President's Budget Proposal Slashes Preservation Funds

The Preservation Alliance provides the following press release for informational purposes, and does not attest to the accuracy of the statements therein. Click here for a related story on the Save America's Treasures program in Philadelphia.

[February 7, 2005] Statement from National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe on Reduced Funding for Save America's Treasures in President's FY06 Budget Proposal

At a time when federal funds for preservation are already scarce, the Administration's drastic proposal to cut funding for Save America's Treasures (SAT) in half is extremely disappointing. SAT is the only major "bricks-and-mortar" preservation program in the nation today, and these cuts, if enacted, will represent a huge blow to scores of preservation projects and mean that more of America's heritage will almost certainly be lost.

This program, by leveraging millions of additional dollars from foundations, corporations and individuals, has literally made the difference in saving hundreds of historic sites around the country. Every federal dollar granted must be matched by a non-federal dollar, thus doubling its value. The proposed $15 million cut in SAT's funding sends the wrong signal to the private sector - a signal that seriously compromises the program's goals and undermines the leveraging value of the government's role in stewardship of the places and objects that tell America's story.

Maintaining SAT at the present $30 million level will be the National Trust's top priority in the 109th Congress. We and our partner SAT sites, and preservationists from all over the country, will be reaching out immediately to members of the funding committees in both chambers to urge their continued funding of the program at the $30 million level.

With broad bi-partisan support in Congress and the leadership of First Ladies in both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, SAT has provided more than $218 million in federal challenge grants to 726 historic preservation projects. These funds have helped bring new life to irreplaceable historic treasures - including buildings, documents and works of art - in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Midway Islands. Each dollar from Washington is matched one-for-one by private contributions in all of these projects.

SAT has also provided tremendous benefit to projects at National Park Service sites such as Ellis Island, Valley Forge, Thomas Edison's Invention Factory, Mesa Verde, Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill Cottage, and Dr. Martin Luther King's Ebenezer Baptist Church. More than 19% of SAT's private funding - over $11 million - has been designated for NPS sites in dire need of these additional resources. This complements another $12 million in SAT federal challenge grants to sites in the national park system.

While much has been achieved in the seven years since SAT was established, the need remains great. In just the first five years of the program, 1,648 grant applications were received, representing requests for more than $773 million in critical preservation assistance. SAT funds have made a huge difference, but without maintaining last year's funding levels it will be virtually impossible to stimulate private matching contributions of an equal share, and hard to imagine where the money would come from.

Furthermore, if SAT does not maintain its current $30 million funding level, the potential for productive partnerships with faith-based organizations - partnerships in which the private sector plays an especially critical role - will be extremely limited. Thus far, almost $3 million in SAT matching grants have been awarded to projects at 11 nationally significant religious sites, including Boston's famed Old North Church, Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island and Socorro Mission in Texas.

The Save America's Treasures program helps ensure that our legacy from the past will remain intact so that future generations can live with it, learn from it and be inspired by it. Its benefits are clearly visible in cities, towns and rural areas all over America. This visionary initiative must be sustained.

Please visit www.saveamericastreasures.org/projsearch.htm to learn more about Save America's Treasures sites in your community.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust was founded in 1949 and provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, DC headquarters staff, six regional offices and 25 historic sites work with the Trust's 200,000 members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit the Trust's web site at www.nationaltrust.org.

History is in Our Hands

Richard Moe, President
National Trust for Historic Preservation