National Historic Preservation Fund Faces Threatened Cuts

Julianne Patterson • June 30, 2025

Trump Administration Threatens to Cut the Entirety of the National Historic Preservation Fund


The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is under serious threat, with FY26 funding nearly eliminated in the President’s proposed budget and FY25 funding still unreleased. Without this critical support, the infrastructure that designates and protects historic places in Durham—from cemeteries to neighborhoods—faces immediate risk.


What is the HPF and Why Does This Funding Matter?

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), passed in 1966, is the cornerstone of federal historic preservation policy in the United States. It established a national framework for identifying, evaluating, and protecting historic and cultural resources. The NHPA created the National Register of Historic Places, the Section 106 review process for federal undertakings, and designated State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and, later, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs).


The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), established in 1976 as an amendment to the NHPA, provides the critical financial support needed to carry out the Act’s mandates. Through the HPF, states, tribes, and local governments receive funding to survey historic resources, review federal projects, and support preservation planning—ensuring the NHPA's goals are meaningfully implemented across the country.


The HPF is a federal-state partnership that requires a minimum 40% match at the state level. Notably, it is not funded by taxpayer dollars. Instead, it receives a portion of royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling. From the start, the idea was to invest proceeds from the extraction of one non-renewable resource into the preservation of another—America’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.


HPF in Action: Local Impact in Durham

Preservation Durham and the City/County of Durham have directly benefited from HPF-sourced grants in recent years:

  • The Geer Cemetery archeological survey & mapping project, which led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, was funded by a 2020 grant to Preservation Durham through the HPF.
  • The West End Cemeteries National Register District project received funding from a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant to the City of Durham. CLG grants require a local match, demonstrating how HPF funds leverage local investment.
  • Currently, Preservation Durham and the City of Durham are partnering on a CLG grant project to document and nominate the Emorywood Estates neighborhood as a National Register Historic District.


Together, these three projects represent less than $100,000 in total project costs—yet none would have been possible without HPF’s matching contributions.


The Bigger Picture

While the potential loss of grant funding for future local projects is significant, an even more critical concern is the impact on our State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices that staff and support the review, compliance, and programs mandated in the NHPA. The NC Historic Preservation Office is essential for reviewing historic tax credit projects, National Register nominations, guiding compliance with federal laws, and managing grant programs. Our State Historic Preservation Office provides critical support to our local historic preservation commission as well through trainings, guidance and even reviewing local landmark nominations.


To make matters worse, the FY25 HPF funding, though approved by Congress, has not yet been released by the Office of Management and Budget. This delay is already creating immediate and serious operational challenges for SHPOs and THPOs nationwide.


Our statewide partners at Preservation North Carolina recently published a detailed piece on the impact of this uncertainty. It’s well worth a read if you want to understand the broader consequences of these funding delays and proposed cuts on preservation efforts here in Durham and across the state.


Preservation depends on action and your voice matters. The National Trust for Historic Preservation created an online tool that makes it easy to plug in your address to get customizable form letters to send to your members of congress. It takes less than 5 minutes and will support the work that Preservation Durham is doing to advocate on these issues.


More articles and resources:

Federal Threats to National Historic Preservation Act Section 106

By Caitlin Avinger • July 31, 2026
Earlier this month the federal government put forward a draft proposal to rewrite Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This would be disastrous for the nation’s historical, cultural, and tribal treasures both across the country and at the local level. The National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law in 1966 and, for 60 years, Section 106 of this act has provided a framework for any development projects with federal funding to work with preservationists, cultural heritage experts, and tribal nation leaders to preserve and protect culturally significant structures and spaces. The goal of Section 106 has always been to reach consensus between the developers and the affected communities. On America’s 250th anniversary, the federal government is now proposing that that consensus -- which has been the foundation of the preservation of countless historical landmarks, the protection of wilderness lands, and more -- is not necessary. According to the draft proposal, agencies would no longer be required by federal law to protect areas of historical, cultural, or tribal significance. It would be at their discretion to consider what is and is not historic, and thus worthy of saving. Developers using federal funds will no longer be required to speak with the communities that their projects will be affecting. If developers choose to set up venues for discussion, the developer will oversee the facilitation. What this means in practice is that the bulldozers can show up and begin tearing down a community cemetery, landmark, or wilderness space without any previous discussion or warning. Once an unspoiled landscape, burial site, or local landmark is destroyed, there is no replacement. This proposed rewriting of Section 106 deprives communities of their recourse to argue for the importance of their historical and geographical assets. As a result, the only recourse will be protest and litigation. Six decades after the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law, providing an ethical and balanced pathway to both preservation and development, the federal government is proposing to do away with this precedent. They are instead proposing to replace this key framework of partnership and consensus between communities and the federal government with a new standard that would eliminate the voice of the communities and provide developers with sole discretion over the outcomes of their projects. Preservation Durham stands in strong opposition to the proposed rewriting of Section 106. At this time, the proposal is only in draft form, but once it has moved through the process and is approved, it will only take another 30 days to go into effect. The time is now for the Durham community to use their voices. If preservation of Durham’s historic landmarks, community cemeteries, cultural heritage parks, and historic neighborhoods is important to you, then we encourage you to use your voice! While the prospect of the elimination of Section 106 is gut-wrenching, it is important to know that we are not alone in the fight. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Cultural Heritage Partners LLC, the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers are all in collaboration to prevent the elimination of Section 106. Here are ways that you can also get involved:

Durham Athletic Park Feasibility Study Updates

By Julia Lasure • November 7, 2025
Durham Athletic Park Feasibility Study Updates and Advocacy Alerts

Chicken Hut Officially Designated As Local Landmark!

By Julia Lasure • October 1, 2025
Update (10/7/2025): At the October 6th Durham City Council Meeting, the Chicken Hut was officially designated as a Durham local landmark! Congratulations to the Tapp family and thank you for the incredible legacy of Claiborne and Peggy that now lives on in Tre and all of your team! The Chicken Hut encapsulates the soul of Durham. The history of the Chicken Hut captures almost 70 years of activism, support, and communal gathering in Durham. The Chicken Hut has given so much to the community, and this designation speaks to that. If you haven’t already, we urge you to watch the hearing to hear the amazing discussion from last night’s meeting. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the Chicken Hut during our annual awards ceremony and preservation party on November 18th at ReCity Network, for their dedication to preserving their family's legacy through the local landmark nomination process. To learn more about the hearing and nomination process, check out these articles: - News and Observer - CBS 17