 Hello, welcome to an information section on the fourth round of the backing historic small restaurants grant program presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with American Express. I'm Steri Warden, Senior Director of Preservation for the National Trust, and in this session I'll give you an overview of the program and provide a few tips on submitting a strong application. Since it began back in 2021, the backing historic small grants program has granted a total of $3 million to 75 historic restaurants to help address critical needs among ongoing economic challenge. This financial support helps small restaurant owners better navigate supply chain issues, staffing shortages, inflation, and other crises so that their establishments, legacies can continue. And this year, we're expanding. We're going to be giving 50 historic small restaurants across the country each a $50,000 grant. That's going to be $2.5 million in grants. Here are a few very critical dates to keep in mind. The program launches March 11th, and the deadline for applications is Monday, March 25th, at 11.59 p.m. Eastern. Restaurants will be notified in May if they have been accepted into the program, and a public announcement will be made later that month or early June. Awarded projects should get underway in late June with a deadline for completion in December 2024. So a little bit more about the selection criteria. We are looking for small, independently owned establishments that are located in a historic or older building or neighborhood. We want to know about the community contributions of your restaurant. How does the restaurant contribute to the history and identity of your neighborhood, your town, your city, your community. Inclusive storytelling. What sort of stories about cuisine and community America are told through your restaurant? Tell us more about a historical narrative or cultural significance. And explain any economic hardships you have experienced, such as climate disasters, economic challenges, any other hardships that your restaurant is experiencing. Okay, so a little bit about the eligible use of funds. It is a $50,000 grant. In the past, it was $40,000. So not to be confused this year, we have 10 more to give you. So with the $50,000, at least 40 of that must be used towards exterior improvements. In past grant rounds that has included murals, repairing windows, masonry, doors, signage, enhancing entrances, and outward dining with features such as additional awnings, etc. It's important to remember that these improvements must be visible by the public. So it can't be a rear facade that no one can see. And I'll also note that up to $10,000 of that $40,000 can go to the support of a preservation partner to help you scope, manage, develop, and collaborate on the project. More on that in a minute. The final 10,000 of the 50 can be a lot of for unrestricted uses, whatever you need, whether it's staffing, whether it's interior improvements, indoor furniture, kitchen, payroll, whatever you need, you can use for that $10,000. And there's a little bit more about eligible exterior public facing improvement projects on this slide and you can also find this information on the website. Okay, so as I mentioned, you can engage a preservation partner to help you, which we have found to be a really great option for restaurants who need the support to complete the grant funded work. Types of preservation partners could be, and this is not a defined list, but it can be your state or local preservation group. A local Main Street organization, your state historic preservation office, a preservation consultant, another type of organization that has preservation expertise, but talk to us about who you may want to help. Types of support that your preservation partner can provide is grant reporting. This does require some grant reporting, so they can be very helpful in navigating that process. They can help you identify preservation sensitive contractors. It can also lend a hand to scope and manage the project. Okay, how to apply. If you are a restaurant owner or a preservation partner on behalf of a restaurant owner, you must submit a full application through a platform called submitable. You'll be asked questions about the criteria I mentioned earlier and provide information on the type of project you'd like to focus on. I'll note that restaurant lovers, any member of the public may also suggest a restaurant through an online form. Okay, so all of this information can be found on our website at savingplaces.org. Front slash historic restaurants. Okay, you can also please send an email to me at historic restaurants at savingplaces.org. And do remember that applications will close March 25, 2024 at 1159 p.m. Eastern. You can also find all of the information I just mentioned, you can find a FAQ page. You can look at the restaurants that have won in past years to get a sense of the type of place that we're looking for. And be sure to fill out that application and please do reach out if you have any questions. Best of luck.