The Tennessee Wars Commission, part of the Tennessee Historical Commission, announced the upcoming grant cycle for the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (CWSPF), according to a recent press release. Non-profits in Tennessee sharpen your pencils and get ready to apply starting August 11, 2025, because you could be part of the effort to preserve some of the state's most storied landscapes with a chunk of the $3.2 million up for grabs this year.
The CWSPF, a lifeline for historic sites since its inception in 2013, isn't just looking at battlefields—although those are certainly on the list—but also places connected to the Underground Railroad, so long as they're on or could be on the National Register of Historic Places or designated as a National Historic Landmark. With a matching requirement, the grants beckon with a call to arms for private funding, extending a hand where the grantee has to reach back with equal measure from their own non-state coffers.
Previous funding from the Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (CWSPF), totaling over $20 million, has contributed to the preservation of nearly one thousand acres of battlefield land in Tennessee. According to Patrick McIntyre, Director of the Tennessee Historical Commission, this support has “protected critical greenspace in urban communities including Nashville and Murfreesboro as well as rural historic areas with scenic and natural values,” as stated in an announcement on the official Tennessee state website. These grants have supported the protection of significant battlefield sites associated with Wauhatchie, Chattanooga, Shiloh, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville, as noted by Nina Scall, Director of Programs for the Tennessee Wars Commission, in last year’s program summary.
For those looking to join the ranks, the deadline to rally the troops and submit your applications is October 31, 2025. This can be done through a digital submission on the official commission's website; you'll just need to create an account to get started. If you're thinking about applying or have questions about how the battlefield preservation grant mechanism works, you can reach out to Nina Scall by emailing [email protected].
