The Butler Redevelopment Authority has approved the submission of a Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant application seeking $100,000 for the Penn Theater.

The action was taken Thursday at the authority’s monthly meeting at the city building. The grant will go toward fixing the structure — meaning the walls and roof of the building.

“They can award $100,000, but more than likely it’s going to be less than that,” said authority Chairman Fred Reese. “They might not even award the grant. They can award any amount.”

The grant is 50/50, so any awarded amount would have to be matched.

Dane Winkler and Dean Selfridge, co-chairs of the Penn Performance Committee, already have ways to match the grant.

“We’ve already talked to some people who have given us some verbal commitments that would chip in,” Winkler said. “We have some crowd-funding ideas, as in if you donate a certain amount of money you’ll get a T-shirt later on. We’ll have benefit concerts at other venues around town.”

Winkler said they’ll have until some time in October to match the grant.

The authority also has been talking with the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to get help in paying the electric bill for the theater.

Reese said the person he talked with at the foundation, who he would not identify, said he needed to talk with others at the foundation about the authority’s situation.

Mayor Tom Donaldson reported that an anonymous donor who provided the neon lighting for Penn Theater wants to see the lights on at night. However, Reese said the authority can’t afford to pay the utility bill for that and is awaiting a response from the foundation on help with the electric bill.