"More Than $100,000 in Grant Funding Awarded to Ohio Cemeteries to Support Maintenance and Training" - From the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing

More Than $100,000 in Grant Funding Awarded to Ohio Cemeteries to Support Maintenance and Training

October 07, 2024

The annual 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.

In addition to registering cemeteries in Ohio, the Division
administers the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission,

which assists in resolving complaints filed against registered
cemeteries through mediation and conciliation.

For more information on how the Division works with Ohio

cemeteries, visit com.ohio.gov/Real. 

CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOADABLE SOTS

Daphne Hawk, Superintendent, Division of Real Estate
and Professional Licensing, Ohio Department of Commerce

Link for the .PDF full listing below.:

Reminder:  

Keep in mind that family cemeteries as defined by the

 Ohio Revised Codes and Inactive and thus Unregistered 

Cemeteries (no burials in the past 25 calendar years)

as well as For Profit Cemeteries are NOT eligible to 

receive these grants. There are no grants for them.

"(D) Sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code do not apply
 to or affect a family cemetery or a cemetery in which there have
 been no interments during the previous twenty-five calendar years.

As used in this division, "family cemetery" means a cemetery
containing the human remains of persons, at least three-fourths
of whom have a common ancestor or who are the spouse or
adopted child of that common ancestor."

From the Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing: The Cemetery Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2024 is now open - taking On-Line Only Applications - through July 31, 2023

The  "Ohio Cemetery Grant Program for 2024"  is now open starting June 30, 2023 through July 31, 2023 to apply for Fiscal Year 2024.

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Quoted from the website.:

"CEMETERY GRANT"

"The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (REPL) is pleased to announce the availability of the FY2024 Cemetery Grant for qualifying not-for-profit and local government cemeteries. 

Allowable grant requests include those to defray costs of exceptional cemetery maintenance or training cemetery personnel in the maintenance and operation of cemeteries. Eligible applicants shall be cemetery operators properly registered with REPL, be a documented not-for-profit entity under the IRS tax code and be in compliance with any applicable endowment and/or preneed cemetery merchandise and services trust accounts. The REPL Superintendent is accepting only online applications.

Please gather all information prior to application entry. Once you start the application, the information entered cannot be saved and if you exit out of the application you will lose all information previously entered. 

The Cemetery Grant application instructions are being provided as a worksheet guidance document only. This will allow you to gather all of the necessary information prior to submitting the grant application online.

***You can find the grant instructions here.***

The application must be answered completely to be considered for grant funds and submitted no later than July 31, 2023."

Contact: 

CemeteryGrants@com.state.oh.us. 

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Main Page for Cemeteries.:

https://com.ohio.gov/divisions-and-programs/real-estate-and-professional-licensing/cemeteries

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Link to the Guides and Resources for the cemetery grant program.:

https://com.ohio.gov/divisions-and-programs/real-estate-and-professional-licensing/cemeteries/guides-and-resources/cemetery-grant

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****As in years past, the Cemetery Grant Program is only open to Active Cemeteries (those that have had interments in the past 25 years) that are Registered or those that Should be Registered AND are Not-For-Profit Cemeteries.

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****Please keep in mind as was true for previous years, 

the For Profit Cemeteries -- such as those owned and operated by StoneMor, for example -- are NOT eligible to receive any funds from the Cemetery Grant Program in Ohio. 

Nor are any family cemeteries or Inactive / Abandoned Cemeteries in Ohio.  

(D) Sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code do not apply to or affect a family cemetery or a cemetery in which there have been no interments during the previous twenty-five calendar years. As used in this division, "family cemetery" means a cemetery containing the human remains of persons, at least three-fourths of whom have a common ancestor or who are the spouse or adopted child of that common ancestor.

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****If you have any questions or require additional assistance, please contact the Division at 614-466-5384 or CemeteryGrants@com.ohio.gov.****

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Offering some current links from the Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing - Ohio Cemetery Registration Guide & More

 Sharing some links to keep handy for those who have an interest in Active / Registered Cemeteries in Ohio. 

This Ohio Government website would be of interest to those who own and operate an Active / Registered cemetery - and/or those who are contemplating submitting a complaint pertaining to an Active / Registered cemetery.:  

 CEMETERIES

The Ohio Cemetery Registration Guide

2023 Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission Meeting Dates

Applications and Forms

Cemetery Grants

Filing a Complaint Against a Cemetery

Contact Us

"STOP--Before contacting the Division of Real Estate, please check to see if your question is answered in our Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ.  This is the fastest way to get your question answered.  Due to our small staff, we cannot respond to inquiries that are already answered in the FAQ."

Why We Keep Fighting on Behalf of Inactive and Abandoned Cemeteries in Ohio

Finding this 2001 rejection letter today inspires me to continue fighting on behalf of inactive and abandoned cemeteries in Ohio. 

The Ohio Revised Codes affecting cemeteries have not changed with regard to the stipulations affecting registration of complaints about a cemetery's deteriorated condition.  

The laws in Ohio, as stated in the Ohio Revised Codes, still require cemeteries to be active and registered in order for a complaint to be filed against them.  Cemeteries with no burials in the past twenty-five years, or a cemetery considered to be a family cemetery, are not eligible to be included in the complaint process, thus denying them the same protection afforded to active and registered cemeteries.  To me, it's like saying these old cemeteries just do not matter any more.  

Hopefully, one day soon in Ohio, the scales of justice will become balanced.  The laws will change to allow concerned people the ability to register complaints against those who are responsible for the care of inactive and abandoned cemeteries due to their failure to properly maintain them.

Until then, we'll keep fighting on behalf of those who can no longer speak for themselves whose final resting places are lost or almost forgotten.