Preserve America
Questions and Answers
What is the Preserve America initiative?
Preserve America is a White House initiative that was announced by First Lady Laura Bush on March 3, 2003. It was developed in cooperation with a number of Federal agency partners to encourage and support community efforts for the preservation and enjoyment of our priceless cultural and natural heritage.
Currently, it includes a Presidential Awards program; recognition and designation of Preserve America Communities (including municipalities, counties, Indian tribes, and urban neighborhoods); technical and financial support; and educational outreach. Through a related Executive Order signed by President Bush on March 3, 2003, it also directs Federal agencies to take steps to support local preservation and heritage tourism efforts with their programs and with the public lands and property they manage.
What is the purpose of Preserve America?
Preserve America is intended to stir interest in learning about our Nation’s heritage, recognize and support ongoing local preservation efforts, and encourage people to take advantage of the great cultural and natural assets of our country to improve economic health and the quality of life in our communities. It is also intended as a means to link public and private programs and activities related to advancing these objectives.
How do the goals of Preserve America fit in with the rest of the Bush Administration’s domestic agenda?
Historic preservation and natural resource conservation can be great catalysts for community action and citizen empowerment, and our cultural and natural heritage assets can provide the spark and focus for economic development, community pride, and public service. Tourism is a major national industry, and heritage tourism is fast becoming a significant part of local and regional economies.
The recognition of state, local, and tribal government efforts and needs, supported through partnerships and a call to volunteer service, are key elements of this Administration’s approach. The President has also recognized the need for better care, shared responsibility, and improved accountability for our national parks, our public lands, and our Federal buildings and installations. This policy is furthered through the Preserve America Executive Order.
Who are the Federal partners participating in Preserve America?
In addition to the White House and the Executive Office of the President, which includes the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget, participating Federal partners include the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
How does Preserve America relate to local and private historic preservation efforts?
There is broad support for heritage preservation throughout the country at the local level. Many local communities feature historic districts and have active heritage preservation programs. A great many communities have supported one or more historic restoration or rehabilitation projects that have helped revitalize their commercial districts or local neighborhoods. Thousands of commercial projects have taken advantage of investment tax credits on Federal or state income taxes to support adaptive reuse of historic buildings. There is a great deal of volunteer time and work invested in preservation activities, local museums, cultural events, and the like.
Preserve America advocates grassroots effort, local collaboration, and the appropriate balancing of conflicting interests. Public-private partnerships are also strongly encouraged. Preserve America is intended to help educate citizens about the benefits of heritage preservation and encourage creative partnerships that successfully overcome obstacles or conflicts about competing public interests, but it will not mandate any particular approach to these issues.
Is there any Federal funding available through Preserve America?
The 2006 Federal budget contains $5 million for matching grants to support community efforts to demonstrate sustainable uses of their historic and cultural sites and the economic and educational opportunities related to heritage tourism. The 2007 budget request asks for $10 million.
The program does not fund bricks-and-mortar projects, but rather complements the Save America’s Treasures grant program by helping local communities develop sustainable resource management strategies and sound business practices for the continued preservation and use of heritage assets. State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, designated Preserve America Communities, including officially designated Preserve America Neighborhoods, and Certified Local Governments that have applied for Preserve America Community designation are eligible to apply.
Preserve America Communities and Neighborhoods located within a Federally designated National Heritage Area are eligible provided that they are not currently receiving Federal funds from the National Heritage Area management entity. The program is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Application materials are available through the Preserve America and NPS websites.
Federal agencies are also reviewing existing related programs to see where their purposes and objectives fit with the goals of Preserve America. For example, the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Transportation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, have identified several of their grant programs that may be used to support heritage tourism and community revitalization projects compatible with Preserve America goals. Information about these programs is available through the Preserve America website. It is expected that additional programs will continue to be identified in the future that help support Preserve America and its goals.
What is the role of the States in Preserve America?
The States are key partners in most Federal funding and technical assistance programs that support heritage preservation, and State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs) should be consulted by potential grant and assistance applicants seeking preservation support from such programs.
With regard to Preserve America, SHPOs must be consulted during the development of applications for Preserve America Community designation. (At a minimum, SHPOs should be contacted informally during the development of an application for community designation, and their views sought on the way in which the community intends to demonstrate that it has met the criteria for designation. SHPOs should be provided with a copy of the final application at the same time it is submitted to the ACHP.) SHPOs are eligible to apply for Preserve America Grants. States are also eligible to submit applications for worthy projects or programs to receive Preserve America Presidential Awards, and are encouraged to do so.
Do Indian tribes and other Native Americans have a role in Preserve America?
Indian tribes and Native American groups are strongly encouraged to participate in the initiative. Federally-recognized Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Village corporations, may apply for designation as Preserve America Communities. Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other Native American groups are also eligible to submit Presidential Award nominations for noteworthy projects or programs, and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers may apply for Preserve America Grants.
Does Congress support Preserve America?
Grant funds for Preserve America were included in the 2006 Federal appropriations by Congress for the first time. In addition, the U.S. House of Representatives Historic Preservation Caucus, comprising over 90 members of Congress, has sponsored several Preserve Americarecognition events on Capitol Hill. Individual Members of Congress have also been very supportive of Preserve America. Members of the House and Senate have been notified by letter about the initiative, and invited to support application by communities in their districts and states for Preserve America Communities designation.
Upon request, further information is provided to Congressional staff about the initiative, and Members are notified if communities in their district are to be designated or Presidential Awards given. Briefings on the initiative have been given to Members and Congressional staff, and there will be continuing consultation with Congress through the appropriations and oversight process.
What benefits can communities and others receive through Preserve America?
Communities designated through the program, and recipients of Presidential awards, will get recognition at the national level for their efforts. Benefits for designated communities include eligibility to apply for matching grants; a Preserve Americasign; authority to use the Preserve America logo on signs and promotional materials; notification to media, State tourism offices, and visitor bureaus; listing in a web-based directory to showcase preservation efforts and highlight appropriate heritage tourism destinations; and an electronic newsletter. Other benefits are under development.
Can multiple communities join together to submit a single application for Preserve America Community designation – for instance, communities that are part of a National Heritage Corridor or Area?
No, each community needs to submit its own application. A county, however, may apply if it meets all designation criteria and its application is submitted by the county executive or other governing county official. States or regions, such as national heritage areas or heritage corridors, may bundle individual applications from a number of communities together for promotional purposes if they wish.
My neighborhood preservation association would like to apply for Preserve America Community designation—how can we do that?
Neighborhoods in cities with a population greater than 200,000 are eligible to qualify as Preserve America Communities; an application must be endorsed by the mayor of the parent city. A separate application for Neighborhoods is available on the Preserve Americawebsite.
Can the business community be involved in the Preserve America initiative?
There will be opportunities for the business community to get involved in specific aspects of Preserve America in the near future, including corporate sponsorship, funding or other support, and project assistance. Currently, The History Channel is working with Preserve Americaand the White House on a complementary promotional and educational effort called “Save Our History.”
How does Preserve America encourage and support history education?
In addition to its work with The History Channel, Preserve America is working with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of America History on an annual History Teacher of the Year award. The first History Teacher of the Year was recognized by Mrs. Laura Bush in a ceremony in November 2004, and the second was honored in October 2005. Other educational efforts are supported through existing Federal efforts, such as programs of the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Department of Education.
What are the deadlines for Preserve America Presidential Award nominations and Preserve America Communities applications?
The deadline for Preserve America Presidential Award nominations varies each year; usually an announcement is made in the summer, with the deadline on or about November 1. There are quarterly deadlines for Preserve America Communities applications—March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 of each year.
Can a project be eligible for a Preserve America Presidential Award even though it is not quite finished?
A project or program needs to have been completed in the last three years to be eligible for the award and can be considered for an award only once it is finished. However, ongoing programs – and some projects that require routine administration and updating – may be eligible if they have been “substantially implemented,” i.e., have been implemented and functioning long enough to produce demonstrable, significant outcomes that can be evaluated. Examples could include ongoing interpretive and educational programs or ongoing volunteer programs that involve active citizen participation in caring for or showcasing local heritage assets.
How can we get more information about Preserve America?
You can visit the Preserve America web site, www.preserveamerica.gov, to get the latest information or download application and nomination forms, or contact the
ACHP at (202) 606-8503. Specific requests for information on Preserve America Communities designation or Preserve America Presidential Awards can be sent to Pacommunities@achp.gov or Paawards@achp.gov