President’s 2011 Budget Eliminates Preservation Grant Programs
The President’s proposed $3.83 trillion FY11 budget completely eliminates funding for two popular preservation grant programs—Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America. There is also a proposed $25 million cut to the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). Funding for State Historic Preservation Offices, however, remains the same as last year, $46.5 million.
Save America’s Treasures, which began under the then First Lady Hillary Clinton, works to protect America’s threatened cultural treasures, such as historic structures and works of art that illuminate the history and culture of the United States. The program has helped local projects including, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which received a $75,000 grant in 2002, and Save Ellis Island, which received a $1.18 million grant in 1999 for the Ferry Building and a $500,000 grant in 2000 for the Laundry/Hospital Outbuilding.
Launched in 2003 under First Lady Laura Bush, Preserve America is a Federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy cultural and natural heritage. The program gives smaller grants to promote heritage tourism and preservation planning.
Preservation Action, the national preservation lobby group, breaks down proposed preservation funding as follows: State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices remain the same for fiscal year 2010 and 2011 at 46.5 million and 8 million respectively. Save America’s Treasures will go from $25 million in 2010 to zero in 2011. Preserve America’s $3.175 million 2010 funding (Funded through the Recreation and Preservation Account instead of the Historic Preservation Fund) drops to zero in 2011 as well. The total Historic Preservation Fund drops from $79.5 million in 2010 to $54.5 million in 2011.
The New York Landmark Conservancy works with Preservation Action and will be in Washington, D.C. for National Preservation Lobby Day, Wednesday, March 3, to press for restoration funding.
The Conservancy will provide the appropriate members of our delegation for you to contact.
