The National Trust for Historic Preservation has opened its second round of applications for aid from the Preserve Route 66 Legacy Business Grant Fund.
The fund provides financial support to businesses to preserve historic places and spur economic development along the Route 66 corridor, with an emphasis on projects that illuminate the narratives of communities whose places and stories have been historically underrepresented.
For the 2025 round, the National Trust is especially interested in painting projects or mural projects to prepare for the 2026 Route 66 centennial.
Grants from the Preserve Route 66 Legacy Business Grant Fund are designed to help business owners advance projects in these three categories: (1) capital improvements, (2) planning, and (3) marketing and outreach.
Eligible projects will be located in the broader Route 66 corridor including communities and neighborhoods along Route 66. Grants will generally range from $5,000 to $10,000, and no match is required.
The deadline to apply is Jan. 9.
Projects must be located in a community, neighborhood or tribal land along the Route 66 corridor. While businesses do not need to be directly on Route 66, they should demonstrate geographic or thematic connections to the highway.
For more information on the grant program, go here.
(Image of Route 66 in California by Meins Photography via Flickr)