NTLF Transformative Grants
About the Program
A $100,000 grant to the Palace Hotel project in Long Beach, CA supports the installation of photoelectric cells and other sustainability upgrades that will essentially take this transitional housing complex “off the grid”.
Historic preservation is not just an end in itself. It is also a tool to stimulate community revitalization. The Transformative Grant program of the National Trust Loan Fund supports this philosophy by providing key funds to historic rehabilitation projects that will have a significant community impact but that are stalled or hampered by insufficient funding. Through a partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the National Trust Loan Fund awarded $663,000 in grants to nine rehabilitation projects that will help transform older and historic communities nationwide. The program reflects a shared commitment by the Knight Foundation and the National Trust to support reinvestment in older and historic properties as a means to stimulate community development.
The nine selected projects represent more than $193 million in total development costs and reflect a variety of project goals and design. Seven of the grants support large affordable housing projects that create more than 170 units. These units will house service men and women in Columbus, GA, teens that are "aging out" of the foster care system in Los Angeles County, and homeless Native American women and children in Duluth, MN.
“We are excited about the quality of these projects, the historic resources they will return to productive use and the impact these projects will have on their respective communities,” said Lauri M. Michel, Vice President of Community Revitalization for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The projects exemplify core values of the National Trust: that the reuse of historic buildings and reinvestment in existing communities to meet modern needs are key principles of sustainable development.” Damian Thorman, National Program Director for Knight Foundation added, "These projects have the power to create a new sense of place and life in historic areas."
The Grant Recipients
Aeon, Inc. of St. Paul, Minn. will use its $100,000 grant for the rehabilitation of a vacant historic building into 67 affordable housing units. Fourteen of the units will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals. The grant will specifically used for predevelopment costs and a systems upgrade which will help the building qualify for LEED Gold classification.
Affordable Housing Solutions, Inc. of Columbus Ga. will use its $100,000 grant for the rehabilitation of the Empire Building into 23 one-bedroom apartments. The grant provides important gap financing that enables the rehabilitation of the most prominent building left in downtown Columbus that has not been renovated. It is an important key to the city's
American Indian Community Housing Organization of Duluth Minn. will use its $100,000 grant for the rehabilitation of historic building to support housing creation and the American Indian Community Center. The project will produce 29 units of affordable housing and the community center will include a gymnasium, auditorium, an art gallery, and a daycare facility. The grant will defray the costs associated with complying with the Secretary of the Interior Standards and Minnesota Green Communities criteria.
Biloxi Housing Authority of Biloxi, Miss. will use its $25,000 grant to defray the acquisition and rehabilitation costs associated with the NAACP building project. This 1953 building was once considered the main building on the main drag of the African-American business district in Biloxi. Once rehabbed, it will house first-floor commercial space and upper floor low-income housing.
College for Creative Studies (CCS) of Detroit, Mich. will use its $100,000 grant for the conversion of the Argonaut Building, a General Motors research lab, into a "green" arts education campus. A portion of grant will cover the historic preservation and sustainability work that will qualify the building for Energy Star designation and LEED certification. The Argonaut will be the new campus home to CCS in downtown Detroit and will house a new middle school, high school and office space for design firms.
LINC Housing Corporation of Long Beach, Calif. will use its $100,000 grant for the rehabilitation of the former Palace Hotel into transitional housing for children who have aged out of foster care. The grant money will be used to replace aluminum widows with wood frame windows and purchase and install a photoelectric array and fuel cells to provide electricity and hot water to the building, essentially taking it “off the grid”.
Landmark Investment Group of Wichita, Kan. will use its $75,000 grant for the payment of architectural fees, historic district nomination and stabilization repairs for a low-income housing project. The property consists of three apartment buildings located at 712, 722 and 730 North Market Street (the “Market Street Apartments”). Once completed, the Market Street Apartments will be available for rent as low-income housing units. Through investigation of the Market Street Apartment project, Loan Fund staff has determined that a gap financing grant of $75,000 would be appropriate for the project at this time.
The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation of Kentucky will use its $20,000 grant for the provision of low-VOC paint for the maintenance of historic properties. Its pilot Community Paint Partnership Project assists homeowners that have delayed important home maintenance projects due to tough economic times. Its goal is to reach fifteen homes in Lexington its first year of operation.
The Wagner Free Institute of Philadelphia, Penn. will use its $43,000 gap financing grant for the payment of closing costs and loan interest that will fund repair and for sustainability upgrades for a museum building. The museum provides free higher education classes to local residents, 75% of which do not have a college education. In its current condition, the building may not be used if outside temperatures drop below 45 degrees F.
For more information about the grant recipients or the National Trust Loan Fund, please call 202-588-6360 or email NationalTrust_LoanFund@nthp.org.
