Organizer Information
The Ohio History Connection, formerly known as the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization chartered in 1885 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a mission to spark discovery of Ohio's stories by embracing the present, sharing the past, and transforming the future. The organization houses the State Historic Preservation Office and the official state archives, and manages more than 50 historic sites and museums across Ohio. The Ohio History Fund is the organization's competitive matching grant program, funded primarily through Ohioans' voluntary contributions via the state income tax check-off, supplemented by the State Historic Preservation Fund. Since its first round of grants in 2013, the History Fund has awarded 164 grants totaling more than $1.8 million through March 2026, against more than $8.4 million in cumulative requests.
Title & Description
Ohio History Fund Grants
The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grant program that annually awards grants to nonprofit organizations and local government entities for history-related projects across Ohio. The grants are intended to support local, regional, and statewide projects, programs, and events connected to the state's history, and the program crowd-funds its awards through voluntary contributions from Ohio taxpayers and other donors. Applications are reviewed by experts from history-related organizations across the state, who make funding recommendations to the Ohio History Connection, which administers the program.
Categories
- Culture
- Art Management
- Archeology
- Research
Eligibility
- Open to Ohio-based, nonprofit organizations in good standing, as defined by the Ohio Secretary of State's Office
- Open to public entities in Ohio, such as units of local government, public libraries, and educational institutions
- Nonprofit organizations operating Ohio History Connection sites under "site management agreements" are eligible to apply under their own names (functions and fiscal responsibilities assigned to the Ohio History Connection under such agreements are not eligible); an up-to-date agreement must be uploaded with the application
- Examples of eligible applicant types include local historical societies, historic preservation groups, public libraries, genealogical societies, university archives and special collections, archeological societies, county records management offices, and incorporated "friends" groups of the above
- Ineligible applicants: for-profit businesses and entities, private individuals, current History Fund grant recipients with projects still underway, and the Ohio History Connection itself
- Ineligible applicants may serve as paid contractors to grant awardees but may not apply directly
- Only one grant per organization at a time; otherwise-eligible grantees with an open History Fund project may not apply again until that project is closed
Program Benefits & Awards
- Bricks & Mortar: grants of $2,000–$20,000; grant covers 60% of total project cost, with a 40% match required from the applicant
- Organizational Development: grants of $1,000–$4,000; grant covers 80% of total project cost, with a 20% match required from the applicant
- Programs & Collections: grants of $2,000–$20,000; grant covers 60% of total project cost, with a 40% match required from the applicant
- The average grant amount from 2013–2026 has been approximately $11,000, with awards ranging from just over $2,000 to the $20,000 maximum
- Note: this is a matching grant program — no funding is provided without the applicant supplying the required match in funds, goods, and/or services
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 8 September 2026
- Application review period: from the September deadline through the first weeks of February the following year (Technical Review, then Staff Review, then Panel Review)
- Applicant notification: mid-February, by letter
- Public announcement of grant recipients: on or around Ohio Statehood Day, March 1
- Recipient site visits: scheduled in March and April
Location
Ohio, United States
Additional Details
- Grant categories and project types: Bricks & Mortar (rehabilitation, restoration, protection, or acquisition of historic properties or archaeological sites, or building work related to preserving historical/archival collections; project length up to 24 months); Organizational Development (board/staff training, professional assistance with organizational issues, governance improvements, volunteer/membership program development, assessments or strategic plans; project length 12 months); Programs & Collections (public programs, exhibits, archival/artifact care and management, digitization, oral history, archaeological/architectural/historical surveys, National Register nominations, preservation plans, mobile or online applications, walking tours, and events; project length up to 24 months)
- Ineligible project types include: acquisition of historical materials for a collection; costs of moving or reconstructing buildings, or general remodeling/maintenance unrelated to preservation; digitization of material the applicant does not hold copyright to; ongoing operating costs (utilities, security, groundskeeping, website hosting, digital storage); creation of new public artworks not addressing Ohio history; equipment unrelated to a specific project goal; erecting or repairing Ohio Historical Markers; honoraria intended primarily to confer distinction; insurance costs (unless used as project match); interest and debt payments; direct lobbying or fundraising; Section 106 mitigation costs; and oral history projects without a defined subject or theme
- Bricks & Mortar projects require a five-year preservation agreement, under which the property owner commits to maintaining historic features (for historic properties) or retaining the building for its intended use (for non-historic properties)
- Properties under consideration for Bricks & Mortar funding must be owned or under long-term lease by the applicant
- Applicants are expected to apply current professional standards and best practices relevant to their project type (e.g. archives, archaeology, digitization, genealogy, museum collections, oral history, historic preservation)
- Application materials are revised annually; the current cycle's application becomes available after June 30 each year