Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program | P23AS00173

Opportunity Information: Apply for P23AS00173

The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is a National Park Service (NPS) grant opportunity created to protect and sustain the historic places, features, and stories tied to Route 66, one of the most recognizable transportation corridors in the United States. Congress established the program through legislation in 1999 in recognition of Route 66's national heritage value, and the program began receiving funding in 2001. Its central purpose is practical preservation: partnering with private, nonprofit, and government stakeholders to identify the most urgent and representative preservation needs along the Route 66 corridor, then helping fund and guide projects that keep those resources from being lost or irreversibly altered.

The program provides cost-share grants, meaning the recipient is generally expected to contribute matching resources (cash or allowable in-kind support, depending on the award terms) alongside federal funds. Funding can support preservation work on significant and representative Route 66-related assets, including historic buildings and structures (such as roadside architecture and related facilities), road segments, and cultural landscapes that collectively tell the story of the corridor. In addition to hands-on preservation, the program also supports earlier-stage and non-construction efforts through cost-share funding for planning, research, and educational initiatives that advance the long-term protection and interpretation of Route 66 resources.

Geographically, the program is focused on the historic Route 66 corridor across eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Projects are expected to relate directly to preservation needs within this corridor, and the program emphasizes resources that best represent the historic character and significance of Route 66 across its length. Beyond dollars, the program also emphasizes technical assistance, using NPS expertise to strengthen project design and outcomes and to help communities and partners carry preservation work further than they could with local resources alone.

For this specific opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P23AS00173; Assistance Listing/CFDA 15.958), the funding instrument is a discretionary grant under the community development activity category. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; federally recognized tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not higher education institutions); individuals; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits). The award ceiling listed is $30,000 per award. The application closing date for this round was April 14, 2023, and the opportunity record was created on January 19, 2023.

A key administrative detail is that this cost-share grant program was established for Fiscal Year 2023 only, and it could be revised or canceled depending on annual congressional appropriations and shifting program priorities. Awards are structured so that each approved project or activity is individually authorized through a separate award, and each one requires its own work plan and budget developed cooperatively between the NPS and the grantee. This structure signals that applicants should be prepared to define a clear, standalone scope of work with a corresponding budget and deliverables that can be managed and evaluated as its own discrete project.

• The National Park Service in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.958.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-01-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for P23AS00173

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