Preserve Route 66

The most enduring highway in our public consciousness, Route 66 represents a unique moment in history that continues to define the nation’s identity: the rise of the automobile and its implications of freedom, mobility, and a quintessential American story.

Despite Route 66’s fame, elements of the "Mother Road" are lost every year. To support what remains, and as the historic road approaches its Centennial anniversary in 2026, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is providing grants and other assistance to help preserve Route 66 while also highlighting hidden stories and places along the route.

Our work includes advocating for a permanent, federal Route 66 National Historic Trail designation, building a database of legacy businesses along Route 66, and an innovative GIS and crowdsourcing campaign to showcase significant places along the route.

In recent months we provided vital grant assistance to restaurants and other businesses along the road as well as providing support for critical preservation needs. Recent grants includes stabilization funding for the endangered Osterman Filling Station in Peach Springs, Arizona, and the development of Route 66 curriculum materials, which is just one of the way we are looking at engaging youth as the future stewards of Route 66.

But more needs to be done and we want you to be a part of it! Check out opportunities on this page and stay tuned for more ways to celebrate and preserve the stories and places along Historic Route 66.

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Filmmaker Katrina Parks with a camera conducting interviews inside Angel and Vilma Delgadillo’s Route 66 Gift Shop in Seligman, Arizona. The walls are covered with license plates and memorabilia.

The Preserve Route 66 Legacy Business Grant Fund provides support to businesses to preserve historic places and spur economic development along the Route 66 corridor.

The Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund provides financial support to public agencies, tribal governments or nonprofit organizations to preserve and interpret historic places along the Route 66 corridor.

Route 66 is one of America's iconic roadways, yet its historic places—and their stories—continue to be lost over time. We need your help to share the stories of the Mother Road.