Included in the large Omnibus bill that Congress passed just before adjourning for the year in December, was a provision that helps future US nominations to the World Heritage List. The bill included a waiver that clears the way for United States to rejoin UNESCO and begin paying it's annual member dues. The US stopped paying their membership dues to UNESCO, including the World Heritage Fund, in 2011 when UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a member state, due to a 1990 law that prohibited funding to international organizations that recognized the country as an independent state. In 2019, President Trump officially withdrew the US from UNESCO. The new waiver included in the Omnibus bill will expire in 2025, unless renewed by Congress.

The inability of the US to pay their annual dues to UNESCO, puts future US World Heritage Site nominations in jeopardy. This includes the 2022 nomination of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio, which set to be considered by the World Heritage Committee this summer, and sites currently on the US Tentative List, such as the Moravian Bethlehem in Pennsylvania and Civil Rights Movement Sites. This waiver takes an important step in ensuring the US is once again in good standing and better positions future US nominations to the World Heritage List.

In July, Preservation Action joined a letter led by our partners at World Heritage USA (formerly US/ICOMOS) urging appropriators to support a waiver allowing the US to fully fund their UNESCO and World Heritage Fund membership dues. Preservation Action thanks Congress for taking this important action.

This week the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced $4 million in grants to support 35 historic Black churches. This marks the first round of funding for the Preserving Black Churches grant program, a $20 million grant program funded through their African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. It is also the Action Fund's largest grant announcement to date.

Despite often being at the center of the African American experience, many Black houses of worship face challenges of deferred maintenance, funding, demolition threats and more. These grants will allow recipients to address real and urgent preservation threats and strengthen their ability to steward, manage and use their historic structures. This year's grantees include the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL; the First Bryan Baptist Church in Savannah, GA, considered to be one of the oldest African American Baptist churches in the country; and Manzanola United Methodist Church in Colorado, built by 50 black homesteaders in 1915. Check out the announcement to see the complete list of recipients.

Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers are very excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2023! Advocacy Week will be held in-person, March 6-8th in Washington, D.C and feature trainings, policy briefings, networking opportunities, and of course in-person hill visits, providing the opportunity to meet with your members of Congress and their staff directly. Be sure to register today to take advantage of the best rates. Early-bird has been extended until Jan. 31st.

We are so excited to be back in-person for Advocacy Week this year to bring our message of preservation-positive legislation directly to lawmakers. We need your voice! As a new Congress gets underway, there will be over 80 new members of Congress, making it critical that lawmakers hear from preservation advocates. We'll need your help as we push to reauthorize the Historic Preservation Fund and continue the growth the program has seen over the last several years. We'll also look to build on our success from the last Congress to advocate for long over due changes and enhancements to the Historic Tax Credit. Register today!

Advocacy Scholars

Preservation Action Foundation is excited to offer students, recent graduates, and early-career preservationists with the opportunity to attend Historic Preservation Advocacy Week as a 2023 Bruce MacDougal Advocacy Scholar. Selected Scholars will receive complimentary Advocacy Week registration and a travel stipend. Scholars will participate in policy briefings and trainings, join in-person congressional office visits, attend key networking events, and be paired with an advocacy mentor. The deadline for applications is Jan. 31st. Learn more and apply today!

Virginia: "Department of Historic Resources announces launch of grant program for Historic Preservation Fund"

Minnesota: "Supporters Push to Revive Tax Credit for Minnesota's Historic Buildings"

New Mexico: "It's Time to Protect the Remarkable Greater Chaco Once and For All"

Virginia: "Separate Bills in the Virginia House Seek to Expand State HTC Amount"