Preserving Historic Cemeteries
Since 2017, the Historic Cemetery Grant Program has provided 53 grants to support the preservation and interpretation of historic cemeteries across the state. Fortunately, Governor Inslee’s proposed 2023-25 capital budget includes $515,000 in funding to continue the Historic Cemetery Grant Program—a program of the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP).
As part of our state legislative advocacy, we will work across the coming months to advocate for continued funding for historic cemeteries, and you can help! Learn more about our advocacy of this and other important capital grant programs (courthouses, cemeteries, and historic theaters) and how you can help encourage your legislators to support them:
History of the Program
The Historic Cemetery Grant Program is generously supported by funding from the Washington State Legislature. The grant program is housed within the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP) and managed under contract by the Washington Trust.
Established in 2016 with the enactment of House Bill 2637, the Historic Cemetery Preservation Capital Grant Program is intended to benefit the public by preserving outstanding examples of the state’s historical heritage, enabling historic cemeteries to continue to serve their communities, and honoring the military veterans buried within them. Any cemetery within the state of Washington that contains five or more burials, with at least one burial more than 50 years old, is eligible for this grant program.
2021-2023 Historic Cemetery Grants
The application period has closed. View the 2021-2023 Historic Cemetery Grant projects at the end of this page.
Assistance from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is available by phone, by email, through workshops or travel and occasionally site visits. Please contact call us at (206) 462-2999 or via email with questions.
Past Cemetery Grant Recipient Links
Reimbursement Request / Completion Report
Want to join our Historic Cemetery email list? Follow the link below to sign up:
Cemetery Program Email Signup
