News Release

National Park Service Announces $70.7 Million in Historic Preservation Grants to States and Tribes

Date: February 24, 2021
Contact: [e-mail]

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) today announced the distribution of $55.7 million in historic preservation grants for states, territories, and partnering nations, and $15 million in historic preservation grants to 200 tribal historic preservation offices.

Administered by the NPS, these funds are appropriated annually by Congress from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). Since its inception in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations.

“These funds provide much-needed support to our state, tribal, and local partners to preserve their unique cultural heritage for future generations,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. "Education programs, historic structure rehabilitation and cultural art installations are just some of the diverse and creative ways these grants help further our commitment to telling all American's stories."

Preservation in Action

State and Local Preservation Grants

The HPF grants fund preservation programs at state offices and ensure support of local preservation with a required 10% pass through to Certified Local Governments via competitive subgrants. Examples of the diversity of work accomplished with this annual funding include: 

• In Schoharie, NY, a local dentist, Dr. Hazem Elbialy, used a combination of state and federal historic preservation tax credits to rehabilitate the historic Marshall D. Bice House, which was originally built in 1868 alongside the Shoharie Creek and sustained flood damage in 2011. Coupling tax credits with assistance from FEMA, repairs and rehabilitation involved listing in the state and national registers of historic places, state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, and a careful design approach that balanced the historic property with the needs of an active dental practice, including ADA.

• The Tennessee Historical Commission used HPF funding to assist the City of Clarksville, a Certified Local Government since 1985, with a survey of their downtown historic resources. One of the sites documented and surveyed was the Customs House, built in 1898, and now serving as the city’s cultural center and museum.

Tribal Preservation Grants

The HPF grants fund tribal preservation programs, assists tribes in the preservation of their cultural heritage, and promotes the protection of historically significant sites. Examples of the diversity of work accomplished with this annual funding include:

• The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony THPO used the traditional art of Steve Nighthawk to produce a COVID-19 Public Art Health Safety Message (Mural) on tribal lands. The THPO contracted with a photographer to show the painting creation from beginning to end, along with a short video, to preserve this traditional art and promote cultural awareness for the Tribe.  

• The Inchelium Complex Fires, started on the Colville Reservation and burned over 18,000 acres, threatening sites like “Julia”, a historic mining site from the 1900s. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s THPO staff worked as part of the Structure Protection Crew to help with the wrapping process of historic sites and ensuring they were not disturbed more than necessary.

For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/.

State and Local Preservation Grants

All funding to the States and the District of Columbia requires a 40% non-federal match, which leverages state, local and private dollars for even more with the federal HPF investment. Ten percent of funding awarded to States must be pushed out to their Certified Local Governments.
Total state and local grant amount: $55,675,000.

Apportionment amounts for each state and territory.

State	Award

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Tribal Preservation Grants

Funding to Tribes does not require matching share.
Total tribal grant amount: $15,000,000.

Apportionment amounts for each tribe.

State	Tribe	Award

Download This Dataset

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.