The Winners of $2.25 Million in Circuit Court Record Preservation Grants for 2026!

March 24, 2026

The Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Grant Review Board met on March 24, 2026, to evaluate 151 grant requests from 104 circuit courts across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Five voting members comprise the board: three circuit court clerks, appointed by the president of the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association; and two staff members from the Library of Virginia. Board members meet once a year to evaluate grant applications. Clerks of the circuit courts are eligible to apply for funds to conserve, secure, and increase access to circuit court records.

The board approved 104 grant projects totaling $2,248,877.52. Most of the approved applications were for professional conservation treatment for over 460 records that date from the 1640s to the mid-20th century. They include deed books, will books, land tax books, marriage licenses, order books, plat books, and other records housed in circuit court clerks’ offices, which suffered damage from use, age, pests, water, cellulose acetate lamination, or previous professional and non-professional repairs. A small number of grants funded records-reformatting projects.

Administered by the Library of Virginia’s Government Records Division, the CCRP provides resources to preserve and make accessible Virginia’s permanent circuit court records. A $3.50 recordation fee on land instruments recorded in the circuit court clerks’ offices funds the program. Since 1991, the CCRP has awarded nearly 2,400 preservation grants totaling over $40 million dollars. The grants ensure the preservation of Virginia’s past for future generations.

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