Funded through the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), the CLG program provides annual subgrants to local governments to support preservation planning, historic resources surveys, National Register of Historic Places nominations, development projects, and educational programming. 

In Fiscal Year 2025, the THC had almost $200,000 available for CLG subgrants and anticipates a similar allocation for FY 2026, pending final federal budget approval. 

For the FY 2026 grant cycle, an interdisciplinary committee made up of eight THC staff members representing CLG, National Register, Historic Resources Survey Program, Texas Main Street Program and Federal and State Review programs evaluated proposals from 10 communities. The committee assessed the proposals based on project viability, community impact, alignment with the Texas Statewide Preservation Plan, and equitable distribution of funds. 

The Commission is funding the following projects: 

• City of Mercedes—Mercedes will undertake its first-ever historic resources survey to identify potential landmarks and historic districts in the Mercedes Original Townsite. A participant since only 2024, this was Mercedes’ first application to the CLG grant program.  

• Jefferson County—The county will produce a National Register nomination for the Port Neches Jail. Constructed in 1917, Port Neches Jail is significant for its association with local law enforcement. This would be the first National Register listing in Port Neches. 

• Wedgwood Historical Association—This nonprofit organization will produce a National Register historic district nomination for a postwar, master-planned subdivision in southwest Fort Worth. It is eligible for listing in the National Register in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Architecture.  

• City of McKinney — McKinney will develop design guidelines for its 459-acre historic overlay district, providing historic district residents, property owners, and design professionals an understanding of with appropriate methods for improving the overlay’s historic properties. Another new CLG Program participant (2025), this was its first application to the CLG grant program. 

• City of Austin—The city will develop the framework for a new archeology program, evaluating archeology needs across departments, crafting qualifications for a new city archeologist position, and identifying resources to support the program.   

• Beaumont Heritage Society—Beaumont’s preservation nonprofit will prepare a survey plan to identify priority boundaries and break future survey efforts into phases as it builds on its inventory of historic resources. 

• Comal County—The county will prepare a National Register nomination for the Church Hill School, a one-room schoolhouse in New Braunfels built in 1870. 

• Palacios Preservation Association—The nonprofit organization, working with the Matagorda County CLG, will undertake Palacios’ first-ever historic resources survey to identify potential landmarks and historic districts.