Tennessee Wars Commission Grant Fund Grant Cycle Opening

The Tennessee Wars Commission, the Tennessee Historical Commission division responsible for preserving the state's significant military history, has announced the August 31, 2026 opening of this year's grant cycle for the Tennessee Wars Commission Grant Fund (TWCGF). $94,000 in funding will be available from the TWCGF this year. Last year, the Wars Commission awarded $73,806 in grant funding for projects ranging from interpretive signage to documenting artifacts.

Since 1994, this grant program has funded approximately one hundred thirty-two different projects preserving and interpreting the military legacy of Tennessee and Tennesseans. "The Wars Commission Grant Fund provides a unique opportunity for Tennessee communities to enhance their war-related history through the preservation, interpretation, and archaeology of sites, structures, and battlefields related to the French and Indian War through the Civil War, furthering our collective knowledge of these historical locations and events," said Wars Commission Program Director, Nina Scall.

The Tennessee Wars Commission Grant Fund provides financial support to coordinate planning, preservation, protection, promotion, and interpretation of structures, buildings, sites, and battlefields related to Tennessee's military heritage. This grant can fund a wide variety of projects relating to the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the Revolutionary War (1776-1783), War of 1812 (1812-1815), Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and the Civil War (1861-1865). Example projects include, but are not limited to, archaeological surveys and excavations, cemetery preservation, contraband camp preservation and interpretation, graphic displays and interpretative panels, historic markers, and living history and educational programs.

Any individual, museum, educational institution, private organization, or local government body can apply. Although there is no minimum matching requirement, applicant contributions will be a positive consideration.

The deadline for submissions is November 14, 2026. The grant application process is digital, through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Grant Management System.

For questions regarding the grant process or application procedure, contact Nina Scall, Program Director of the Tennessee Wars Commission.