The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing has opened the application period for its fiscal year 2024 Cemetery Grant Program.
This grant cycle has $104,000 in funding available to help Ohio cemeteries with upkeep and operation costs.
Registered cemeteries, except for-profit corporations, can apply for a grant of up to $2,500. Applicants with less than five registered cemeteries may apply every other year for the grant. All application requirements and scoring information for this grant cycle are included with the grant announcement and application.
“Applicants should read the grant instructions carefully, this year’s scoring has been updated to include points specifically for including photos, drawings, maps, cemetery survey, and including quotes for the work,” said REPL Superintendent Daphne Hawk.
The grant helps to cover the costs of exceptional maintenance or training of cemetery personnel in the maintenance and operation of the cemetery.
Reasonable maintenance, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 4767.09, done in the day-to-day operations of a cemetery is not considered exceptional for purposes of awarding grants. The purchase of land for expansion or the purchase of internment of cremains are also not considered exceptional. Exceptional maintenance is construed broadly to cover non-routine, non-repetitive maintenance.
“Each cemetery is unique in its operational requirements and budget, what type of project is exceptional varies from cemetery to cemetery. Part of the application process is to explain why your project is exceptional to your cemetery,” Hawk said.
Some past projects that have been approved are tree removal, upgrade to cemetery records software, cemetery survey and mapping, training employees on cemetery maintenance and preservation, repair and seal driveway, repair/replacement fencing, purchase of a steel tripod, and repairing monuments.
Registered, nonprofit cemeteries may apply for the grant, which is funded by $1 of every $2.50 from the burial permit fees received by the Division. This year’s grant applications may only be submitted online by visiting: cemeterygrants.com….
Applications for fiscal year 2024 Cemetery Grant will be accepted through July 31, 2023.
“Cemeteries are the keepers of our state’s heritage and are a vital part of our communities. These grants are designed to aide Ohio cemeteries with special projects or repairs that are above daily maintenance,” said Kirk Roberts, chairman of the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission. “Some of these projects are never addressed due to lack of funding. I encourage all qualifying Ohio cemeteries to take advantage of this funding to help preserve the history of Ohio cemeteries.”
For additional information, see the FY 2024 Cemetery Grant Instruction package or contact the Division at Ce************@co*.us.
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