Thanks to the advocacy efforts of ACRA members and preservation allies across the nation, the National Park Service recently started to release fiscal year 2025 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) money for SHPOs and THPOs – funding that states and Tribes need to facilitate Section 106 reviews and a host of other duties.
That great news, but the fight is far from over!
Congress is now deciding on funding levels for the new fiscal year that starts October 1. The White House has proposed eliminating virtually all HPF money for 2026. And to make matters worse, the law that authorizes OCS royalties to be deposited into the HPF expired last fall.
That is why it is so important that we keep up the pressure on Congress to provide robust funding for the HPF and to renew its authorization.
We’ve seen all too vividly what happens when that funding is not there – the Ohio SHPO had to lay off staff, and several other SHPOs were in the process of doing so. And hundreds of THPOs were left without the resources to protect their lands.
Please take a moment to send a message to your House and Senate members urging them to support the HPF so that the critical work of cultural resources management and historic preservation can continue.
(Don’t know your House representative? Click here to enter your Zip code or address, and then click on your representative’s page. There, you will find a “Contact” button that will let you send a message.)
You can use the template message below or write your own. But please act quickly: Every message Congress receives makes a difference. Please contact your representative today!
We are aware that the webforms of some legislators (but not all) have character limits and have tried to be mindful of that, but your message may need to be edited if this is the case.
Sample Message:
Dear Senator/Representative:
As a constituent and a cultural resources management professional, I am writing to urge you to support the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).
For more than 40 years, the HPF has enabled the preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings and archaeological sites in our state and across the country. It provides essential funding for state and Tribal historic preservation offices (S/THPOs), which are required by federal law to help protect historic places. These offices make sure that rehabilitation projects backed by the federal Historic Tax Credit move forward. They ensure that cultural resource reviews for critical infrastructure projects happen in a timely manner, helping communities get shovels in the ground faster. And they inventory the thousands of places that help tell the story of America.
The HPF does not cost taxpayers a single dime; its money comes from royalties from offshore drilling royalties. The HPF also supports competitive grant programs that make sure that communities from coast to coast can protect and celebrate the places that make them unique.
This year we saw first-hand how a lack of funding endangers preservation efforts around the country. A delay in the distribution of FY2025 HPF funding caused one SHPO to lay off staff and forced many others to begin the process of cutting their workforce. Thankfully distribution of those funds is now moving ahead, but the delay demonstrated the essential need for the federal government to support state and Tribal preservation efforts.
Furthermore, the authorization for depositing funds into the HPF from offshore royalties expired last year. Without renewal of this authorization, the HPF will lose its ability to support state and Tribal preservation efforts. As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary next year, it is more important than ever that we make certain that communities are able to record and preserve our country’s history.