02/16/2023 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/16/2023 11:21
The City Council's Committee on the Community Preservation Act has begun accepting applications for residents to serve on the City of Boston's Community Preservation Committee.
The application deadline is March 17, 2023.
The Community Preservation Act (CPA), a ballot question passed by Boston voters in November 2016, brings over $20 million to the City annually. Funding must be used for projects in three areas: affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space/outdoor recreation facilities.
The Boston City Council seeks four Boston residents to serve on the Community Preservation Committee.
The Community Preservation Act has made the following possible:
To date, the Community Preservation Program has funded 237 projects and has awarded over $117 million in funding. We have supported 36 affordable housing projects, 93 open space and recreation projects, and 108 historic preservation projects from 2018-2022.
In 2022, the Community Preservation Committee approved the New Community Preservation Plan. This plan will help guide the City of Boston's allocation of CPA funds for fiscal years 2023 through 2027. The plan highlights the committee's new goals and evaluation criteria, as well as relevant statistics on the program's first four funding rounds in FY2018 - FY2021. Read more here: FY2023-FY2027 Community Preservation Plan.
The Community Preservation Committee is a 9-member board that recommends projects to the Mayor and the City Council for CPA funds.
By state law the Committee (CPC) includes appointments from the Boston Landmarks Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Boston Housing Authority, and the Boston Planning and Development Agency board.
In addition, Boston's CPA Ordinance creates four at-large seats open to community members to serve on the CPC. CPC members serve as unpaid volunteers for a term of three years with a maximum of two terms. All CPC members must be Boston residents.
The Committee's annual work includes:
The Committee's responsibilities are outlined in Sections 5(b) and 5(c) of the CPA statute.
If you have a passion for at least one of the three program areas - historic preservation, open space/outdoor recreation, and affordable housing - you may want to apply!
CPC Annual Project Timeline:
Status | Time Period |
Information Sessions |
May-August |
Eligibility Determination Forms Due |
End of August |
Staff review eligibility form and informs applicants of eligibility |
September |
Full applications due |
Early November |
CPA Office reviews applications |
November-December |
CPC reviews applications and staff recommendations |
December - February |
Mayor and City Council consider CPC funding recommendations |
March-May |
Grant agreements and award letters issued |
May-June |
CPA funding available |
June-July |
To learn more about this process, please review the CPA Eligibility Determination Packetand explore the CPA webpage.
Cpc application
If you have any questions, contact the Boston City Council's Committee on Community Preservation Act's Team Lead, Christine O'Donnell, at 617-635-1185 or by emailing [email protected]. The deadline to submit your application is Friday, March 17, 2023.
You can find out more details on the Community Preservation Committee. Interested in applying? Please complete our online application: