Call to Action! Historic Preservation Nationwide is Under Threat
Federal historic preservation programs are in crisis. The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is currently threatened with total elimination by President Trump’s proposed FY26 Budget, along with significant cuts for the National Parks Service, which supports preservation of historic sites within parks and administers the HPF.
The HPF is authorized by Congress each year and is funded by offshore oil leases, not tax dollars. The HPF provides critical funding for preservation work across the nation and here at home. Its elimination would be a massive blow to historic preservation as we know it, putting historic places and the preservation professionals that protect and steward them at serious risk.
What does the HPF support?
Jobs at State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and Tribal Historic Offices (THPOs) - in Texas, our SHPO is the Texas Historical Commission
Programs that oversee the National Register of Historic Places, historic tax credits, and Section 106 review
Grants for local preservation projects and for Underrepresented Communities, African American Civil Rights sites, and more.
How does this impact Austin?
Many of Austin’s ongoing preservation efforts will slow down significantly or cease entirely without the HPF. For example:
Infrastructure projects like I-35 expansion and Project Connect require Section 106 review to mitigate potential harm to historic properties - without the HPF, there will be no staff to review these projects, and this oversight will not happen.
Historic tax credits are an essential tool for encouraging investments in historic buildings. Staff that administer state historic tax credits and federal historic tax credits, both at the Texas Historical Commission and National Park Service, are at risk because of these proposed cuts. For example, Preservation Austin used state historic tax credits to rehabilitate the McFarland-McBee House - our project would not have been possible otherwise.
The Equity-Based Preservation Plan, recently passed by Council, was funded in part by HPF grant funds, as were National Register listings for East Austin’s Parque Zaragosa and Huston-Tillotson University.
Without the HPF we will lose historic places, important stories will go untold, and countless jobs will be on the line.
How you can help
Write to your representatives by MAY 15 and let them know that funding for the HPF is essential. Urge them to:
Release the congressionally appropriated FY 2025 funds
Ensure that the HPF is retained in the FY 2026 budget
Read the National Conference of State Historc Preservation Office’s call to action to learn more about these threats to the Historic Preservation Fund and their potential impacts nationwide.