CLG Grants
The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission administers a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant Program for municipal historical preservation activities.
The following 19 Rhode Island communities are Certified Local Governments: Bristol, Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, East Greenwich, East Providence, Glocester, Hopkinton, Narragansett, New Shoreham, Newport, North Kingstown, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, and Warwick.
To qualify for Certified Local Government status, a community must have a historic district zoning ordinance and a historic district commission. CLG communities may participate in the nomination of properties to the National Register of Historic Places, and are eligible to apply for federal CLG grants for survey and planning projects. Eligible projects for grant funding include identification and evaluation of significant historic and archaeological properties, the nomination of eligible properties to the National Register, historic preservation plans and certain education-related activities. All projects must be carried out in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
2026 CLG Grant Application Instructions Application Period: January 12, 2026 – March 27, 2026
For questions about Certified Local Government grants, please contact Donna Alqassar.
For questions about becoming a Certified Local Government, please contact Joanna Doherty.