The National Park Service has awarded $9.8 million in grants to more than 160 tribes for cultural and heritage preservation projects on their tribal lands.
Another $46.9 million was awarded by the NPS on Monday for historic preservation grants to every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia.
Administered by the National Park Service (NPS), these funds are a part of annual appropriations from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). Since its inception in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $1.2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations. Funding is supported by Outer Continental Shelf oil lease revenues, not tax dollars, with intent to mitigate the loss of a non-renewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
The HPF is an essential funding stream for tribes to preserve their unique cultural and heritage resources through a broad range of activities, including identifying places of cultural significance for planning and protection purposes, public education and training, and leading tribal preservation initiatives.
The Makah Cultural and Research Center in Washington used HPF grant funding to help tribal youth study and replicate pre-contact artifacts made by their ancestors and to learn cultural songs and traditions through the guidance of experienced artists.
All funding to the states and District of Columbia requires a 40-percent, non-federal match, which leverages state, local and private dollars to do even more with the federal HPF investment.
The grants announcement comes as the National Park Service celebrates Preservation Month. Throughout May, the NPS will join preservation partners across the country in promoting the success of historic preservation in saving the places that make communities special and provide economic development and quality of life.
Click here for a complete list of tribal grants.
LEAD PHOTO: The Makah Cultural and Research Center in Neah Bay, Wash. (photo by Makah Cultural and Research Center).
