Preservation Society Grants – updates and announcements

Press release from the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County:

We are incredibly proud to share that in the past three weeks, we have awarded over $50,000 in Preservation Grants to historic property owners affected by Hurricane Helene. Last week, our Board of Directors approved an extension of this program to allow for a total of $100,000 in grant funds to continue supporting recovery of historic buildings in Buncombe County. We have received an overwhelming number of applications and we expect to award the remainder of these funds by the end of the day today. Grants have been given to the following: $5000 – The Gardener’s Cottage (Biltmore Village) $5000 – Cotton Mill Studios (RAD) $5000 – Reynolds Mansion $5000 – Corner Kitchen (Biltmore Village) $5000 – Bull and Beggar (RAD) $5000 – Southern Highland Craft Guild (Biltmore Village) $5000 – Private residence (West Asheville) $5000 – Private residence (Swannanoa) $5000 – Hopkins Chapel $5000 – Bette Boutique (Biltmore Village) $5000 – Private residence (Swannanoa) Important Information for Grant Applicants **Applications are coming in at an unprecedented rate, and we are VERY close to exhausting funds for our current grant round. We will still be accepting any applications we receive, which will be kept on file in the event that additional funding is secured for another grant round.** In light of Hurricane Helene, preservation grants from $500 – $5000 are currently available in the category of Bricks-and-Mortar.  The following are some guidelines for this current grant cycle (see grant application below). There is currently no grant application deadline and applications will be reviewed as we receive them. Send applications to grants@psabc.org If you need a generator and/or a dehumidifier, immediate assistance will be considered without the need to apply for a grant. Please make your request directly to jessie@psabc.org The current focus of grants will be for historic properties in Buncombe County (50 years or older) affected by Hurricane Helene with special priority placed on helping keep people in their homes. In order to apply for our funding we ask that you also be taking the steps necessary to take advantage of insurance and FEMA funding. While we are using our existing grant application, please feel free to adjust as necessary for the current conditions.  We will accept and review all applications regardless of how complete they are and reach out for any additional information. Contact Jessie Landl at jessie@psabc.org or 828-254-2343 with any questions.  A long road ahead for The Bull and Beggar, but work has already begun! The full grant application can be found here. Resources, Support and How to Help   PSABC is working in many ways to support our community after Helene’s devastation of Western North Carolina. In addition to our Grant Program, we’ve purchased over $7000 in generators and dehumidifiers for those in need and we are providing technical support to historic property owners affected by the storm. We have also partnered with Heritage Emergency Management Inc. to coordinate volunteers for surveying historic resources throughout the entire county. **We hope you will consider supporting our efforts! Our ability to provide immediate assistance to these property owners is dependent on more funding. If you are able to do so, please consider making a donation today. You can specify for our Grant Program in the comment section.** A HUGE thank you to all who have reached out in support over the last month. We could not do it without you! We are so grateful to the preservation community for coming together to do the hard work of rebuilding and restoring our beloved historic places in Buncombe County!