Designated Heritage Building Grants Program

 This program is designed to assist the owners and lessees of designated heritage buildings to undertake work related to the preservation of the building. This program is a means of assuring that such work can be done in a manner that best preserves the nature and features of the designated heritage building.

Eligibility Criteria



In order to receive grant assistance, a building applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

• It must be a provincially or municipally designated heritage site that includes a building of particular architectural or engineering merit, and of historical significance.
• The applicant must be the owner of the building, or he/she must be the holder of a long-term lease (a minimum of 10 years beyond the date of application to this program) on the property having written permission from the owner to undertake the proposed work.
• The applicant must be willing to provide long term maintenance to the designated heritage site.

Eligible Activities



Eligible project costs (in descending order of priority) include:

1. Structural repair, building stabilization, moisture control;
2. The repair and energy upgrading of existing, original windows;
3. Exterior restoration, including: the conservation of original, existing material; the restoration of deteriorated materials and; the reconstruction of missing components (historic documentation of such components must be attached to your application);
4. Exterior historic paint colours (an analysis of the historic paint colours must be attached to your application form);
5. New windows that match the original windows in their details, operation and materials but only if the original windows no longer exist or are in irreparable condition (historic documentation regarding the original windows and/or a detailed report outlining the condition of the deteriorated windows must be attached to your application form);
6. Handicap access requirements (note that the work must demonstrate minimal impact to historically significant exterior and interior features);
7. Restoration of original interior features where the building is accessible to the public on a regular basis.

   Note: All applicants are encouraged to obtain professional advice (architectural, engineering, specialized consultants). These fees are eligible costs regarding any of the work items listed above.

Grants may not be used for:

• Modern siding (such as aluminum or vinyl) modern roofing (such as asphalt shingles); new windows that replace existing, original windows; new construction (such as drywall, insulation products), building additions or mechanical/electrical upgrading;
• Moving of buildings to new locations;
• Interior restoration work in privately owned buildings;
• Landscaping or site development;
• Sandblasting or other masonry cleaning methods that will result in deterioration to the masonry units;
• Construction or maintenance of historic cairns, markets or plaques;
• Operations and ongoing maintenance costs (such as lawn cutting or cleaning eavestroughs) or short term, routine building maintenance (such as repairing steps, general painting).

Summary



DEFINITIONS

Preservation is work undertaken to increase the longevity of the original heritage building. This work can include aspects of restoration and stabilization.
Restoration is the authentic replication of the historic appearance of the building using original material,
where possible, or replacements that will exactly match the original finish, detail, and final appearance.
Stabilization is work undertaken to improve the structural stability of the original heritage building such as underpinning and bracing.
Provincially Designated Heritage Site is a site so designated by the provincial government under the provisions of the Heritage Resources Act. Designated site buildings are protected from alteration or demolition under The Heritage Resources Act.
Municipally Designated Heritage Site is a site so designated and protected from alteration or demolition by a municipal government under the provisions of The Heritage Resources Act or City of Winnipeg By-Law No. 1474/77.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Approval of an application will be based on project merit and demonstrated need, using the following criteria:
Importance to overall conservation of the building: Priority will be given to projects that undertake critical conservation work, such as structural repairs, roof repairs.
High quality restoration: Projects that will restore a building to its original appearance as determined through researched evidence, will be given priority.
Applicant's ability to complete the project: Applicants that can demonstrate that their funding is in place and that the project can be completed within one year of approval of a grant will be given priority.
Financial need of the owner: Applicants will be given priority where the grant is crucial to their ability to undertake the work (e.g. where project costs are very high and /or the availability of alternative funding sources are minimal.
Community Benefit: Applications that will contribute to the economic well being of the community and/or will provide community services that contribute to the well being of the community will be given priority.
Integrity of the heritage site: Buildings that have been well preserved in the past and where the proposed work will build upon that foundation of quality will be given priority. Buildings preserved on their original sites will be given priority.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The average approved grant amount is $8,000.

• Designated heritage sites are eligible for grants up to $35,000 in one year on a 50 per cent Department, 50 per cent applicant basis.
• Volunteer labour, calculated at prevailing wage rates for the type(s) of labour volunteered, and donated materials and equipment, valued at actual cots, may be included as part of the applicant's share. Donated or leased land will not be accepted as part of the applicant's share.
• The applicant's share can include grants from other federal and municipal government sources, or from other private organizations.
• Grants will be limited to amounts which combined with other provincial funding sources (including lotteries umbrellas), do not exceed 50 per cent of the total project costs.
• Owing the budget limitations, all projects may not receive approval or be granted the maximum allowable level of assistance for those eligible costs submitted. The Minister reserves the right to determine the maximum allotment of total program funds that will be made available to any region or municipal government in a given fiscal year.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Approved application forms shall be obtained from and submitted to:

Historic Resources Branch
Culture, Heritage and Tourism
Main Floor, 213 Notre Dame Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1N3
Telephone: 204-945-5809
Fax: 204-948-2384 or your Regional Services Office (see contact list below)

• The deadline for receiving applications varies annually but is typically mid-March. Please confirm the deadline date with Historic Resources Branch (see above for contact information).
• Applicants are encouraged to consult regional office staff regarding the content of the application and their intentions.
• Regional staff will be available to you, or they will contact technical help for further information or assistance.
• Applicants must provide a complete general application and copies of any other validated licenses or permits (such as a municipal or provincial building permit and/or heritage permit) that may be required.
• Historic Resources Branch staff will complete a thorough assessment of your application. In order to complete this assessment, a staff person from the branch may be sent to consult your organization.
• Notification of the success of an application is normally provided approximately three months after the application deadline.

METHOD OF PAYMENT

• Designated Heritage Building Grants are paid out to project sponsors on a progress billing basis by reimbursing their approved, paid project cost expenditures and the approved value of volunteer labour and donated materials that has been contributed to the project.
• Prior to the start-up of the project, the total project value will be confirmed. This will enable a reimbursement rate to be established equivalent to that percentage of the total project value that will be covered by the Designated Heritage Building Grant.
• Grant progress payments are claimed submitting Financial/Activity Reports to the Historic Resources Branch in Winnipeg. These payments will be based on the reimbursement rate established for the particular project. Due to budget limitations in a given fiscal year, the Department may require that the reimbursement of requests for progress payments be delayed until the following fiscal year.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• The Department reserves the right to have its staff inspect your building before and during the work period.
• Reasonable public access to the restored portion of the building or site may be required by the Department.
• Successful applicants must agree to include a credit line, or other mutually agreeable form of credit, for Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism in publicity and promotional material related to funding or funded activities under this program.
• The applicant must make a commitment to complete the project by a specific date.
• No further application for any one building site will be acceptable until completion of the project.
• Grants obtained through this program may only be used to finance work described in the application. Grants may not be used to enable the applicant to transfer financial resources to other uses or to generate a financial surplus.
• The applicant agrees that the Minister is not liable for any claims, demands, or causes of action that may be made against him or her because of any act, or omission, by the applicant, or the applicant's employees or agents, resulting at or from the building site.

Manitoba Contact(s):
Historic Resources
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
100-213 Notre Dame Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3B 1N3
Telephone: 204-945-5809 / 204-945-4390
Fax: 204-948-2384
Web site: http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/index.html

Regional Services - Central
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
225 Wardrop Street
Morden, Manitoba  R6M 1N4
Canada
Telephone: 204-822-5418
Fax: 204-827-4792
Toll-free (information): 1-866-346-5219

Regional Services - Eastman
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
20 First Street S.
Beausejour, Manitoba  R0E 0C0
Canada
Telephone: 204-268-6018
Fax: 204-268-6070
Toll-free (information): 1-800-665-6107

Regional Services - Interlake
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
114 - 6th Street
Gimli, Manitoba  R0C 1B0
Canada
Telephone: 204-642-6006
Fax: 204-642-6080
Toll-free (information): 1-866-259-5748

Regional Services - Norman The Pas
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
3rd and Ross Avenue
Box 2550
The Pas, Manitoba  R9A 1M4
Canada
Telephone: 204-627-8213
Fax: 204-627-8236

Regional Services - Norman
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
59 Elizabeth Dr
Thompson, Manitoba  R8N 1X4
Canada
Telephone: 204-677-6780
Fax: 204-677-6862

Regional Services - Parkland
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
27 - 2nd Ave S.W.
Dauphin, Manitoba  R7N 3E5
Canada
Telephone: 204-622-2022
Fax: 204-638-6558

Regional Services - Westman
Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism
340 - 9th Street
Brandon, Manitoba  R7A 6C2
Canada
Telephone: 204-726-6066
Fax: 204-7266583
Toll-free (information): 1-800-259-6592