East Texas Grant Opportunities
Explore funding opportunities for East Texas museums, historic sites, communities, nonprofits, cultural organizations, parks, and tourism partners.
Use the search box to find opportunities and click a grant name for official details. Deadlines and requirements may change, so always confirm information with the funding organization before applying.
Last updated: September 4, 2026
TFTR provides this directory for informational purposes and does not administer these grants unless otherwise noted.
| TFTR Cultural & Heritage Tourism Grant Directory | |
|---|---|
| Grant Name | Description |
| African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund | Supports preservation, interpretation and organizational capacity for historic sites, landscapes and museums representing African American heritage. |
| Anice Read Fund | For Texas Downtown members; downtown-focused projects with annual awards of $500–$5,000. |
| Arts Create-1 | Operational support for established Texas arts organizations with smaller annual operating budgets; useful for eligible regional arts partners. |
| Arts Create-2 | Operational support for established Texas arts organizations of color and other organizations meeting the program's specific eligibility requirements. |
| Arts Create-3 | Operational support for established mid-sized Texas arts organizations, including organizations presenting cultural programming and festivals. |
| Arts Create-4 | Operational support for established large Texas arts organizations that meet the program's budget and organizational requirements. |
| Arts Create-5 | Operational support for designated local arts agencies, including communitywide arts and cultural-service organizations. |
| Arts Respond Performance Support | Helps nonprofit organizations and units of government bring artists from the Texas Touring Roster to museums, festivals, historic sites, schools, and community programs. |
| Arts Respond Project | Supports arts projects addressing areas such as economic development, education, natural resources, public safety, and health; relevant to cultural tourism, festivals, folk arts, and exhibitions. |
| Backing Historic Small Restaurants | Partnership supporting critical needs of historic small restaurants amid economic challenges. |
| Battlefield Preservation Fund | Preservation of battlefields, viewsheds, and related historic structures; generally $2,500–$10,000. |
| Certified Local Government Grants | Supports surveys, National Register nominations, preservation plans, ordinances, design guidelines, tourism and education projects, rehabilitation, and travel or training for participating CLGs. |
| Community Development Block Grants | May support rural public infrastructure or revitalization tied to historic properties through HUD and the Texas Department of Agriculture. |
| Conserving Black Modernism Grant Program | Preserves modern architecture designed by Black architects and designers through planning, research, interpretation and capital work. |
| Cultural District Project | Supports high-impact arts programming, festivals, signage, wayfinding, promotion and improvements within Texas Commission on the Arts designated cultural districts. |
| Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors | Supports preservation, restoration and interpretation of historic interiors, including professional services and planning. |
| Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative | Two-year collaboration supporting project management, capacity building, grantmaking, and convenings for descendant and family-led organizations. |
| Downtown Revitalization Program | Funds public infrastructure that eliminates deterioration and fosters economic development in historic Main Street and rural downtown areas. |
| East Texas Communities Foundation — T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett Foundation Grant | Supports arts and culture, education, job training, environment, and other community projects in Cherokee, Gregg, Nacogdoches, Panola, and Rusk counties, with preference for Rusk County. |
| Entergy Micro Grants | Small grants for arts and culture, community improvement and enrichment projects in communities served by Entergy. |
| Great Texas Birding Classic Conservation Grants | Supports habitat restoration, birding infrastructure, interpretive tools, viewing platforms, trails, and other conservation or nature-tourism projects. |
| Hart Family Fund for Small Towns | Seed money for preservation projects in towns with populations of 10,000 or less; generally $2,500–$15,000. |
| HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative | Supports Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plans for historic HBCU campuses and assets; generally $60,000–$150,000. |
| Historic Preservation Tax Credits | Federal 20% and Texas 25% tax-credit programs generally targeting income-producing or certain nonprofit-use historic buildings; this is a tax incentive rather than a grant. |
| Humanities Texas Exhibition Grants | Supports the rental of Humanities Texas traveling exhibitions and related public humanities programming at museums, libraries and cultural sites. |
| Humanities Texas Major Grants | Supports exhibitions, public programs, oral history, local history, heritage interpretation, and educational programming. Major grants generally provide up to $20,000. |
| Humanities Texas Mini-Grants | Up to $2,500 with a 1:1 cost share for public humanities programming, including exhibitions; school districts are eligible. Decisions are typically made within 10 business days. |
| Humanities Texas Rural Grants | Supports historical and cultural public programs in Texas counties with 60,000 residents or fewer, including exhibits, festivals, living history and oral history. |
| IMLS Inspire! Grants for Small Museums | Supports collections care, interpretation, digitization, technology, visitor engagement, and organizational capacity at small museums; awards of $5,000–$75,000. |
| IMLS Museum Grants for African American History and Culture | Supports African American museums and related organizations through collections, interpretation, staffing, professional development, and community engagement; awards of $5,000–$500,000. |
| IMLS Museums for America | Supports project-based museum work in collections stewardship, lifelong learning, community engagement, interpretation, and institutional capacity; awards of $5,000–$350,000. |
| J.P. Bryan Preservation Trust | General historic-preservation projects. |
| J.W. Couch Foundation Preservation Grants | Potential support for nonprofit projects preserving historic architecture, cultural heritage, natural resources and community stories. |
| Jack R. Wahlquist Directors Endowment | Support for publications and operations. |
| Jeannie R. Blocker Memorial Fund | Preservation projects in Texas rural areas with populations under 30,000. |
| Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation | Supports historic environments, cultural heritage, and community livability; generally $2,500–$15,000. |
| Joseph Ballard Archeology Fund | Archeological preservation and education. |
| Levitt AMP Music Series Grant | Three-year matching support for nonprofits presenting free outdoor concert series that activate underused public spaces in smaller communities. |
| Levitt BLOC Music Series Grant | Three-year matching support for free outdoor concert series across multiple public spaces, strengthening community identity and cultural participation. |
| Michael C. Duda Preservation Awards | Recognizes and supports significant long-term preservation projects that demonstrate sustained impact in Texas. |
| Moe Family Fund for Statewide and Local Partners | For current dues-paying National Preservation Partners Network members; supports statewide or local partner projects and expanded initiatives. |
| National Endowment for the Arts — Grants for Arts Projects | Supports arts, folk and traditional arts, museums, media, design, cultural festivals, interpretation, and arts-based community-development projects. |
| National Fund for Sacred Places | Matching grants of $50,000–$500,000 for significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, plus training, technical assistance, and planning support. |
| National Trust Emergency/Intervention Funding | Limited emergency assistance for urgent preservation threats affecting significant historic places and preservation organizations. |
| National Trust Preservation Funds | Seed money for local preservation; generally $2,500–$5,000. Eligible applicants include public agencies, 501(c)(3)s, and nonprofits; membership restrictions may apply. |
| National Trust Southwest Intervention Fund | Supports preservation planning, advocacy and emergency intervention for threatened historic places in the Southwest. |
| NEH Public Humanities Projects | Supports exhibitions, interpretive plans, historic-site interpretation, heritage trails, and public humanities programs. Planning awards may reach $75,000 and implementation awards $750,000. |
| NPS Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant | Supports acquisition and permanent protection of eligible Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War battlefield lands. |
| NPS Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant | Supports rural historic properties through competitive subgrants administered by eligible organizations. |
| NPS Underrepresented Communities Grants | Supports surveys, inventories, documentation, and National Register nominations that identify and preserve places associated with communities underrepresented in historic preservation. |
| Order of the Southern Cross Grants | Preservation or restoration of Southern heritage artifacts, structures, and locations, including military and personal artifacts, homes, monuments, cemeteries, battlefields, and signs. |
| Pineywoods Foundation Grants | Regional grants for history, arts, libraries, parks, education and community development in 12 East Texas Pineywoods counties. |
| Preservation Texas Historic Rural Log Building Grant Program | Provides $50,000–$150,000 for stabilization and rehabilitation of qualifying pre-1940 log buildings in rural Texas communities under 50,000. Requires a 25% cash match. |
| Preserving Black Churches Grant | Supports historic Black houses of worship, active or nonactive, through preservation activities and capacity building; generally $50,000–$200,000. |
| Sarah Meadows and Charles E. Seay Preservation Trust | Preservation and promotion of Texas history. |
| Save America's Treasures | Supports nationally significant historic properties and collections. |
| Summerlee Foundation Texas History Program | Supports research, documentation, preservation, oral history, interpretation, publications and other projects that promote Texas history. |
| T.L.L. Temple Foundation Grants | Supports rural East Texas initiatives that expand opportunity and strengthen communities; possible fit for regional capacity building, training, collaboration, and economic-development work. |
| Texas Book Festival Texas Library Grants | Helps Texas public libraries enhance print, e-book and audiobook collections, including materials reflecting local history and culture. |
| Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program | Supports planning and restoration of historic county courthouses, which often serve as major downtown heritage anchors. |
| Texas Historical Architecture Preservation Trust | Preservation of buildings, landmarks, and physical structures. |
| Texas Historical Foundation Annual Grants | Supports preservation, research, education, publications, museums and projects that preserve and promote Texas history. |
| Texas Historical Foundation Quarterly Micro Grants | Small grants for preservation, research, education, collections and public-history projects submitted through a quarterly letter-of-inquiry process. |
| Texas Legal History Preservation Trust | Projects focused on the legal history of the Republic and State of Texas. |
| Texas Parks & Wildlife Local Parks Grants | Competitive matching grants for acquisition and development of public recreation areas and facilities by eligible local governments. |
| Texas Preservation Trust Fund | Matching grants for preservation planning, archeology, historic structures, museums and other significant cultural resources in Texas. |
| Texas Reads Grant Program | Supports public-library reading and literacy programs that may incorporate local history, community stories and cultural themes. |
| Texas Rural African-American Heritage Grants Program | Preservation Texas matching-grant program supporting rehabilitation of rural African American institutional and commercial buildings in towns under 50,000. |
| Texas Rural Communities Grants | Supports sustainable environmental, economic, educational and community-development programs benefiting rural Texas communities. |
| The Meadows Foundation Grants | Statewide Texas foundation funding that may support arts and culture, historic preservation, civic initiatives and environmental projects. |
| The Moody Foundation Grants | Texas-focused philanthropic support that may include significant arts, cultural, educational and community capital projects. |
| Tocker Foundation Automation Grant | Year-round assistance for automation systems and related equipment at eligible rural Texas public libraries. |
| Tocker Foundation General Library Grant | Supports collections, technology, equipment and programs at eligible Texas public libraries serving small rural communities. |
| Tocker Foundation Library Transformation Grant | Supports flexible redesign and improvement of eligible rural library spaces for contemporary community uses. |
| Tocker Foundation Newspaper Digitization Grant | Preserves historic Texas newspapers and makes local-history resources freely accessible through the Portal to Texas History. |
| TPWD Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) | Supports community-based outdoor recreation, conservation education, youth activities, and programs connecting participants with Texas natural and cultural resources; grants up to $100,000. |
| TSLAC Special Projects Grant Program | Supports innovative or collaborative library services, community engagement and programs reaching audiences who face barriers to library use. |
| TSLAC TexTreasures Grant Program | Supports digitization and improved public access to unique or rare Texas library and archival collections, including historical materials. |
| USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program | Provides funding for essential rural community facilities; may fit qualifying museums, cultural centers, visitor facilities, and public community improvements. |
| USDA Rural Business Development Grants | Supports rural business and economic development activities, including technical assistance, planning, feasibility work, and projects that can strengthen tourism-related economies. |
| Walmart Spark Good Local Grants | Small local grants that can help eligible nonprofits support exhibits, heritage programs, volunteer projects and community events. |
Additional Resources
| Resource Name | Description |
| Texas Rural Funders Grants Hub | One of the best sources for current rural Texas grant opportunities across community development, culture, infrastructure, education, and capacity building. |
| Center for Rural Affairs Grant Application Guide | Practical, free guide to developing competitive federal grant applications for rural projects. |
| Texas Rural Nonprofit Network | Offers fundraising resources, coaching, templates, networking, and access to a large grantmaker database. |
| UTA Rural Grant Writing Course | Free grant-writing training that can strengthen applications even when the proposed project is not healthcare-related. |
| Grants.gov | Official federal portal for finding and applying for competitive grants from U.S. government agencies. |