in Tennessee: Grants, Tax Credits & Local Programs
It breaks down the funding paths for:
Private historic homeowners
Commercial and income-producing properties
Nonprofit and institutional properties
Downtown and Main Street buildings
National Register-listed properties
Properties located within local historic districts
Specialized historic resources
Before you apply for anything, however, there are several steps worth taking.
Don't Start With the Grant Application. Start With the Building.
Preservation funding applications are much stronger when the owner actually understands what the building needs.
That sounds obvious. It isn't always.
A 100-year-old window with deteriorated paint and failed glazing might look like a replacement candidate to one contractor and a completely repairable historic assembly to a preservation specialist. Those two conclusions can produce radically different scopes, costs—and preservation-review outcomes.
Before committing to work, consider:
Confirming the property's historic status.
Identifying local historic-district or design-review requirements.
Documenting existing conditions with photographs and assessments.
Determining what should be repaired versus replaced.
Developing a realistic preservation scope and budget.
Identifying the grant, tax-credit or incentive program before construction begins.
Confirming whether the funding is reimbursement-based and planning the necessary cash flow.
Obtaining required approvals before starting eligible work.
That last point matters more than many owners realize.
Grant money is wonderful.
Reimbursement schedules are considerably less romantic.
Many programs require owners or grantees to pay project costs first and receive reimbursement only after approved work and documentation are completed. Tennessee's HPF, Downtown Improvement Grant, Knoxville programs and several local programs use reimbursement structures in one form or another.
Preservation Funding and Historic Windows
Historic windows deserve particular attention when public funding or historic rehabilitation tax credits are involved.
The Tennessee Historical Commission's guidance for federal tax-credit projects strongly encourages applicants to retain and repair historic windows. When replacement is proposed, owners may need to document deterioration and demonstrate why repair is not feasible.
That makes early evaluation important.
At Austin Historical, we can support building owners, architects, contractors and preservation teams by helping evaluate historic window and door conditions, develop repair or replication scopes, establish budgets, document existing conditions and plan work that respects the historic character of the building.
The goal isn't simply to “save an old window.”
It's to help make a good preservation decision—and make that decision early enough that the project team still has options.
Tennessee Is Investing in Its Historic Buildings. Property Owners Should Pay Attention.
The Tennessee Historical Commission's 2026 awards represent more than $1.1 million in preservation funding, but the larger story is the network of funding programs surrounding historic buildings throughout the state.
There is no single grant that works for every historic property.
There are, however, federal grants, federal tax credits, Main Street programs, local incentives, preservation loans, nonprofit grants, easements and specialized programs that can dramatically change the economics of the right project.
The trick is knowing which door to knock on before you start the work.
If you own or manage a historic building in Tennessee and are considering restoration of its historic windows or doors, Austin Historical can help you understand the existing conditions, develop an appropriate restoration strategy and provide the technical information needed as you work with your architect, preservation consultant, local preservation office or funding agency.
Helpful Tennessee Preservation Resources
Funding programs, eligibility requirements and application deadlines change. Information in this article is current as of August 2026. Property owners should confirm current requirements with the applicable agency before relying on a grant, tax credit or incentive as part of a project budget.
