Core Grants

Mission

Since 1989 the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation has been in the vanguard of historic preservation practice and theory. Our mission is to encourage new thinking and original research in the field of historic preservation. To achieve this aim, the Foundation awards research grants to mid-career professionals with an academic background and professional experience in historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, history of architecture, and allied fields.

Grantmaking Focus

Considered the father of historic preservation education in the United States, James Marston Fitch (1909-2000) noticeably shaped the field of historic preservation from its nascent years as a discipline in the 1960s to the highly developed professional practice we know today. Through his writings and teachings, he had a profound influence on those interested in creating, preserving and chronicling the built environment. As Professor Fitch said in his book, American Building: The Environmental Forces That Shape It (Oxford University Press, 1999), “The ultimate task of architecture is to act in favor of human beings.”

At his core, James Marston Fitch was committed to training professionals to protect and curate our built environment, and to create the support structures necessary to strengthen the field. The Fitch Foundation continues to pursue that goal through direct support to practitioners pursuing innovative original research. Projects should address a demonstrated need and make a meaningful contribution to the field of historic preservation in the United States. Historic preservation is a multidisciplinary field which benefits from a diverse range of perspectives and approaches. Therefore, beyond preservation itself, we support investigations rooted in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, environmental planning, architectural history, and related fields of inquiry. As an incubator for preservation theory and practice, the Fitch Foundation seeks to push the field forward and demonstrate the ongoing relevance of preservation for the future. Public dissemination of Fellows’ work is key to making this case. As such, research projects conceived with a clear plan for a realistic and widely accessible final work product will be prioritized.

Priorities and Criteria for Evaluation

Proposals are reviewed by Foundation Trustees and will be evaluated as follows, with preference given for projects that meet or exceed these criteria:

The project will make a meaningful impact on the preservation field in the United States, including a demonstrated need for the proposed study. The project should demonstrate innovative thinking, original research and creative problem solving and/or design.
The project will be completed within the one or two-year grant period (see grant types).
Funding should primarily support the applicant’s time and direct costs of the project (i.e. not supplies or equipment).
The project has clear and realistic goals, timeframe, work plan, and budget.
The project includes a tangible final work product or deliverable that is realistic and widely accessible, including a plan for dissemination which may include papers, lectures, conferences, presentations, exhibitions, web
Applicants should have an established professional identity in preservation or an allied field, as described elsewhere.

The Foundation does not typically support:

Publication costs, such as image rights, for otherwise completed manuscripts.
Paid support such as interns or graduate student assistants.
Projects primarily focused on architectural history that lack an immediate need or timeliness.

Grant Types

Annual Application Cycle

Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded annually to one or more mid-career professionals to pursue original research and/or the execution of preservation projects that address a demonstrated need in the field. Projects should make a meaningful contribution to the academic and/or professional field of historic preservation in the United States, and proposals must provide an argument for the project’s relevance and applicants’ unique qualifications.

Projects should demonstrate ability to have a systemic impact on the preservation field, and should have a clear and achievable deliverable with a plan for dissemination to a wide audience within the one year grant period. Deliverables may take the form of an article for submission to professional journals, a series of practice points, conference presentation, sample chapters of a book, draft book proposal, website, among other possibilities. Specific deliverable parameters may be developed by Fellows with Foundation guidance as the project takes shape. Applicants should have an academic background, at least 10 years of professional experience and an established identity in historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban design, environmental planning, architectural history, or related field of inquiry.

The annual grant cycle opens in the fall for spring funding.

Biennial Application Cycle

The Silman Award of up to $15,000 will be presented biennially to an engineer, architect, or other design professional in a related field for a proposal exploring the preservation, restoration, or adaptive reuse of the built environment, in the spirit of Robert Silman. Bob was a longtime trustee of the Fitch Foundation and leading expert in structural engineering, historic preservation, and sustainability.

The proposal may focus on a real project or it may be a polemical exercise; in either case, originality is highly valued. The proposal need not be directly related to structural design, although reference to structural elements within a given project and/or the interaction of structure with related fields will be valued. The proposal must advance the art and practice of preservation in the United States, and provide an argument for the project’s relevance and applicants’ unique qualifications. Projects should have a clear and achievable deliverable with a plan for dissemination to a wide audience within the two year grant period. The final work product can be graphic, text-based or a combination of both and must be able to be shared with the preservation community. Specific deliverable parameters may be developed by Fellows with Foundation guidance as the project takes shape.

The grant cycle opens in the fall for spring funding, every other year. Upcoming Silman grant cycles are projected for Fall 2027, Fall 2029, and Fall 2031.

The Blinder Award of up to $15,000 will be presented biennially to an architect or other professional in a related historic preservation field for a proposal exploring architecture and preservation. This is in the spirit of Richard Blinder, a founder and longtime Chair of the Fitch Foundation, and a founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners where he played a leading role in adapting cultural buildings, in particular, for ongoing use.

The proposal may focus on a real project or it may be a polemical exercise; in either case, originality is highly valued. The proposal must advance architectural preservation in the United States, and provide an argument for the project’s relevance and applicants’ unique qualifications. Projects should have a clear and achievable deliverable with a plan for dissemination to a wide audience within the two year grant period. The final work product can be graphic, text-based or a combination of both and must be able to be shared with the architecture and preservation community. Specific deliverable parameters may be developed by Fellows with Foundation guidance as the project takes shape.

The grant cycle opens in the fall for spring funding, every other year. Upcoming Blinder grant cycles are projected for Fall 2026, Fall 2028, and Fall 2030.

Eligibility and Application Process

Grants are awarded only to individuals, not organizations. The Foundation does not fund university-sponsored research projects or dissertation research. Grants are not awarded for professional fees.
Applicants must have an established professional identity in historic preservation or related fields, including architecture, landscape architecture, architectural conservation, engineering, urban design, environmental planning, resiliency design, economics, preservation law, archaeology, architectural history.
Applicants must be legal residents or citizens of the United States.

How to Apply

Applicants may only apply for one grant per year. Applicants are required to submit the following materials electronically in a single PDF document via Submittable:

Cover page, including Project Title; Name of Applicant(s), including primary contact person; Applicant Address; Phone; Email. Also, please specify for which award you are applying; and specify the amount of grant money requested.
Brief description of project, including the final work product and its plan for dissemination. Applicants are encouraged to be succinct and the project description is not to exceed three (3) pages. Must include 2-5 visuals to better explain the project.
Detailed work schedule and project budget, showing the grant amount requested from the Fitch Foundation and how this money will be spent.
Curriculum Vita, including professional and academic background, and past and present grants received.
Two (2) letters of support for the project to be included with the application. These may be emailed directly to Foundation staff (director@fitchfoundation.org) or submitted as part of a complete package.

Selection Process and Completion of Grant

Grants are awarded at the discretion of the Foundation. Recipients will be notified by email in the spring. Projects must be completed within the applicable grant period (one year for Fitch Grant, two years for Silman and Blinder Awards). All grantees will be assigned a Trustee advisor who will provide feedback and guidance throughout the project.

Typically, grant awards are divided into equal payments, the first being presented upon the award of the grant. Substantial written progress reports are required for all subsequent payments. The final payment is awarded only upon completion of the project.

The Foundation shall be acknowledged in all publications, papers, lectures, conferences, or other modes of dissemination. The Trustees reserve the right to publish the results if the recipient does not. The grant recipient must sign a release to the Foundation permitting such publication. Proper credit will be given to the grant recipient.