Submissions for the 2024 Duda Preservation Awards are now closed!
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Eligibility
THE ORGANIZATION - The organization being nominated for the award must be a 501(c)(3) organization, a political subdivision of Texas, or an agency or department of the State of Texas that has made significant or long-term contributions to preserving the history and built environment of Texas through an ongoing preservation-related project.
Any person, organization, or political subdivision may nominate a 501(c)(3) organization, local government, or an agency of the State of Texas for the award.
THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECT - The historic preservation project which is the subject of the nomination must have the following:
a. Achieved excellence in architectural preservation, rehabilitation, or restoration by following high standards for historic preservation, including but not limited to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
b. Added to the knowledge of Texas history through historical research, title research, archeology investigation, or interpretation of historical information. Examples of adding knowledge of Texas history could include the preparation of a National Register nomination, determination of the original design of missing architectural features, uncovering archeological evidence, or other information that reveals a property’s history.
c. Shown significant progress towards completion of the project and have demonstrated excellence in historic preservation planning and / or execution. Examples of progress include preservation planning such as master plans, historic structures reports, historical research, architectural and engineering planning, as well as physical rehabilitation or restoration efforts. Historic Preservation Projects being proposed must relate to the preservation of buildings and places that are at least 50 years old.
d. Gained at least one designation as a historic structure (National Register of Historic Places listing or equivalent Texas Historical Commission determination, National Historic Landmark designation, Recorded State Historic Landmark designation, State Antiquities Landmark designation, World Heritage Site designation, designation as a historic landmark, district, or contributing structure to a historic district by municipal ordinance.)
e. Have a minimum proposed project budget of $100,000.00.
General Requirements
Applicants understand and agree to the following requirements:
a. Applicants must complete the nomination application forms in their given format without alteration to preset font, text size, and character limits in place.
b. The organizations being nominated applying for the award receiving the funds must show organizational capacity and experience to complete the Historic Preservation Project.
c. The property of the Historic Preservation Project must be owned by the organization being nominated for the award. (Long-term lease agreements will not qualify as ownership under the terms of this application. For more information, see "Are there exceptions to the property ownership stipulation?" in FAQ section.)
d. Award funds cannot be used to purchase property.
e. Award funds cannot be used to reconstruct a historic structure without complete documentation of the original historic building. Any structure that is to be reconstructed must be documented by accurate historic information such as historic plans, specifications or historic photographs which will allow for accurate, nonconjectural, reconstruction.
f. The Historic Preservation Project must comply with the mission of the Texas Historical Foundation (see THF Mission & History here.)
g. The Work proposed in the nomination is to be completed within a period of two years after the award is given. A Completion Report documenting the completed work must be submitted to the Texas Historical Foundation following project completion. If the work is not completed within the first year after the award, the winner must submit an interim report after twelve months describing the work completed to date and a time frame for completion of the work. Completion and Interim Report forms will be made available on the Texas Historical Foundation website. Extensions of time (beyond two years) must be requested and approved by the THF board. If the work is completed, unspent funds will be returned to the THF.
h. Applicants agree not to contact the THF staff, board members, or officers regarding their application from the time their application is submitted until they are notified by the THF staff that they have, or have not, been selected to submit a Phase Two Application. If the applicant is notified that they have been selected to submit a Phase Two Application, the applicant may contact Foundation staff with written questions regarding the completion of the Phase Two Application. The applicant agrees not to contact the THF staff, board members, officers, or members of the jury about the application from the time the Phase Two Application is submitted until the Awards have been presented.
Questions or comments prior to submission of an application should be directed to THF staff via email.
i. An application fee of $250.00 will be required with the submission of the Phase One Nomination, payable via credit or debit card online at the time of submission. All Phase One applications must be submitted by no later than 5:00 p.m. CT on August 1, 2023.
Selection Process
The nomination form will be available online at texashistoricalfoundation.org/duda-award.html, along with due dates for submission and any announcements. To receive updates and announcements via email, sign up here. The selection process will be conducted in two phases:
PHASE ONE:
The first phase of the nomination process will involve the submission of information and documents describing the organization and preservation project being nominated via online form, available at texashistoricalfoundation.org/duda-award.html.
Phase One review will check to see that all sections of the form have been completed as applicable, verify that the organization being nominated has 501(c)(3) status or is an eligible state organization, and review other information submitted. Phase One Nominations will be reviewed by the Texas Historical Foundation between August 1 and October 1, 2023. The reviewer will score the nominations based on the information submitted describing the organization and their historic preservation project, using a point system denoted in the Phase One Nomination Form.
The highest scoring projects will be asked to submit a Phase Two Nomination Form. If more than one applicant’s scores are identical for Phase One Nominations, the tie will be broken by THF.
All applicants who submit nominations in Phase One will be notified of the outcome and thanked for their submissions by October 1, 2023. At that time, applicants selected for Phase Two will be invited to submit the Phase Two Form. No application fee will be required for Phase Two.
PHASE TWO:
The second phase of the selection process will concentrate on the Organization’s proposal for the use of the award money.
The funds must be used to continue the historic preservation project described in Phase One, including planning costs, architectural and engineering fees, construction expenses and normal project management expenses. Funds should not be used to pay for normal administrative expenses. Completed Phase Two Applications will be submitted via email to grants@texashistoricalfoundation.org.
The selection of winners will be made by the Duda Awards Jury, a group of respected and experienced historic preservation experts. Members of the jury and selection of the winners will be kept confidential until awards are presented at the presentation event. The highest scoring project from the Phase Two Applications will receive the Michael C. Duda Award and $100,000 in funding to be applied to the nominated project. Honor Awards and an accompanying $20,000 and $30,000 prizes will be given to the second and third highest scoring applicants respectively. If applicants scores are identical for any phase, the tie will be broken by a vote of the Duda Awards Jury.
No match of funds is required to receive the award, however the organization must have initiated the project, and the proposed budget for the preservation project must match or exceed $100,000.00.
