2023 Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Year in Review

2023 Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant statistics

NPS Photo/Hannah Thomas

NPS American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) invites you to look back with us on the ground we’ve covered in 2023 and join us in reaching toward expansive, diverse, and strengthened partnerships in 2024. ABPP’s mission to preserve sites of armed conflict on American soil rests on partnerships, and Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants are a perfect example of how preservation efforts can take a village.

Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants (BLAG) empower preservation partners nationwide to acquire and preserve battlefield lands. Last year ABPP awarded 31 BLAGs, totaling $18.7 million to assist with the non-Federal acquisition and protection of 1,417 acres of battlefield lands. These acres spanned across 9 different states, including Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Behind each grant are recipients and their partner organizations who work tirelessly to shepherd a land acquisition to completion. In 2023, there were 10 different recipients, 5 local governments and 5 state governments, who worked with 6 different preservation partners. Almost a third of these, or 33% were 1st time recipients.

Armed conflict is interwoven throughout American history, has shaped the territory and landscapes of the United States, and continues to shape our shared experiences and collective memories. It’s no small irony that sites of conflict can bring us together. In the next year, as with all our efforts, our goal remains to sustain the stories and living landscapes that weave together our collective well-being and resilience.