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    Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

    Community Initiative Awards

    The Community Initiative Award from the State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) recognizes preservation success stories across the Commonwealth.

    Started in 2016 for the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Community Initiative Award (CIA) is now an annual program and is one of the ways in which PA SHPO implements the current statewide historic preservation plan. 

    Community Initiative Awards Community Initiative Awards

    Accessing PA-SHARE

    PA-SHARE is online platform that makes it easy for you to submit your success story online.  Success stories can be submitted to PA-SHARE without an account.

    Submit a Preservation Success Story through PA-SHARE

    What are the PA SHPO's Community Initiative Awards?

    The Community Initiative Award from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) recognizes preservation success stories across the Commonwealth.

    A preservation success story is historic place-based work that is grounded in community, results in meaningful preservation outcomes, and embodies the spirit of the statewide historic preservation plan.

    The award itself is an authentic time capsule, with archival supplies to fill it, a framed certificate, and recognition in PA SHPO publications and Pennsylvania Heritage magazine.

    Eligibility

    • Candidates can be an organization, local or regional agency, community, municipality, etc. in Pennsylvania
    • Activities include projects, events, initiatives, etc. related to one or more historic places, which includes archaeological sites.
    • Activity reached a significant milestone or was completed between January 1 and December 31, 2025.

    Please note: Receiving a Community Initiative Award does not require that a property is opened to the public for visitation, does not require the owner to comply with any state or federal regulations, and does not automatically grant the property any historic status.

    How to Enter

    Submit your nomination through PA-SHARE as a Preservation Success Story. A PA-SHARE account is not required and the steps are easy.

    To submit a Success Story through PA-SHARE: 

    • Sign in to PA-SHARE with your account or as a Guest User.
    • Go the the Submit page and click "Visit" in the Success Story tile.
    • Fill in the short form and provide at least one photograph. It is important to provide enough information to understand what is being nominated and why.
    • Click "Submit to SHPO".

    Step-by-step instructions are available: Submitting a Success Story in PA-SHARE. 

    Please contact the PA-SHARE Help Desk pashare@pa.gov for assistance.

    Selection Process

    Candidates are identified in a few different ways over the course of the calendar year: 

    • social media activity and traditional press reporting,
    • participation in or reporting on projects that utilize federal or state programs, and
    • Preservation Success Stories submitted through PA-SHARE.

    Each winter, PA SHPO considers the candidates from the previous calendar year and winners are typically notified in early spring. 

    Awardees are announced in May for National Historic Preservation Month on PA SHPO's blog, pahistoricpreservation.com. PA SHPO presents awards in awardee's community through events like municipal meetings, recognition celebrations, and dedications.

    Please note that awards may not be awarded each year. 

    Previous Awardees

    2023

    2023

    Learn more about the 2023 awardees in this post

    2022

    Learn more about the 2022 awardees in this post.

    2021

    Learn more about the 2021 awardees in this post.

    2020

    • Old Erie on Foot (Erie, Erie County)
    • Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka (Millvale, Allegheny County)
    • Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc. (Waynesboro, Franklin County)

    Learn more about the 2020 awardees in this post

    2019

    • Mahoning Drive-In Theatre (Mahoning, Carbon County)
    • Fighter's Heaven (Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County)
    • Lazaretto (Tinicum, Delaware County)
    • McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation/Roxian Theater (McKees Rocks, Allegheny County)

    Learn more about the 2019 awardees in this post.

    2018

    Learn more about the 2018 awardees in this post.Opens In A New Window

    2016

    • Bradford Revitalization Team (Bradford, McKean County)
    • East Liberty Development Inc. (Pittsburgh, Allegheny County)
    • Hidden City Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County)

    Learn more about the 2016 awardees in this post.

     

    For More Information

    Read more about the Community Initiative Award on the pahistoricpreservation.com  blog.

    If you would like additional information about the Community Initiative Award or past winners, please contact Shelby Splain, Survey and Education Supervisor, at ssplain@pa.gov or (717) 787-0772.