Funding News & General Resources

Below you will find articles and press releases about historic and cultural funding news, restoration efforts across the United States, financial resources, and information of interest to the historic preservation and cultural resources community.

We have also collected the best general resources that will assist you in learning more about national funding programs (with some great programs in Canada, too!). There is information on working with the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, to name a few.

Funding In The News

Below are links to recent news articles related to financial resources and funding sources for historic preservation, building restoration, cultural resource preservation, and the arts. Topics include: tax credit information; grants, loans and other financial services; historic preservation successes and threats; and work-training and educational program announcements and information.

New links to articles added multiple times weekly!

• Jeffries asks Justice Roberts to reject ‘cowardly and unpatriotic’ Trump Smithsonian order
  "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is urging Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to reject an executive order from President Trump that called to restore “truth and sanity” to the Smithsonian Institution..."
  Posted:

  4/26/2025

  Source:

  The Hill
• Announcing the Leicester B. Holland Prize: A Single-Sheet Measured Drawing Competition
  "The Holland Prize is an annual competition that recognizes the best single-sheet measured drawing of an historic building, site, or structure prepared to HABS/HAER/HALS standards and guidelines..."
  Posted:

  4/25/2025

  Source:

  National Park Service, Heritage Documentation Programs
• The Preservation League of NYS Grants
  "The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League of NYS, with support from the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Hudson River Valley Greenway, and the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, are offering Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) to NYS nonprofits and municipalities..."
  Posted:

  4/25/2025

  Source:

  Preservation League of NYS
• From Maryland Humanities - A Message from Our CEO on Federal Humanities Funding
  "The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded. As of now, there has been no official Executive Order issued, but we are watching the situation closely..."
  Posted:

  4/24/2025

  Source:

  Maryland Humanities
• The Role of the National Park Service in Preservation
  "The National Park Service (NPS) serves a vital role in safeguarding the historic places that shape our national identity. From administering federal preservation grants and approving historic tax credit projects to stewarding nationally significant sites, the NPS helps ensure that our shared heritage remains visible, accessible, and protected for future generations..."
  Posted:

  4/24/2025

  Source:

  National Trust for Historic Preservation
• The South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards - Call for Nominations
  "Each year thousands of South Carolinians work to preserve the state’s legacy that is reflected in our historic buildings, structures, and sites. Since 1995, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Preservation South Carolina, and the Office of the Governor have recognized exceptional accomplishments in the preservation, rehabilitation, and interpretation of our architectural and cultural heritage with a series of statewide awards..."
  Posted:

  4/24/2025

  Source:

  Preservation South Carolina
• American Library Association Says White House "Cutting Off Opportunity" for Americans as Administration Cuts IMLS Staff
  "Today, the American Library Association (ALA) issued the following statement upon news that all staff at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were placed on administrative leave for an unknown length of time and, thus, all grants and contracts suspended and, ultimately likely to be cancelled..."
  Posted:

  4/23/2025

  Source:

  American Library Association
• Federal Cuts Threaten Historic Preservation - Your Voice Matters!
  "Recent federal actions are putting our communities at risk—from libraries losing funding to historic sites losing grants. Now more than ever, we must speak up for historic preservation and its vital role in supporting vibrant communities and democratic values..."
  Posted:

  4/23/2025

  Source:

  National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Reorganization Underway at Department of Interior
  "The Department of Interior, which includes the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and other agencies, is currently working on a massive reorganization. While much remains uncertain, the reorganization is expected to consolidate a range of operations at Interior and across agencies including communications, financial management, contracting, human resources, grants, civil rights, and IT functions..."
  Posted:

  4/23/2025

  Source:

  Preservation Action
• A Federal Website Watered Down the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman's Descendant Wants to Know Why.
  "Rita Daniels learned at 9 that she is the great-great-great-grandniece of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who led countless enslaved Africans to freedom through the Underground Railroad..."
  Posted:

  4/22/2025

  Source:

  NBC News
• Library and Museum Support Agency Faces Massive Cuts
  "Library and museum support agency faces massive cuts after Trump order..."
  Posted:

  4/22/2025

  Source:

  PBS News Hour
• The Impact of Library Services and Technology Act Funds in Iowa
  "The State Library of Iowa relies on Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to deliver statewide library development initiatives and services to Iowa libraries and citizens. This critical funding is tied to matching dollars from the Iowa Legislature..."
  Posted:

  4/22/2025

  Source:

  State Library of Iowa
• From Maryland Humanities - A Message from Our CEO on Federal Humanities Funding
  "The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded..."
  Posted:

  4/21/2025

  Source:

  Maryland Humanities
• National Museum and Library Services Board letter to Acting Director Sonderling
  "We understand that on March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238, Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, which was subsequently published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2025. As members of the National Museum and Library Services Board, we have taken particular note of Section 2 of the Executive Order, which directs federal agencies—including the Institute of Museum and Library Services—to reduce “the non-statutory components and functions” of their operations “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,"..."
  Posted:

  4/20/2025

  Source:

  Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Essex Heritage Announces 2025 Partnership Grant Program: 12 Grants to be Awarded to Local Organizations
  "Essex Heritage, in keeping with its long tradition of supporting the Essex National Heritage Area’s unique cultural heritage, announced the start of its 27th annual Partnership Grant cycle for 2025. Grants are $2,000 reimbursed upon completion of the project and require a $4,000 minimum total project cost..."
  Posted:

  4/11/2025

  Source:

  Essex Heritage
• From Maryland Humanities - A Message from Our CEO on Federal Humanities Funding
  "The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded..."
  Posted:

  4/11/2025

  Source:

  Maryland Humanities
• After a Backlash, National Park Service Restores Old Underground Railroad Webpage that Prominently Features Harriet Tubman
  "The National Park Service has reversed edits and restored content to its webpage about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in the wake of news reports and public backlash over the changes..."
  Posted:

  4/10/2025

  Source:

  Associated Press
• National Humanities Alliance Statement on Threats to the National Endowment for the Humanities
  "On Monday, March 31, 2025 we learned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded..."
  Posted:

  4/9/2025

  Source:

  National Humanities Alliance
• Cultural Groups Across U.S. Told That Federal Humanities Grants are Terminated
  "Millions of dollars in previously awarded federal grants intended for arts and cultural groups across the country are being canceled by the Trump administration, according to a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly..."
  Posted:

  4/7/2025

  Source:

  National Public Radio
• Preservation Maryland: Statement on Historic Tax Credit Cut
  "Maryland’s Historic Revitalization Tax Credit remains one of the state’s most effective tools for community revitalization..."
  Posted:

  4/7/2025

  Source:

  Preservation Maryland

General Funding Resources

Below is a short list of agencies, organizations and resources that can provide general information about financial resources for historic preservation, cultural resource management, and the arts.

National Park Service:

• Technical Preservation Services
• Tax Incentives for Preserving Historic Properties
• Historic Preservation Tax Incentives
• 20% Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit
• State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants
• National Register of Historic Places
• Technical Preservation Services Publications

*Please note: The National Park Service frequently changes the URLs for their resources. Please alert us if you find a broken link. You can also do a web search by looking up the name of the resource listed above, as the resource most likely is still online (just in a new location).

National Trust for Historic Preservation:

• African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
• Find Preservation Funding
• The National Main Street Center
• National Fund for Sacred Places
• Historic Tax Credits

Partners for Sacred Places:

• Partners for Sacred Places: Fundraising Guide

PreservationDirectory.com:

• Grants & Funding Sources
• Directory of State Historic Preservation Offices

Tax Credits & Incentives:

• See resources under "National Park Service" listed above
• Rehabilitation Tax Credit (Historic Preservation) FAQs (Internal Revenue Service)
• Rehabilitation Tax Credit - Real Estate Tax Tips (Internal Revenue Service)
• Rehabilitation Tax Credit PDF (Internal Revenue Service)
• Historic Preservation Tax Credits 101 (Heritage Ohio)
• Historic Preservation Tax Credits 201 (Heritage Ohio)
• Historic Tax Credit: Mini Edition (YouTube Presentation by Preservation Buffalo Niagara)

Preservation Easement Programs:

• Easements to Protect Historic Properties: A Useful Historic Preservation Tool with Potential Tax Benefits, prepared by the National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services
• Establishing and Operating an Easement Program to Protect Historic Resources by Elizabeth Watson and Stefan Nagel, updated by Julia H. Miller and Ross M. Bradford, with contributions by Thompson Mayes

Building Arts & Traditional Building Resources:

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Traditional Trades Training Programs & Resources
• National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (National Park Service)

Arts Funding:

• Americans for the Arts: Funding Resources
• Grantmakers in the Arts
• National Endowment for the Arts: How the US Funds the Arts

Canada: General Funding Resources:

• National Trust for Canada: Regeneration Works - Find Funding
• National Trust for Canada
• The Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals

*Please note: The HistoricFunding.com database doesn't currently include resources for Canada, but we did want to provide some general resources to assist our friends to the North!