As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), we’re urging Congress to invest in the places that tell our nation’s story by providing $250 million for the HPF.
Champions in the House are currently circulating the FY27 Dear Colleague Letter in support of the HPF. The co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) are leading the House letter. Stay tuned for details on a Senate letter coming soon!
This bipartisan letter requests $250 million in funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, the same level Preservation Action and advocates from around the country advocated for during National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. The letter urges robust funding for State Historic Preservation Offices at $70 million, $34 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, includes $25 million for digitization of state and Tribal records to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure projects, $13 million for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities preservation grant program, and $108 million for six existing preservation grant programs.
To maximize the impact of the letter, we need as many members of Congress to sign-on as possible. We’ve made it easy for you to take action, check out our Action Alert below to learn more and easily reach out to your members of Congress TODAY!
House
- The House letter is being led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM).
- Signatures due: Wednesday March 18, 2026 at 4:00 pm ET
- If you have a personal contact in your Representative’s office, contact that person directly, especially if you recently met with their office during Advocacy Week, and urge them to sign-on to the House FY27 HPF dear colleague letter. If they do not handle Interior Appropriations please ask that they pass the message along to the Interior Appropriations staffer.
- Interested offices can sign-on via the Quill link (internal House use only) or by contacting Katherine Schiller with Rep. Turner’s office at katherine.schiller@mail.house.gov or Alan Rojas-Rodriguez with Rep. Leger Fernandez’s office at alan.rojasrodriguez@mail.house.gov.
- If you do not have a personal contact, check out Preservation Action’s action campaign to easily personalize and send a letter to your Representative today!
Senate
- The Senate letter will be led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
- Details on a Senate letter are expected soon. Stay tuned for more!
Additional Materials
- Advocacy Week One Pager: Fund the HPF
- Advocacy Week One Pager: SHPO & THPO