Send in Your Applications Today for the Ohio History Fund!

This week, we have a special guest author for the OMA blog. See below for information on this year's Ohio History Fund from Andy Verhoff, the Ohio History Fund and Outreach Manager at the State Historic Preservation Office.

Ohio History Fund Application Deadline Oct. 1

Have a history-related museum project in mind? Consider applying. The application for the 2020-2021 round of Ohio History Fund grants is now available at ohiohistory.org/historyfund. The application deadline is Oct. 1, 2020.

The Ohio History Fund is a competitive matching grants program for history projects. The program is supported by the funds Ohioans donate through the "Ohio History Fund" tax check-off on state income tax returns, the purchase of Ohio History "mastodon" license plates and donations to the Ohio History Connection designated to the Ohio History Fund.

These grants support all kinds of history projects including museum collection storage initiatives, exhibit development (including virtual exhibits), educational programs, repairs and rehabilitation of National Register-listed historic buildings, digitization of archival materials and historic photographs, archaeological surveys, oral history and more.

OMA member the Oberlin Heritage Center received a grant in 2019 to benchmark best practices for self-guided tours in historic house museums, To read more about it, click here (page 16-17). For a list grant projects and the range of projects the Ohio History Fund supports, click here.

In addition to museums, eligible applicants include local history societies, historic preservation groups, public libraries, genealogical societies, university archives and special collections, archaeological societies, county records management offices, “friends” groups and other non-profit and public entities.

Ineligible applicants include for-profit businesses, private individuals and the Ohio History Connection. 

The Ohio History Fund application process is entirely online. No paper submissions of grant applications are accepted, although applications can be printed for reference.

This year's grant application is mostly the same as years' past. We say "mostly" because each year we tweak the application in response to applicants' and reviewers' comments.

If you have any questions about the Ohio History Fund grant program or the tax check-off that makes it possible, contact:  

Andy Verhoff
Ohio History Fund and Outreach Manager
State Historic Preservation Office
Ohio History Connection
800 E. 17th Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43211
614.297.2341 | 
[email protected]

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