Ohio cemeteries receive funds for maintenance and training

The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing awarded $104,000 in grants to 45 Ohio cemeteries through the Fiscal Year 2024 Cemetery Grant Fund.

The Division registers more than 4,100 cemeteries in the state and administers the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission which assists in resolving complaints against registered cemeteries through mediation and conciliation.

“This is the fifth year the Division has awarded the grant for registered nonprofit cemeteries. We hope the award will help our stakeholders tackle projects that are never addressed due to lack of funding,” Division Supt. Daphne Hawk said. “We are honored to provide funds to help Ohio’s cemeteries improve recordkeeping, restore monuments, repair fencing and improve signage, all of which will help preserve a piece of the state’s history.”

The grant is funded by $1 of every $2.50 from burial permit fees received by the Division. Cemeteries that applied and did not receive funding this year are encouraged to apply again next year.

Grants were awarded this year to cemeteries in 32 Ohio counties. Local recipients included:

• $2,500 to the Village of Greenfield to remove trees at the Greenfield Cemetery;

• $2,500 to Eagle Township in Brown County to repair and reset monuments at the Fincastle Cemetery;

• $1,047 to Huntington Township Trustees in Ross County to purchase a mini tiller and weed trimmers for the Huntington Township Cemetery; and

• $2,500 to Vernon Township Trustees in Clinton County to purchase a new mower for the Clarksville Cemetery.

A full list of 2023 Cemetery Grant recipients can be found here.

For more information about how the Division works with Ohio cemeteries, visit com.ohio.gov/real.