The House and Senate have both advanced their FY 2026 Interior Appropriations bills, setting the stage for critical decisions about historic preservation funding in the months ahead. This funding bill has jurisdiction to set annual funding levels for programs and agencies housed within the Department of the Interior, like the National Park Service, as well as some independent agencies, like the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

Thanks to persistent advocacy, key programs are seeing continued support—though there’s still work to do. Check out this recent letter to Congressional appropriators, signed by over a dozen national organizations, urging robust funding for the HPF in FY 2026.

The House bill includes:

• $168.9 million for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) — matching FY 2025 levels and rejecting the administration’s proposal to eliminate funding.
• A one-year extension of HPF authorization.
• Major cuts elsewhere: 33% cut to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and 35% cuts to the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities (NEA and NEH).
• Provisions blocking funding for the Lava Ridge wind project, protecting the Minidoka National Historic Site, which was included on the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2022.
• A $213 million cut to the National Park Service, including a 21% reduction in park construction funding.
• $4.655 million for Japanese American Confinement Site grants, level with FY 2025 enacted funding.

The Senate bill offers:

• $168.246 million for HPF (slightly below FY 2025).
  • Increased funding for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices.
  • Level funding for Save America’s Treasures, African American Civil Rights Grants, HBCU Preservation, and other HPF subprograms.
• $15.6 million in new Congressionally Directed Spending for HPF projects.
• Level funding for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
• $207 million each for the NEA and NEH (much higher than the House bill).
• A robust $3.27 billion for the National Park Service — significantly more than the House or the President’s request.

While we aren’t seeing increases to preservation funding, these bills show that advocacy works. Your outreach—alongside national coalition efforts—helped protect the HPF from elimination and severe cuts and reinforced bipartisan support for preservation.

But we’re not done yet. The full House and Senate still need to pass their bills and reconcile funding level differences. With no floor votes scheduled and the Congress in recess until September, now is the time to speak up.

Let your members of Congress know that historic preservation matters. Urge them to:

• Protect and increase funding for Historic Preservation Fund
• Protect the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
• Support strong investments in preservation programs nationwide.

Send a message now and help ensure that America’s historic places have the resources they need to thrive.