Partners in the Field Challenge Grant Program

Preservation Maryland recently was awarded a three-year $120,000 Partners in the Field matching grant from the Nation Trust for Historic Preservation to provide expanded preservation field services to communities on Maryland's Eastern Shore. 

Preservation Maryland has secured half of the required match but needs to secure additional commitments to qualify for the grant.  The funds will be used to hire a new field representative who will exclusively serve the nine counties that make up Maryland’s eastern shore.

While Preservation Maryland has been active on the shore, it does not currently have the capacity to truly address the pressing preservation needs of this important area.  Through the National Trust’s “Partners in the Field” program, a new Eastern Shore field representative will direct services to local organizations and communities which are actively involved in historic preservation efforts and help develop strategies for saving the historic and scenic character of this region. 

In May 2008, Preservation Maryland, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Maryland Historical Trust, the Maryland Department of Planning, 1,000 Friends of Maryland, and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy held an Eastern Shore Summit to identify strategies for saving the historic and scenic character of this region, which is under tremendous development pressure. The summit resulted in an action plan that will form the backbone of the new representative’s work in the region and help local organizations and agencies collaborate on high-priority preservation issues. 

“The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a unique region, however, the character and culture of the Shore is rapidly disappearing. We are excited to have the opportunity to be a partner with the National Trust of Historic Preservation, and provide expanded field services to the communities on the Eastern Shore”   said Tyler Gearhart, Executive Director of Preservation Maryland.  This is an important program that will have a huge impact on the protection of historic resources in Maryland.”  

Partners in the Field challenge grants are funded by a $5 million gift to the National Trust for Historic Preservation from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust and matched by significant contributions from local donors and foundations.  In implementing expanded field services funded by the grant, Preservation Maryland will work closely with the National Trust’s Southern Field Office in Washington, D.C.

Preservation Maryland was eligible for the Partner in the Field grants because it is one of more than 100 Statewide and Local Partners of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Partners program, created in 1993, helps emerging and established state and local nonprofit preservation organizations by providing organizational development assistance, grant support, specialized workshops and training, information resources, and networking opportunities. Twenty-four organizations nationally were selected as recipients of the inaugural, multi-year Partner in the Field grants.

 For more information on the Partners in the Field Challenge Grant program, please contact Liz Buxton, Development and Communications Director, at 410-685-2886 x307 or lbuxton@preservationmaryland.org.