The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is now taking applications for cost-share grants through April 1 for its 2011 season.
The cost-share program’s purpose is:
… to support the preservation of the most significant and representative historic Route 66 buildings, structures, road segments, and cultural landscapes in the eight states through which the route passes. Assistance is also provided to support research, planning, oral history, and education outreach projects related to the preservation of Route 66.
The program has been running for 10 years. In that time, it’s awarded almost $1.5 million in grants. A number of those kept historic Route 66 structures from literally crumbling into the dust. Other grants have made Route 66 businesses more viable by restoring historic neon signs, replacing roofs, or getting better HVAC systems. You can read more about the program here.
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has been run on a shoestring compared to other federal agencies. Yet it’s provided a lot of goodwill, publicity, and small-business support over the past decade — a lot of bang for the buck, in other words.
If you own a historic Route 66 business that could use some TLC, I urge you to consider applying for such a grant. Even if you’re leery about the paperwork, the friendly folks at the program probably can direct you to other people in your state or region to help you with that.
More details can be found with this document here.
(Photo of the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz., a recipient of a cost-share grant in 2003.)