Preservation Leadership Forum is a network of preservation professionals convened through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Forum provides and curates cutting-edge content; offers online and in-person networking opportunities; and brings new, diverse perspectives to the professionals who are in the business of saving places.

Forum members receive exclusive content and resources, such as the quarterly Forum Journal, priority access to scholarships for training, and opportunities for grant funding. Members also receive substantial discounts on registration for the annual PastForward conference and at participating hotels through Historic Hotels of America.

Learn more about the full range of benefits.

Forum Journal is published quarterly by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The latest four issues are available only to members of Preservation Leadership Forum. Not a Forum member? Take a sneak peak of our current issues, or browse the entire back issue archive in the Forum Library.

Forum Connect is an online networking platform for professionals working to save places. Anyone, preservationist or allied professional, Forum Member or non-member, is welcome to join.

PastForward is the premier educational and networking event for those in the business of saving places. Held each year in the late fall, PastForward draws practitioners, planners, architects, scholars, students and advocates from across the country. And with free, virtual programming, PastForward connects to an even greater audience from around the world.

Additional Resources available on:

• Preservation Law: Important laws at the federal, state, and local levels that encourage—and sometimes require—historic preservation can shape, modify, strengthen, and improve preservation efforts. Familiarity with these laws can help preservation leaders respond effectively to threats that arise, develop strategies to avoid future threats, and identify the full range of options available to protect endangered historic and cultural resources.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Today’s preservation movement recognizes the need for more complete, inclusive representation of communities across the nation, which are increasingly diverse in terms of class, race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, and sexual orientation.Preservation efforts must prioritize inclusion in order to tell an accurate and comprehensive story—and to remain relevant.
• ReUrbanism and Sustainability: The “greenest building” argument—holding that existing buildings are inherently “greener” than demolition and new construction—has dominated conversations around sustainability and historic preservation for decades. But in recent years, sustainability has come to mean more than simply being environmentally responsible. Older buildings and blocks are a key component to creating successful cities and neighborhoods—historic fabric creates economically vital, socially equitable, strong, and resilient neighborhoods.
• Historic Sites: The dynamic field of preservation is forging a versatile new relationship with historic sites—and with the landscapes in which they are situated—for the 21st century. Today preservationists are re-evaluating the role of house museums, applying new interpretive frameworks to historic sites, rethinking how best to manage collections, and representing a broader range of stories—and developing tools to encompass this evolution.

National Preservation Awards

The National Preservation Awards, including the the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Awards, the American Express Aspire Award, and the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, presented annually at the PastForward Conference, are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. Learn more about the the full slate of awards and current deadlines on Preservation Leadership Forum.