Our Process

Step 1: Project Coordinator

Your first step is to select a Project Coordinator. This person will coordinate the project from beginning to end and be the primary contact between your organization and the Maine Steeples Fund. We strongly encourage you to identify a project coordinator who has project management skills, a working knowledge of construction and historic rehabilitation, and is part of your organization's congregation or staff.

Step 2: Project Information Form

Then fill out the Project Information Form. Click on the link to the left to open the pdf. Download the form to your computer, save it with a new file name, fill in your information. Save the pdf and send it to us.

We will review the project and let you know if we want to schedule a site visit to learn more about your needs. After you start the process with submission of the form, Maine Steeples Fund decides whether to issue an invitation to move forward in our process.

Step 3: Site Visit

Our site visit and following report will present a brief overview of the history of the church and an initial impression of issues needing to be addressed. Your group will help to gather this information and assist our team in its inspection of your steeple. We will send a copy of the Site Visit Report to you when it is available. There is no cost to you for this report.

Step 4: Assessment Grant

If we believe that your project is a good fit with our program, we will invite you to apply for an Assessment Grant. We will then send you an application and introduce you to an independent assessor. The purpose and description of an assessment is outlined below. Typically, assessments cost between $2,500 and $5,500 and may take several months to schedule. If a grant is awarded, the Maine Steeples Fund will pay 90% of the cost of the assessment, with a maximum award amount of $4,950. This is a 9:1 match. Once complete, your application should be submitted by email to Maine Steeples Fund. Applications may be submitted at any time and decisions are typically made within one month of receiving a complete application. Successful applicants will work with the assessor through the process and will receive a copy of the completed Assessment Report. Maine Steeples Fund will distribute the grant award to your organization upon receipt of the Assessment Report.

The assessment will help determine the scope and estimated cost of the steeple restoration. We want to encourage restoration efforts that follow the Best Practices of historic preservation whenever feasible. Proper assessments are a critical step in this process.

Step 5: Restoration Grant

After review of your Assessment Report, we may invite you to apply for a Restoration Grant. Grants will not be issued for restoration work that has been taken on before a grant is awarded.

If awarded, the grant will pay 50% of the cost of steeple restoration, with a maximum award amount of $60,000. This is a 1:1 match. You may raise the remaining funds in any way you choose, including seeking other grants. Steeple Restoration Grants will be distributed to grantees in two equal installments. The first payment will be made when the restoration work has begun and we have been notified. The second payment will be made after successful completion of the project and after we receive the Final Report. Most projects spend a few months with their fundraising and then are completed within a year or so. There is no particular deadline, but we like to be kept updated along the way.

If your organization wants to accept our invitation to move forward with an application for a Restoration Grant, you should notify Maine Steeples Fund, familiarize yourself with the findings in the Assessment Report, select a contractor(s) who is experienced in the kind of work called for in the Assessment Report, and get a detailed work letter from the contractor. This will form the core of your application for a Restoration Grant. 

Once complete, your Restoration Grant application should be submitted by email to Maine Steeples Fund. Applications may be submitted at any time. Decisions are typically made promptly following receipt of the application.

Step 6: Restoration Work & Completion

During the reconstruction phase you should keep us in the loop with news stories, updates and progress photos. When the job is finally finished, please submit one last from, the Final Report, at which time we will send out the second half of your grant. This report will be a useful reminder that the ongoing maintenance of the steeple is important to you and your organization, and is an expectation of our funding program.