Archaeological sites are some of Virginia’s most fragile resources. Threatened Sites grants offer emergency funding for archaeological sites endangered by erosion, impending development, or vandalism. The program has saved archaeological remnants at sites across Virginia, providing important information about our past that would have been lost.

Since 1985, the Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has administered a program for threatened archaeological sites in Virginia. Sites considered for funding must be at least of statewide significance and under threat of destruction.

Eligible sites also are ones for which no other sources of funding are available for their rescue. Anyone may bring these sites to the attention of the department.

Potential sites are evaluated by department teams and a Threatened Sites Committee composed of members of the archaeological community. Funds are committed for assessment, excavation, laboratory processing and analysis, and reporting.

Volunteers and the public are involved at every possible opportunity.

If a site cannot be saved, the funds are used to gather the information it contains before it is lost forever. For copies of reports from these projects, see the DHR Archaeological Report Series.

For more information on the Threatened Sites Program, please contact Elizabeth Moore, State Archaeologist. Phone: (804) 482-6084.

The Threatened Sites program is moving to an online application portal in 2025. More information about that process will be posted in late April and proposals will be due on May 31st.  Until then, you can see the information that will be required for those applications in the pdf form previously used for Threatened Sites proposals here. Please do not send this form to DHR as a grant application; all applications must be submitted through the online portal when it is active.