$50,000 in Preservation Grants Available – Apply by Sept. 15!

Texas Dance Hall Preservation is putting real money into keeping our state’s historic halls alive—up to $10,000 per grant in this round, for a total of $50,000 in funding. These matching grants can help repair roofs, restore dance floors, or even pay for a professional building assessment.

Eligible applicants include public or private nonprofits, and some for-profit owners, who are TDHP members and own or lease a qualifying hall. To qualify, the hall must have historically hosted community dances, be largely intact, and have a dedicated dance floor and stage.

This is a $1-to-$1 matching grant—and if you already have your match in hand, you’ll get bonus points in scoring. The deadline is coming fast: September 15.

Let’s keep the music playing and the dance floors full. Details & Application: https://texasdancehall.org/dance-hall-owners/preservation-fund-grants/

Extra Funding for Venues: Texas Music Incubator Rebate

If your dance hall or venue has sold alcohol, beer, or wine for the past two years, you may qualify for rebates of up to $100,000 through the Texas Music Incubator Rebate Program. Applications open Sept. 1–30, 2025.

The program reinvests state tax revenue into music venues & festivals that keep Texas’ live music scene thriving. Rebates are based on mixed beverage gross receipts taxes or sales taxes paid on beer & wine in the previous fiscal year.

Full details & application:
📄 Program Brochure (PDF)
🌐 Texas Music Office

Coupland Dance Hall: Last Call for a Texas Music Landmark

For decades, Coupland Dance Hall has been a cornerstone of Texas music—hosting legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pat Green, Asleep at the Wheel, and countless others. In recent years, under owner Abbey Road’s care, the 600-capacity venue became a launchpad for up-and-coming Texas artists and a gathering place for devoted music fans.

Now, after years of rising costs, changing audience habits, and dramatic shifts in the live music industry, Coupland is preparing to close. Abbey is donating the historic 1904 building to the nonprofit Foundation Stone, which will use it for community space. It’s a bittersweet decision shared by many venue owners across the country who are feeling the squeeze: midsize halls are struggling as artists skip smaller stages for larger venues, TikTok and streaming reshape careers, and operational costs—from insurance to property taxes—soar.

Abbey isn’t letting the lights dim quietly. From now until October 10, Coupland is hosting a run of outstanding shows to honor its legacy. “My main focus is to celebrate what this dance hall has meant to Texas music,” Abbey says, “and we’re doing that with some really incredible performances.”

This is the final season to two-step across that well-worn floor, hear guitars ring off those tin ceilings, and be part of Coupland’s story. Full schedule: couplanddancehall.com/shows

Preserve the past. Support TDHP Today.