A message from the IAS President
The Historic Preservation Fund
The Iowa Archeological Society urges our members, friends, and peers to advocate for bipartisan support of the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) including:
- The immediate release of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 HPF funding.
- The continued appropriation of robust HPF funds in FY26 and beyond, which are necessary for states and Tribes to carry out requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Currently, FY25 appropriated dollars for the HPF still haven’t been released despite being fully funded by Congress in March 2025 through a Continuing Resolution. These funds are intended to support the work of State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs) who aid in the preservation of our nation’s and Iowa’s heritage, as well as competitive grant programs. Without prompt funding,
- States and Tribes will be forced to eliminate the federally required staff who review federal projects, identify and protect historic properties, and provide support to communities – jeopardizing billions in investment
- Federal projects are more likely to have negative, irreversible impacts on historic landmarks and cultural & archeological sites
- Preservation projects will halt and properties will be lost
Important to note is that the HPF uses revenue from federal offshore oil and gas leases, supporting a broad range of preservation projects without spending tax dollars. The intent behind the HPF is to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources through the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
HPF funds support several programs that impact Iowa, and there is a lot of critical funding at risk. While we do not know the FY25 disbursement amounts for the Iowa SHPO or THPOs with strong connections to Iowa, we can look back to 2024 to gauge the impact of the impoundment.
| Grant | Awardee | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Preservation Grant* | Iowa SHPO | $1,071,922 |
| Tribal Preservation Grant** | Ho-Chunk Nation | $94,042 |
| Tribal Preservation Grant | Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska | $99,604 |
| Tribal Preservation Grant | Omaha Tribe of Nebraska | $116,201 |
| Tribal Preservation Grant | Ponca Tribe of Nebraska | $88,799 |
| Tribal Preservation Grant | Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa | $97,178 |
*Ten percent of funding awarded to states must be granted to their Certified Local Governments.
**Funds a total of 221 Tribal Historic Preservation Offices with no match required, enabling these Tribes to assume SHPO responsibilities on Tribal lands and save important cultural places and traditions.
How You Can Help
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) created a Take Action page to assist historic preservation advocacy efforts.
Demand that Congress Support Historic Preservation!
The section “Demand that Congress support historic preservation!” specifically generates a form letter in support of the HPF. After clicking on the TAKE ACTION button, enter your zip code to generate a checklist of your representatives and a pre-filled form letter. I recommend you type an original first paragraph to make your letter unique and stand out. If you know of direct impacts to you or your community, please include those! If you need additional information about the types of program and projects at risk in Iowa, see the Iowa Impacts section below.
Write a Letter to the Editor
In the “Write a Letter to the Editor” section, the SAA uses your zip code to populate a list of newspapers local to your community. Select the newspaper you are submitting a letter to and paste your original letter into the form box. Again, see the section below if you want to include information about Iowa impacts.
Stories of Impact
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is collecting stories of historic preservation’s impact on people and communities to use in their lobbying efforts. If you have a personal story, submit it here.
Iowa Impacts
Programs at risk in Iowa include Iowa’s National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks, Certified Local Government (CLG) grants, Historic Tax Credit projects, Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants, Save America’s Treasures grants, and other competitive grants to preserve historic sites.
Optional: Use the below examples as talking points in your letters. This list is not comprehensive of all Iowa projects, but it represents the types of projects funded by the HPF. These types of projects could not be supported without a continuation of the HPF is FY26 and beyond.
National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks
This program is funded by the HPF, administered by the National Park Service under the Secretary of the Interior, and managed at the state level by each respective state. Iowa has more than 2,000 nominations listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), totaling more than 15,000 individual buildings, structures, sites and objects. Benefits of being a property listed on the NRHP include preservation assistance, national recognition of Iowa communities, heritage tourism and education, and eligibility for federal and/or state tax credits, among others.
Certified Local Government Grants
Iowa’s Certified Local Government (CLG) program is one of the largest in the nation and is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) SHPO in conjunction with the National Park Service. Funding comes from the HPF administered by the National Park Service.
In February 2025, IEDA awarded $93,846 in CLG grants to historic preservation projects in Des Moines, Mount Pleasant and Red Oak, as well as Benton, Louisa, Madison and Muscatine counties. IEDA’s press release stated, “Historic preservation not only encourages public appreciation locally, but it boosts a community’s visibility to outsiders who want to experience those stories and places for themselves,” said IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham. “Giving people reasons to travel and stay longer supports community revitalization and is a vehicle for economic development.”
Historic Tax Credit Projects
The Whitney in downtown Atlantic, Iowa—a former hotel with roots dating back to 1879—has undergone a $4.9 million rehabilitation into a mixed-use development featuring a restaurant, offices, and 16 affordable residential units. This is the first project supported by the Irvin Henderson Main Street Revitalization Fund, leveraging $2 million in New Markets Tax Credits and more than $1.4 million in federal and state Historic Tax Credits. Located in a low-income census tract, the project has created 23 permanent jobs and represents the first significant addition of market-rate housing downtown in more than two decades, helping to spur broader economic revitalization in the community.
Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants
In 2024, the NPS awarded $12.125 million in Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants to 17 subgrant programs in 15 states to support economic development through the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across the country. Iowa received two of these grants:
- $748,375 for the Amana Colonies Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program to provide grants to repair and restore significant historic properties within the Amana Colonies National Historic Landmark area to enhance economic development.
- $750,000 to IEDA to administer the Iowa Rural Heritage Revitalization Grant Program to provide subgrants to National Register-listed properties owned by local governments or nonprofit organizations that will enhance economic development in rural Iowa communities.
Looking back to 2021, Preservation Iowa documented five recipients of Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants including:
- $125,000 to rehabilitate the ~1870 stone inn at the Motor Mill Historic Site in Clayton County
- $112,798 for the city of Keokuk to restore the windows, doors and exterior masonry of the central tower section of the 1891 Keokuk Union Depot
- $122,402 for the Muscatine Art Center to restore the historic 1929 Japanese Garden at the Laura Musser McColm Historic District
- $114,800 for the city of Creston to rehabilitate the exterior of the 1899 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Station, one of the oldest and largest active train depots remaining in Iowa
- $125,000 to help preserve the Winneshiek County Courthouse, one of few remaining American Renaissance Beaux Arts-style rural courthouses in Iowa with its central tower intact
Save America’s Treasures Grant
Between FY1999–FY2022 alone, Iowa received $5,758,149 in Save America’s Treasures grant funding. Most recently, a $497,500 SAT grant partially funded the assessment and repair of four 1840s buildings at the historic Fort Atkinson in Winneshiek County.
Other examples of SAT funded projects include the William M. Black steamboat preservation by the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque; improvements, preservation, and restoration of the Woodbury County Courthouse, a National Historic Landmark and example of Prairie School architecture; and restoration of the Upper South Amana Hotel at the Amana Colonies Historical Site.
How does this impact IAS members?
Preserving and sharing information about our past helps us feel connected to our communities, which improves our lives. Archaeology’s impact is about community, and this is likely why you’re a member of the IAS! Archaeology and historic preservation contributes to our communities’ cultural institutions, opportunities for learning, and having a shared history. Historic properties, historic districts, and archaeological sites are a source of tourism and critical part of local economies.
Iowa’s unique archaeological resources, the discipline, and contracting firms will suffer if the HPF fund is eliminated. SHPOs and THPOs will not receive the financial support to sustain the federal review and compliance program. Jobs may be lost, disabling archaeologists from preserving, protecting, and mitigating damage to archaeological sites.
