Randolph Friends Meeting House Expected to Receive Historic Preservation Grant

Posted: October 3, 2022

On September 28, 2022, New Jersey Historic Trust approved nearly $15.8 million in grant recommendations from the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund to save and promote historic sites around New Jersey. Among those recommendations are 10 historic sites in Morris County, including the Friends Meeting House in Randolph.

The Morris County sites are recommended for a total of $1.7 million, of which $74,525 would be allocated to the Friends Meeting House. Before the funds are made available, the grant recommendations must be presented to the Garden State Preservation Trust at its next meeting, and the dollars require a legislative appropriations bill and the Governor’s approval.

“This is an important first step in the process, as well as an enormous boost to our own efforts to preserve, protect and restore historic sites throughout Morris County. These state dollars will supplement grants we already approved from our Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund to protect these same sites,” said Morris County Commissioner Stephen Shaw, the board’s liaison to the Office of Planning & Preservation.

The grants earmarked for Morris County are being issued in various categories, wherein the Randolph Friends Meeting House would be classified under Level 1 funding.

Historical Site Management includes grants for preservation plans, historic structures reports, conditions assessments, design documents, and more; as well as municipal, county, and regional planning projects such as architectural surveys, design guidelines, historic preservation elements of a municipal or county master plan, and the preparation or revision of a local historic preservation ordinance.

Level 1 are grants of $150,000 or less, involving the New Jersey Historic Trust providing 60 percent funding toward a project cost while the nonprofit or government agency is paying 40 percent of the cost.

Level 2 are grants of $150,001 - $750,000 involving the New Jersey Historic Trust providing 50 percent funding toward a project cost while the nonprofit or government agency is paying a 50 percent match.

Multi-phase grants are large-scale capital projects involving a minimum request of $500,000 per grant round. A successful applicant will receive a commitment to fund subsequent capital phases in subsequent years.

To read the full article and view the other Morris County historic sites slated for preservation funding, visit the official website of Morris County.