The Full Story
Cemetery Mapping Funding Playbook
Helping communities fund cemetery mapping and heritage preservation projects
Why Funding Matters
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Preserves local history and heritage for future generations
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Makes burial records accessible to families, genealogists, and the community
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Supports education, outreach, and regional partnerships
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Provides transparency and accountability for project costs
Key Iowa Grant Opportunities
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Every county in Iowa has an established community foundation, or is part of a regional network of community foundations.
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State Historical Society of Iowa's Historical Resource Development Program​
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The program provides grant funding to help preserve, conserve, interpret, enhance, and educate the public about Iowa’s historical assets. The Historical Resource Development Program provides funding for documentary collections, historic preservation and museums. ​
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SAPIC Grants (State Association for the Preservation of Iowa Cemeteries)
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Small grants for cemetery preservation and workshops
National and Regional Grant Opportunities
National Trust for Historic Preservation Grants
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Supports planning, preservation, and community heritage projects
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Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Grants
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Funds restoration, digitization, and monument conservation
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https://www.dar.org/outreach/historic-preservation/dar-historic-preservation-grants
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Historic Preservation Fund (via NPS)
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Supports surveys, planning, and preservation projects
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https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservationfund/project-grants.htm
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Save America’s Treasures
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Preserves nationally significant heritage sites
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Veteran Cemetery Grants & Restoration Programs
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Supports community efforts for veteran gravesites
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Using This Playbook
Helping communities fund cemetery mapping and heritage preservation projects
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Use our cemetery mapping calculator to estimate individual tax increase to support a cemetery mapping project: https://spatialagency.org/cemeterymappingcalculator
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Identify grants that fit your project type and scale
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Combine multiple sources for maximum impact (state, local, national)
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Leverage community partners and volunteer support to increase project reach
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Tip: Even small grants can act as seed funding and help attract additional funding and community support.
Contact: Allison L Hockey, Spatial Agency — allison@spatialagency.org