Application Forms and Guidelines are available below. The Guidelines address applicant assistance, application instructions, process, and timeline, eligibility rules, evaluation criteria, and establish program requirements and obligations of grant recipients.

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Eligibility:

Barn Owner Eligibility Requirements:

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1. Current Indiana residence.

2. Current membership in the Indiana Barn Foundation (join here).

3. IBF Board members, Grant Fund Committee members, and IBF employees and staff are not eligible for barn preservation grant funds.
    

Barn Eligibility:

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1. Located in Indiana.

2. Originally constructed for the shelter of livestock and/or storage of farm equipment or agricultural products.

3. Fifty years old or older.

4. The barn must retain a significant degree of historic character and material, and be in need of substantial repair.
    

Eligible Projects:

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1. Stabilization and repair of historic barns, including, but not limited to repairs and replacement of foundations, sills, walls, siding, flooring, structural framework, windows, doors, and roofs.

2. Painting can be included, but will be considered a lower priority than the work listed in #1 above.

3. Planning costs, such as condition assessments, structural investigations, and the preparation of architectural drawings will not be reimbursed and are not eligible for use toward the applicant’s required match.

4. Priority will be given to projects that retain and preserve the historic character of the barn by repairing rather than replacing historic materials; where materials are deteriorated beyond repair, the use of in-kind materials is strongly encouraged. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis in the area of roofing replacement, where metal roofs may replace original roofing materials. For more information on historically appropriate repairs, please see the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

5. New construction (either interior or exterior additions to the barn) is not considered eligible, even if such work is historically compatible.

6. Barn owners may submit only one application for one project per year, even if they own multiple barns that would otherwise be eligible to participate in the program.

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Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria will be used to evaluate grant
applications and determine grant awards.

 

1. The need for barn repairs. Is the barn in imminent danger?

2. The expected benefit to the longevity of the barn if grant funds are awarded.

3. Historical and/or cultural significance of the barn.

4. The age of the barn is considered, and oldest surviving examples may be prioritized as long as they meet the other requirements of the grant.

5. Visibility of the barn to the general public from a public roadway.

6. Unique aspects of the barn, including its architectural features and type.

7. Extent to which the project contributes to the equitable geographic distribution of the lBF Grant Funds across the state of lndiana.

8. Readiness of the applicant to initiate and complete the project.

9. The value of the work completed related to the funds expended.

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Application Assistance:

The quality and thoroughness of the application is important. Applications may be submitted online or by mail, either typed or handwritten. No demonstration of financial need is required from the applicant, although if such a need is demonstrated, it may be considered.

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Assistance in preparing the lBF Barn Preservation Grant application is available by phone and email. Please contact Duncan Campbell at 812-325-0248 or campbellduncan02@gmail.com, or Tim Sheets at 765-869-1220 or tim@ourheritagefarm.com.

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Application Process and Timeline:

 

Completed grant applications must be completed and submitted online, www.indianabarns.org, or by mail, postmarked before 5:00 PM, on January 31, 2024. Mail to:  Duncan Campbell, Grant Committee Chair, c/o Indiana Barn Foundation, 2300 Tapp Rd., Bloomington, IN 47403.

 

Once all of the applications are received, the Barn Preservation Grant Fund Committee will review the applications based on the evaluation criteria. One or more of the Committee members may arrange to visit a barn as part of the review process. The Committee will make award recommendations to the IBF Board of Directors, which will make the final award decisions. Grant awards may be for full or partial funding of the projects.

 

Once the grant awards are determined, the successful grant recipients will receive formal notification of their award. This is expected to happen in mid-March/early April 2023. Unsuccessful grant applicants will not be notified but are encouraged to resubmit their application for the next grant cycle.

 

The Committee will work with the grant recipients to develop a simple contract that specifies the scope of work to be funded by the IBF grant. This agreement must be signed within 30 days of IBF’s notification to the recipient of the grant, or the grant will be offered to the next applicant in the evaluation rankings.

 

It is expected that the work on the barn that is funded by IBF will be completed within one year of the grant award date.

 

The Board of Directors reserves the right not to award any grants or to award more than one grant within any given year.

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Program Requirements and Obligations of Grant Recipients

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1. Successful applicants will be required to sign a grant contract prior to commencing the work described in the IBF scope of work for that project; the agreement must be signed within 30 days of IBF’s grant award notification to the applicant.

2. The successful grant applicant is required to match the amount of the IBF grant for the project described in the scope of work. Grant funds cannot be used to pay applicants or members of their immediate family for their own labor, but such labor can be included as in-kind matching funds. For the purposes of the grant program, the value of donated labor has been set at $15.00 per hour.

3. Grant funds may only be applied to construction-related cash expenditures and cannot be used to pay for expenditures made prior to the grant contract period.

4. Grant funds are paid on a reimbursement basis once work is completed and all elements of the grant scope of work have been satisfied.

5. IBF representatives may visit the work site to inspect the work while it is being carried out, after the barn owner has been given notice of the visit.

6. If the grant recipient takes any action within ten years to demolish or remove the barn, the barn preservation grant shall be repaid to IBF in full within one year. Actions that are the result of a natural disaster are exempted from this policy.

7. The Indiana Barn Foundation must be acknowledged on any materials that are prepared publicizing the funded project.

8. Grant recipients should be willing to have their barns included in a future IBF barn tour.

9. The Internal revenue Service might consider the grant funds to be income, so it is suggested that applicants consider any potential tax implications of receiving grant funds.

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Application Instructions:

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1. Barn Owner/Applicant Information:  Please provide the requested information, including daytime and evening telephone numbers and the barn's location.

2. Funding Request:  Any amount may be requested up to the grant limit of $2,500.

3. Project Summary:  Briefly describe the proposed project. Include the area or portion of the barn requiring repair, what you propose to do, who will complete the work, and why it is necessary.

4. Documentation materials describing the barn for which funds are requested:  Provide any information that you have documenting the construction of the barn and any additions or changes made to the barn over the years. Include the barn dimensions, the original use of the barn, the current use of the barn, and the date of its construction.

5. Proposed Work:  Based on the condition of the barn described above, what stabilization and repair work do you propose to do? Describe the techniques and materials that you will use. Because the emphasis of this program is historic preservation, original materials should be repaired or replaced with materials that match the original as closely as possible.

6. Timeframe of Proposed Project and Readiness to Proceed:  List each work element to be accomplished including the anticipated date of completion. Projects receiving grant funds must be completed within one year of notification of the grant award. Grants are reimbursements only, so the applicant must expend the costs associated with the project and then request reimbursement for eligible costs covered by the grant award.

7. Project Budget and Matching Funds: List the costs to complete the project. Provide estimates from at least one contractor for carrying out the work. Describe how the matching funds will be provided. For purposes of the grant program, the value of donated labor has been set at $15.00 per hour. This rate will be used for all in-kind or donated labor, regardless of whether such labor is considered skilled or not.

8. Experience and qualifications of Contractors: Describe the experience working on historic buildings of any contractors that you expect to use on your project.

9. Barn repair/maintenance experience of the owner: Describe any major work or restoration projects that you have completed in the past on this or similar properties.

10. Please provide any additional information that you believe will be helpful to IBF in making our decision.

11. List all attachments that you are including with your application.

12. Application Certification:  If not signed, the application will be considered incomplete.