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Thanks to advocates like you, long-delayed FY 2025 funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices is finally moving forward.

On July 1, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the long-stalled Notice of Funding Opportunity for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO and THPO) to apply for their FY 2025 annual funding, despite being fully funded by Congress in March 2025.

Your voice made a difference.

But the future of preservation is still at risk. The Administration’s proposed FY 2026 budget would slash the Historic Preservation Fund almost entirely, threatening the places, stories, and communities we work to protect.

Congress is now deciding next year’s funding for federal agencies and programs.

Tell your lawmakers: robustly fund the HPF in FY 2026.

On June 14, 2025, the National Trust submitted written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, urging strong federal investment in historic preservation programs for FY 2026.

The President’s Budget Request for FY 2026 would virtually eliminate funding for the HPF, apart from level funding for the competitive grant program supporting preservation projects at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Eliminating or underfunding the HPF would deal a severe blow to preservation nationwide:

• State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs and THPOs) rely heavily on HPF grants to staff their teams, review federal projects, manage historic registers, and administer state and federal historic tax credit reviews.
• Certified Local Governments (CLGs) would lose support for local preservation planning, and many Tribal offices could shut down entirely, threatening cultural sovereignty.
• Without HPF support, key infrastructure projects could slow or stall, and thousands of shovel-ready, bricks-and-mortar projects that create jobs would be at risk.
• The HPF also serves as seed funding, often leveraging additional local, state, and private investment. Without it, many preservation projects—especially those using the Historic Tax Credit—may never happen.
• Preservation efforts would vary drastically by geography, leaving many underrepresented and underserved communities without the support needed to protect their history.

Read the full testimony here (PDF), and be sure to reach out to Congress to urge them to support federal preservation funding in FY 2026.

Across the nation, critical funding allocated for historic preservation has yet to be dispersed, and the impacts are already significant.

Many of the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) have yet to receive their FY 2025 funding allocations from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). These dollars were already appropriated by Congress, but bureaucratic delays threaten jobs, programs, and the places that tell our shared story.

In Ohio, one-third of the SHPO’s staff have been laid off, including 12 employees who played critical roles in reviewing historic sites and administering historic tax credit programs.

Several other SHPO offices warn of similar cuts if their allocated funding is not received in the next several weeks. These offices depend on HPF funding for up to 60% of their budgets, and without it, they cannot adequately meet their statutory obligations.

As we enter the final quarter of the federal fiscal year, SHPOs are making painful choices—cutting staff, shuttering programs, and delaying preservation work while they await their federal funding.

This puts nationally significant historic resources at risk and undermines programs like the federal Historic Tax Credit and National Register of Historic Places, which help preserve neighborhoods and fuel local economies.

At a recent congressional hearing, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) raised serious concerns about these delays with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Representative Pingree made it clear that SHPOs need these funds immediately to continue performing the vital functions of their offices. Despite Congress appropriating these much-needed funds, there is no clear timeline for their release.

Grassroots voices make a difference! Please contact your federal elected officials and share your story about the importance of the HPF, the critical need for release of FY 2025 funds, and the support for HPF funding in FY 2026.

The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is under threat — and so are the historic places and stories it protects.

The President’s proposed FY 2026 budget would eliminate nearly all HPF funding, except for limited support for HBCU preservation grants.

This would dismantle the backbone of our national preservation infrastructure — including funding for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and critical grant programs — and put preservation efforts across the country at risk.

Worse still, although Congress passed funded for the HPF for FY 2025, those dollars still haven’t been released, delaying vital work and endangering countless jobs.

We can’t afford to lose momentum — especially as we approach America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Now is the time to invest in our shared heritage, not abandon it.

Tell Congress: release the FY25 HPF funds now and fully fund the HPF in FY26.

Your voice matters. Urge your Congressional leaders to protect historic places to tell the full American story.

The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget Request (PDF) would eliminate nearly all funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), except for a limited allocation for preservation grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

If enacted, this proposal would dismantle the nation's core preservation infrastructure, which provides funding for State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and several hugely impactful competitive grant programs, placing historic places across the country and the communities they serve at serious risk. To learn more about this federal investment in historic preservation and the grant programs funded through the HPF, visit our Historic Preservation Fund page.

To illustrate the HPF's reach and effectiveness, the National Trust’s Government Relations team developed a new resource titled, “51 Projects for Preservation: The Historic Preservation Fund Across the United States.”

The piece highlights one preservation project from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These examples reflect the wide-ranging benefits of HPF investments, including historic site rehabilitation, community revitalization, economic development, and the preservation of underrepresented histories.

The HPF remains a critical part of the nation’s preservation program, empowering communities to protect and activate historic places that matter.

As the President’s FY26 budget proposes to eliminate nearly all HPF funding, with the exception of support for HBCU preservation projects, this advocacy resource offers timely and compelling evidence of what is at stake.

We encourage advocates to share the projects featured in this piece, along with our annual report, “The Preservation Budget: Select Preservation Priorities for FY26 Appropriations,” with members of Congress and help us amplify the importance of continued federal investment for historic preservation.

These stories are a powerful reminder of how preservation helps tell a more complete American story, promotes economic activity, and provides lasting benefits for future generations.

Contact your elected officials now to urge them to support investment in our nation’s heritage ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026.