Urge Your Senators to Sign-on to the Bipartisan FY23 Historic Preservation Fund Dear Colleague Letter Today!

The appropriations process is underway in Congress, which will determine Fiscal Year 2023 funding levels for historic preservation. In the Senate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), are leading the bipartisan FY23 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Dear Colleague Letter. The letter request $200 million in funding for the HPF, the same level Preservation Action advocated for during Advocacy Week and would be a record level of funding for the program. The request includes much-needed increases for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, which are expected to face increased workloads from federally mandated project reviews associated with the recently passed infrastructure bill, and increases to critically important competitive grant programs. The letter requests:

• $65 million for State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs)
• $34 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs)
• $35 million for the Save America’s Treasures Grant Program
• $24 million for African American Civil Rights Initiative Competitive Grants
• $12 million for competitive grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• $12 million for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants
• $10 million for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program
• $5 million for the History of Equal Rights Competitive Grant Program
• $3 million for Underrepresented Communities Grants

The letter will be submitted to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies and marks a strong commitment to protecting our historic resources for future generations.