For Contributing Historic Buildings

Program Overview

If your property qualifies as a contributing historic building, any renovation project is eligible to apply through the State Historic Preservation Office. The Deadwood Fund Program, under this historic preservation program, offers grants ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 for projects that retain, restore, or rehabilitate historic buildings, structures, and archaeological sites in South Dakota for residential, commercial, or public purposes.

The Deadwood Fund Program is funded by a portion of the gambling revenue generated in Deadwood, SD.

Required Standards

All projects must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (detailed in the file below). These standards are neither technical nor prescriptive; instead they promote responsible preservation practices that help protect our nation’s irreplaceable cultural resources.

Program Eligibility

Individuals, organizations, and public agencies sponsoring projects to retain, restore, or rehabilitate historic buildings, structures, or sites by returning them to state of utility through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the properties that are significant to their historic, architectural, and cultural values and meeting the grant criteria are eligible to apply for a Deadwood Fund grant.

In all instances, the burden of proving that funds will support work in historic preservation lies with the applicant. Professional guidance by someone skilled in the retention, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic properties may be needed to successfully plan, implement, and complete a project. Evaluation criteria will be used as guidelines to rank each project. A project meeting all eligibility criteria does not guarantee that it will receive a grant award.

Deadwood Fund Information Packet and Application Form

For More Information

State Historic Preservation Office at the South Dakota State Historical Society
Department of Tourism and State Development
900 Governors Dr.
Pierre, SD 57501-2217
Ph: (605) 773-3458
Fx: (605) 773-6041