Historic preservation shouldn't be partisan
- Mark Belloni
- May 30
- 3 min read
One of the reasons I’m passionate about historic preservation has nothing to do with history or old buildings. It’s that, for decades, preservation has been one of the rare issues that united Americans across the political spectrum. Whether it was a crumbling courthouse in a rural town or a long-vacant factory in the city, communities of all sizes and political leanings rallied to save meaningful places. Preservation brought people together—regardless of party.
That spirit of unity is now under threat.
The proposed 2026 federal budget, supported by the current majority in Congress, includes devastating cuts to historic preservation funding. Chief among them is the effective elimination of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF)—the bedrock of our national preservation infrastructure. This fund supports everything from National Register of Historic Places nominations and community grants to the preservation of state and local heritage. And despite being authorized at $150 million annually, Congress has yet to release the already-appropriated 2025 HPF funds, freezing essential projects across the country.
These delays and proposed cuts jeopardize real work happening on the ground—work that revitalizes neighborhoods, supports heritage tourism, and contributes to local economies. It's important to understand that the HPF isn’t funded by taxpayer dollars. Established in 1976, it’s financed through offshore oil and gas lease revenues—a fiscally responsible, forward-thinking model that reinvests natural resource profits into preserving our shared history.
All across the United States, the HPF makes preservation possible. It helps small towns nominate important buildings to the National Register. It supports grants for restoration, education, and planning. It also funds state historic preservation offices, which provide essential guidance, review, and oversight for preservation work in communities nationwide.
These programs have made an enormous difference. The Save America’s Treasures, funded through the HPF, has supported the preservation of iconic places such as Ellis Island’s hospital complex and numerous Underground Railroad sites. In small towns, HPF-funded Certified Local Government grants help communities survey historic neighborhoods, prepare preservation plans, and nominate places to the National Register—tools that can boost heritage tourism and spark reinvestment.
And when HPF programs work hand-in-hand with tools like the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, the results are even more powerful. While the tax credit is funded separately through the tax code, it is often used in tandem with HPF-supported projects to make preservation financially viable, especially for income-producing properties like downtown commercial buildings or historic apartment houses.
Preservation is not, and should never be, a partisan issue. It is a question of values—of what we choose to remember, restore, and pass on. As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, now is the time to invest in our collective story, not dismantle the systems that make that story visible.
What does the Historic Preservation Fund support?
National Register nominations
State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs)
Certified Local Government (CLG) grants
Save America’s Treasures and other competitive grant programs
Underrepresented community initiatives
Preservation planning, education, and technical assistance
I urge people everywhere—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike—to contact their senators and representatives and advocate for the full funding of the Historic Preservation Fund. Let them know you care about preserving the places that shaped us. Whether you're restoring an old farmhouse, revitalizing a Main Street, or honoring Indigenous heritage, we all benefit from the tools preservation provides.
We can—and must—keep this work bipartisan. Our past deserves nothing less.
