This grant funds the preparation of local landmark nominations for historic places in King County, Washington. For 2025, it is open to individuals, groups, and municipalities that have the property owner’s consent for landmark designation. Properties must be located in Seattle, Bothell, unincorporated King County, or in a city with an Interlocal Agreement for Landmark Designation and Protection Services with King County. Funds can be used to support historic preservation consultant fees or other expenses related to the preparation and submission of a landmark nomination. Awards typically range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Landmark nominations that address underrepresented aspects of King County history, and projects that serve or engage underrepresented communities in historic preservation, will receive additional priority for funding.

National Register of Historic Places nominations, as well as local landmark nominations that lack owner consent can be supported in 4Culture’s regular Preservation Special Projects cycle, or potentially with an Open 4Culture grant, which is available on a rolling basis.

Criteria

We award this grant through a competitive process, carefully evaluating each application. We want to see that you have a good plan behind your project, and that the proposed nomination will contribute to the long-term preservation of a historic place.

Public Benefit: Why It Matters

4Culture is a public agency supporting the cultural sector through revenue from Lodging Tax, 1% for Art, and Doors Open funding sources. Core to our work and defined in our Charter is a requirement that everything we fund serves the public interest, enriching communities throughout King County.

The term Providing Public Benefit means using public funds primarily to provide members of the public residing in and visiting King County access to opportunities to experience cultural resources. Public Benefit encompasses access and positive impacts for King County residents and visitors engaging with arts, culture, historic spaces, and public art across our program areas.

As you work through your application, tell us exactly how your fellow King County residents will be able to enjoy and learn from your work. Here are some ways Landmark Nomination projects may provide public benefit:

• Free presentations, tours, or access to materials found or created through research and preparation of the nomination, such as photographs, historic documentation, or audio or video recordings.
• Public meetings or programs around King County, especially in the community where the nominated property is located.
• Laying the groundwork for good preservation planning for the long-term viability and use of a historic property in King County.

Equity Investments

In order to combat inequities in our grantmaking, 4Culture has implemented Equity Investments. This practice incorporates indicators of structural inequity into our panel process, including geographic location, income, operating budget, audiences served, and project focus. By prioritizing these factors, we intend to more equitably distribute funds to communities that have historically been excluded from cultural funding.

Each of our grant programs implements an Equity Investment system tailored to the specific needs of its applicants; please read the After You Submit section of this page for details on how Equity Investments will function for this grant. This organization-wide practice—and what we learn about its impact—is an important step towards more equitable funding at 4Culture and throughout the King County cultural sector.

You

• Individual applicants must be at least 18 years old and a resident of King County, Washington.
• If you receive funding, you’ll need to provide us with your Social Security number to receive payment. Organizations, community groups, and public agencies must be based within King County, and will need to provide us with a Tax ID or EIN in order to receive payment.
• You must contact Historic Preservation Program Manager Emily P. Lawsin at  prior to applying.
• You may only submit one proposal for landmark nomination funding per year.
• You must be able to complete your project on a reimbursement basis.
• Current employees, family members, or business partners of an employee of 4Culture may not apply.
• We do not fund schools or school districts. Eligible applicants proposing the nomination of a public school building for landmark status must have the consent of the school building owner.

Your Project

• You can request funding to research and document a property, and to write and present a landmark nomination to your local historic preservation board or commission. Funding can support consultant fees, outreach, and other project expenses, but cannot be used to support an organization’s staff salaries.
• For 2025, properties must meet the following criteria:
  • Location is in the City of Seattle, City of Bothell, unincorporated King County, or within a city that has an Interlocal Agreement for Landmark Designation and Protection Services with King County.
  • If located outside the City of Seattle or City of Bothell, the King County Historic Preservation Program Staff have determined that the property is likely to meet one or more of the designation criteria defined in King County’s Landmark Ordinance (KCC 20.62).
• The property owner is the applicant or has given written consent for a nomination to be considered by your local historic preservation board or commission.
• Your project must provide a public benefit for King County residents and visitors. The public benefit will primarily be the preparation of the nomination itself, but may also include related programming, publications, or educational content. As a component of public benefit, the grant contract will stipulate that if the property is designated as a landmark, the designation must remain in place for a minimum of 10 years.
• Projects funded through this program, or portions thereof, may not begin prior to the award date and must be completed within 24 months of the award date.
• This grant may not be used for construction costs related to the stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation, or maintenance of historic buildings or landscapes, property acquisition, or new construction. (See 4Culture Landmarks Capital or Building for Equity grants for capital projects.)
• Contact Historic Preservation Program Manager Emily P. Lawsin at to discuss your project’s eligibility before applying.

Please contact us if you are interested in applying. Our staff will help you determine if your project is a good fit for this program. We will answer any of your questions and support you through the entire process, from beginning to end!

Contact

Emily P. Lawsin

206-477-3110

For technical support:
Maisha Barnett, Historic Preservation Support Specialist

206-477-9877

Application Guide

Watch this step-by-step application guide video to assist you in the application process.

Resources

Read these sample applications from the Vashon Maury Island Heritage Association and Fujioka Family Farm Landmark Nomination that successfully received funding.

Personal Support

We are here to assist you! If you have any questions at any time, please contact us.

You may find it helpful to review the application requirements before starting an application. See the Apply section below to familiarize yourself with the required materials you will be asked to provide.

We are also happy to review draft applications and provide feedback with adequate notice. For full draft reviews, save your work in the online application and contact Emily P. Lawsin at at least 3 weeks in advance of the due date, and no later than November 10. After that date, we cannot review full drafts, but will still be available to assist with specific questions and/or troubleshooting.

Translation and Assistance

The guidelines, a detailed explanation of how to apply, and the application are in English. If this is a barrier that stops you from understanding the grant or applying due to limited English writing ability, visual impairment, or you would like to request assistance to create an application, please contact or call (206) 296-7580 or TTY 711, and we will make sure you get the support you need.

中文 (Chinese)

详细说明如何申请的指南以及申请本身均使用英文。如果由于英语写作能力有限、视力障碍而妨碍您对本资助的了解或申请，或者您希望请求协助来完成申请，请发送电子邮件至 或致电 (206) 296-7580 或 TTY (听障专线) 711 联系，我们会确保您获得所需的支持.

Русский (Russian)

Руководство, подробная инструкция и форма заявки на английском языке. Если вам сложно разобраться в процедуре получения грантов или подачи заявок из-за ограниченных навыков письменного английского языка либо нарушений зрения, а также если вы бы хотели обратиться за помощью при составлении заявки, отправьте письмо на адрес электронной почты или позвоните по номеру (206) 296-7580 или 711 (телетайп), и мы позаботимся о том, чтобы вы получили необходимую помощь.

Soomaali (Somali)

Tilmaamaha, sharaxaadda faahfaahsan ee ku saabsan sida loo codsado, iyo waraaqda codsiga waxa ay dhammaan ku qoran yihiin Af-Ingiriisi. Haddii ay arrintani tahay caqabad kaa hor istaageysa fahamka deeqda ama codsashada oo ay sabab u tahay awoodda qorista Af-Ingiriisiga oo xadidan, araggaaga oo liita, ama aad jeclaan lahayd inaad codsato in lagaa caawiyo in aad codsi sameyso, fadlan la xiriir ama wac (206) 296-7580 ama TTY 711, waxaana xaqiijin doonnaa inaad hesho taageerada aad u baahan tahay.

Español (Spanish)

Las pautas, la explicación detallada de cómo enviar la solicitud y la solicitud están en inglés. Si esto le impide comprender la información relacionada con la beca o enviar una solicitud debido a una limitación en la capacidad para escribir en inglés, si tiene una discapacidad visual o si desea recibir asistencia para crear una solicitud, escriba a o llame al (206) 296-7580 o TTY 711, y nos aseguraremos de que obtenga la ayuda que necesita.

Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

Hướng dẫn, giải thích chi tiết về cách nộp đơn va tài liệu áp dụng tất cả đều bằng Tiếng Anh. Nếu đây là rào cản khiến quý vị không hiểu được khoản trợ cấp hoặc cách nộp đơn do khả năng viết tiếng Anh hạn chế, do quý vị bị suy giảm thị lực hoặc muốn yêu cầu hỗ trợ để tạo đơn đăng ký, làm ơn liên hệ hoặc gọi (206) 296-7580 hay TTY 711 và chúng tôi sẽ hỗ trợ những gì quý vị cần.

Timeline

This grant has a rolling deadline between June 18 and December 1, 2025.

Review of applications will be in July, September, November, 2025, and January 2026.

Please contact us at least three weeks before you intend to apply to begin the application process.

The last day to submit applications for consideration this year is Monday, December 1, 2025, at 5:00 pm PDT. Applications received after December 1 may be held for consideration in the 2026 Preservation Special Projects program.

You, or a representative from your group, may be asked to answer questions about your application at an upcoming, virtual online Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) Meeting. These meetings are typically held from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the second Thursday of alternate months. A meeting date and time, agenda and login information will be emailed to you in advance.

The HPAC’s decision is then sent onto the 4Culture Board of Directors for final approval at their next meeting. The entire process, from application deadline to final award notification, will take approximately 6-12 weeks.

All applicants will receive an email from Program Manager Emily Lawsin, notifying them of the funding decisions. Please note, your project may be underway before applying, but you must not have started work on the portion of the project you are requesting funding for before receiving notice of funding. You must complete the nomination, including its presentation to your local historic preservation board or commission, within 24 months of your award notification.

Selection Process

4Culture Program Managers first review all applications to ensure eligibility. We then facilitate a review by our Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC), which consists of community members who are historic preservation specialists, to evaluate all eligible applications. The committee, not staff, selects and recommends projects for funding based on the criteria outlined above.

The Equity Investment for this program is a dollar amount added to the proposed award for projects that are based in an Equity Investment area or that score an average of 5 out of 5 on the Advancing Equity criterion. Projects may qualify as being in an Equity Investment area by meeting one or more of the following requirements. You do not need to meet one of these to receive a grant; these only give certain projects priority for Equity Investment funds:

• You, or the historic resources that are the focus of your project, are outside of the City of Seattle.
• You, or the historic resources that are the focus of your project, are located in a US Census tract area with a Communities of Opportunity index percentile of 60% or greater.
• Organizations with an annual budget over $5 million do not qualify for this additional Equity Investment funding.

Contracts and Payment

We provide grant funds on a reimbursement basis, after your project or portions of your project are complete. If the 4Culture Board approves your project for funding, staff will work with you to create a contract outlining the scope of your project based on your application, and a reimbursement schedule.

Requirements and Appeals

Learn about what will be required if you are awarded a grant, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture decision.

Please contact Program Manager Emily P. Lawsin to begin the application process.

All applications must be filled out online. Once you’ve started your application, you can save it as a draft and continue to work on it. Once you click Submit, your application is final. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, or need assistance, at any time during the process.

 

What’s in the Application?

Your application must include all the following required materials listed here. We strongly recommend assembling them before you login and begin your application. We encourage you to call or email us with any questions as you work on these materials.