The National Trust’s Preserve Route 66 Initiative awarded $350,000 in FY23 for a range of Route 66 projects to support Native American, Women, Latine, Asian American, and other hidden legacies of the Mother Road. Funded projects, which are being carried out in partnership with other National Trust programs such as our Where Women Made History and America's Chinatowns initiatives, include:

• $158,000 for the stabilization of the Osterman Filling Station, a 1929 gas station in Peach Springs, Arizona owned by the Hualapai Tribe that was included in the 2023 list of 11 Most Endangered Places. While the Hualapai had secured $210,000 from the state of Arizona and other sources, the National Trust’s grant will ensure that the Tribe has sufficient funds to complete critical roof and wall repairs this summer, as in its current condition it is doubtful the historic building would survive another windy winter.
• $60,000 for the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership to support their Extraordinary Women microgrant program. These microgrants provide help to small, local women-owned businesses, many of which were hit very hard by the pandemic. In addition to providing regrant funding to help support these businesses, the National Trust is helping build the Road Ahead’s capacity for grantmaking, and is investing an additional $12,000 in National Trust interns and business data to inform legacy business research for this important effort.
• $50,000 to Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) to support three Preserve Route 66 Fellows who will complete outreach and research to identify Latine Route 66 sites in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Their work will be coordinated with LHC’s Abuelas Project, resulting in StoryMaps for each state and a video presentation at the 2024 LHC Congreso in Miami.
• $45,000 to Cinefemme for the development of curriculum materials built around the 3-part Route 66 Women documentary which aired on PBS and is available to stream for free on Tubi. Curriculum materials will be geared for classrooms as well as Girl Scout troops, and curriculum materials in both Spanish and Navajo will be available.
• $25,000 to artist-activist Sammy Yuen for creation of the Chinatowns/Asian Americana on Route 66 Postcard series. Sammy has toured Route 66, meeting up with Route 66 leaders recommended by the Trust, and is planning for an exhibit of his work in addition to the creation of Route 66 Asian Americana postcards for sale. The goal of this project is to raise awareness of Asian Americana sites along Route 66 and to consider ways to better connect them to the Mother Road.

While we already have a number of suggestions for FY24 Route 66 grants, we are always looking for more good projects to support. Please share your grant ideas with Amy Webb at awebb@savingplaces.org. We also anticipate an open round of Route 66 grants in FY24.