This week the National Park Service announced $4.48 million in History of Equal Rights preservation grants. These grants will support eight projects in seven states that help preserve sites associated with the struggle for all Americans to gain equal rights. The grants are not limited to any specific group and are intended to include the broadest possible interpretation of sites associated with efforts to achieve equal rights. This year's grant recipients includes the Detroit Association of Colored Women's Clubs, the historic building in Detroit served as the organization's headquarters as they took on numerous social issues, and Duckett Hall at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C, one of the HBCU campuses' oldest buildings.

Funded through the Historic Preservation Fund, the History of Equal Rights grant program was established in 2020 and has provided more than $10 million for 24 preservation projects across the country. In FY23 Congress allocated $5 million for the program. Preservation Action appreciates the steady increases the program has seen, and is once again urging lawmakers to support continued increases for this important program.

Last month, the Main Street Historic Tourism and Revitalization Act (SB 288, HB 499) was introduced in the Florida state House and state Senate. This bill would establish a 20% state historic tax credit toward qualified rehabilitation expenses with an additional 10% credit available for projects in the accredited Main Street Program. This is similar to legislation introduced in 2021, but failed to get across the finish line in the last session. If passed, Florida would become the 38th state with a state historic tax credit program

Our partners at the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation are urging advocates to reach out to their state House and Senate members and urge them to cosponsor this important legislation. Learn more and take action today!

Time is running out to register for National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2023, hosted by Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. 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! Registration closes on Feb. 20th.

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!

Preservation Action is also currently seeking sponsors Historic Preservation Advocacy Week and our programs throughout the year. Check out Sponsorship Menu to learn more about sponsor opportunities!

New York Times: "8 Places Across the U.S. That Illuminate Black History"

Department of Interior: "Exploring Black and African American Heritage"

Minnesota: "Housing Developers, Preservationists Look to Walz's Budget to Revive Historic Tax Credits"

Louisiana: "In Louisiana, Climate Change Threatens the Preservation of History"

Indiana: "Editorial: Historic Preservation Tax Credits Should be Restored, Expanded"

Colorado: "As 5 New Historic Sites Enter the Colorado's Most Endangered Places List, 1 is Marked as Saved - and Another as Lost"