Downtown Historic District Grant Program

• Professional architectural design services
• Any work to a building facade (including screening of roof-top mechanical equipment)
• Maintenance, including restorative painting, repair/replacement of deteriorating materials and mechanical systems, electrical and other mechanical if there are safety concerns
• Roofing
• New signage, except for internally lit signs
• Graffiti removal
• Historic Skylight Repair
• Maintenance Projects
• Retroactive project funding for above-listed projects that have been issued a building permit within the last 12 months.

Ineligible Projects:

• Soft costs, such as acquisition, accounting, appraisals, bids, engineering, legal and building permit costs
• Site work, including excavation, grading, paving and landscaping
• Repairs to recent additions, constructed after they property was officially designated
• Owner/self-labor reimbursement
• Solar equipment
• Security equipment
• Maintenance of equipment and devices unrelated to mechanical systems of structure

• There is a total of $50,000 available in 2025 for project funding

• Projects may be awarded up to 80% of eligible project costs, with a 20% match from applicants.

•  Downtown Historic District Grant funds should be spent by the end of 2026.

• The majority of projects will be reviewed and approved by the Historical Preservation Commission (HPC) through a competitive grant process. The applications will open in July and be available until September. Once the application period is closed, the HPC will review all the applications and determine final award amounts. We expect award letters to be distributed in October 2025.
• Certain projects will qualify for an administrative review, meaning staff will process, review, and reach a decision on applications as they come in. Those projects include:
  • Routine maintenance projects (including new paint, minor repairs, window repairs, etc.)
  • Graffiti Removal
  • Urgent requests

Considerations used for approval:

• Project will have a significant positive visual impact on the historic character of the district
• Project is located on a street-facing facade of the building
• Project includes restoration of architectural details and materials on a historic building facade
• Project will provide permanent, rather than removable, elements. Examples of removable elements including signs, canopies, and fixtures
• Project includes architectural design assistance
• The health, safety, and welfare of the community
• The board will give negative consideration to any applicant who previously received funding and did not complete the project within the approved timeframe for project completion. Applicants in these cases will be asked to assure the board the proposed project will be completed during the allotted timeframe. 

Applicable design guidelines:

• Secretary of the Interior Standards for Preservation and Rehabilitation
• ULUC Certificate of Appropriateness Decision Criteria Standards
• Downtown Littleton Historic Preservation Design Guidelines
• Downtown Littleton Design Standards
• Window Design Guidelines(PDF, 234KB)

What do you need for your application?

All applications must be completed using the online application form. A complete application includes:

• Online application form
• The following attachments are required:
  • A letter of intent that includes a detailed written description of the proposed work and a time frame for completion of the project
  • Photographs of the existing building noting the areas where work will be completed
  • Historic photographs of the building, including the section where work will be completed - if available
  • The proposed budget
  • Three contractor bids - if three bids are not included, provide explanation in the letter of intent
  • If requesting funds for maintenance and repairs, include photos of existing conditions of building
  • Completed and Signed W-9 Form

May I apply for more than one city-sponsored grant?

• There are separate applications and funds for each city-sponsored grant. If applying for more than one, be sure to have separate budgets and bids for the segments of work that you are requesting to be funded by each grant fund. If more than one city grant is awarded to your property, you will also need separate invoices and payment receipts for submittal, and note that different grants may also have have different grant coordinators.

   

What else should I know?

• Award recipients with a project not started within one year of approval forfeit funding and will be required to submit a new application for consideration
• The HPC and staff review committee reserve the right to change the conditions of the Historic District Grant as warranted.
• Award recipients must provide a W-9 form to the city and will receive a Form 1099 for any award amount of $600 or more.
• Not all projects will be funded and there is no guarantee of full funding being awarded.