The Tennessee Wars Commission, the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) division responsible for preserving the state’s significant military history, has announced the August 11, 2025 opening of this year’s grant cycle for the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (CWSPF). This fund is provided by legislation to the Tennessee Historical Commission, whose board approves and awards CWSPF grants. The Tennessee Wars Commission administers the application and grant processes. $3.2 million dollars in funding will be available from the CWSPF this year.
Established in 2013, the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund, is a key source of funding for the acquisition and preservation of properties associated with the 38 most significant Civil War sites in Tennessee. Additionally, grants can assist in funding the acquisition and protection of Underground Railroad sites eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, or eligible for designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit. This grant will pay a one-to-one, 50 percent match where the grantee provides the match from a non-state source.
“In the past 12 years over $20 million in funding from this program has helped save almost one thousand acres of threatened Tennessee battlefield lands,” said Tennessee Historical Commission Director Patrick McIntyre, noting “this has protected critical greenspace in urban communities including Nashville and Murfreesboro as well as rural historic areas with scenic and natural values.” Tennessee Wars Commission Director of Programs, Nina Scall noted “Last year the Commission awarded $1,935,250 and helped to preserve approximately 81.4 acres of battlefield properties. Those projects focused on core battlefield areas associated with the Wauhatchie, Chattanooga, Shiloh, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville battlefields.”
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2025. The grant application process is digital. Create an account and complete the application at https://tdec.smartsimple.com/s_Login.jsp.
To learn more about the Tennessee Wars Commission and previous grant fund recipients, visit the website here. For questions regarding the grant process or application procedure, contact Nina Scall, Program Director of the Tennessee Wars Commission via email at [email protected].
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