Shelburne Farms Awarded a Save America’s Treasures Grant

New award will help the nonprofit protect and preserve the historic Coach Barn as a hub for professional learning for educators.

Shelburne Farms is excited to announce that it has been awarded a Save America’s Treasures grant of $500,000 in order to protect and preserve the historic Coach Barn by upgrading the electrical system and installing fire and life safety improvements. One of the great barns of America and one of Vermont’s iconic historic buildings, the Coach Barn is an inspiring and beautiful convening space for educators as well as for nonprofit and community organizations. It is home to the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools, a hub for professional learning programs and resources for PreK-12 educators, including the Farm to School Institute. All of Shelburne Farms’ professional learning offerings prepare educators to facilitate learning experiences for students using a lens of sustainability. 

The Save America’s Treasures grant is awarded by the National Park Service, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. It is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant that requires Shelburne Farms to secure an additional $500,000 in private charitable investment.

“Shelburne Farms is truly one of America’s treasures, and with restoration of the Coach Barn, Vermonters and visitors from all over will reap increased educational and community benefits,” said Senator Leahy. “I am proud that this funding will allow Shelburne Farms to continue their work cultivating learning for a more sustainable future.”

The Coach Barn, a primary contributing structure to the 2001 designation of Shelburne Farms as a National Historic Landmark District, is one of three remaining historic barns, and the only one without a fire detection and suppression system. This Save America’s Treasures grant will enable Shelburne Farms to implement these improvements while making additional critical exterior repairs to assure the barn remains a central feature of the Shelburne Farms campus, supporting education programs and community activities. 

“The devastating loss of the historically and architecturally significant Southern Acres Dairy Barn at Shelburne Farms to fire in 2016 reinforces the need for proper modern fire protection at the Coach Barn. This Save America’s Treasures grant will help protect the Coach Barn as an iconic landmark within the Vermont landscape of Shelburne Farms and assure its continuing use for public benefit,” said Laura Trieschmann, Vermont’s State Historic Preservation Officer.

“The long-term sustainability of Shelburne Farms is due in part to the repurposing of the historic buildings that are the architectural anchors of our campus for learning,” said Shelburne Farms president, Alec Webb. “The Coach Barn plays an integral role in advancing the educational mission of the nonprofit. This project will both protect and preserve the Coach Barn for continued use as an inspirational gathering space for educators and the community.” 

In September, the National Park Service (NPS) announced $24.25 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to help fund 80 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia. “Through private and public investments, the Save America’s Treasures program supports community- based preservation and conservation work on some of our nation’s most important collections, artifacts, structures, and sites for the benefit of future generations,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams.

This project is supported through the Save America's Treasures Grants Program, provided by the Historic Preservation Fund, as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. Donors interested in supporting this project are invited to contact Shelburne Farms.