Save America's Treasures (SAT) was established by Executive Order 13072 in February 1998 by President Bill Clinton, in conjunction with the White House Millennium Council's activities. Instrumental in its founding was then First Lady of the United StatesHillary Rodham Clinton.[1][2] Its Honorary Chair is traditionally the First Lady as designated by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities[3] "Selection criteria require that each project be of national significance, demonstrate an urgent preservation need, have an educational or otherwise clear public benefit, and demonstrate the likely availability of non-federal matching funds. Each grant requires non-federal matching funds, which has stimulated contributions from states, localities, corporations, foundations and individuals who value our shared heritage."[4]
On December 9, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama said “Save America’s Treasures invests in our nation’s irreplaceable legacy of buildings, documents, collections and artistic works. These awards empower communities all over the country to rescue and restore this priceless heritage, and ensure that future generations continue to learn from the voices, ideas, events and people represented by these projects.” Despite this initial endorsement, both the Save America's Treasures and the Preserve America grant programs were later eliminated by the Obama Administration.[5] On January 30, 2010, President Barack Obama in his "Tough Choices" FY 2011 Budget proposed eliminating the Save America's Treasures and Preserve America grant programs, stating that "both programs lack rigorous performance metrics and evaluation efforts so the benefits are unclear."[6] The National Trust for Historic Preservation eliminated its Save America's Treasures office in 2011 during a reorganization.
From 1999 - 2010, over $318 million were awarded and matched by over $400 million from other sources, resulting in the preservation of over 1200 significant historic structures and repositories of cultural heritage.[7] As of 2012, the program had been responsible for the creation of about 16,000 jobs. This corresponds to a cost of about $13,000 to create each job.[8] In 2010, according to the American Architectural Foundation, there were 175 ongoing SAT projects.[9]
Funding ceased after 2010 because of concerns about adequate "performance metrics and evaluation efforts” yet resumed in 2017.[10][11]
Monies for the program come from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), a source of revenue from federal oil leases that does not expend taxpayer dollars.[12]
List of Official Projects and Awardees Chronologically and By Honorary Chairman[13][14]edit
^"IMLS ANNOUNCES SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES GRANT AWARDS" (PDF). NEH. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
^ ab"National Park Service and National Endowment for the Arts Announce $13.7 Million in Grants to "Save America's Treasures"". National Park Service. September 11, 2001. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^"Save America's Treasures Awards 1999-2010 By State" (PDF). President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
^"Save America's Treasures - Overview". American Architectural Foundation. 21 February 2021.
^Deanna Marcum. "Save America's Treasures: Impact and Lessons". Ithaka S + R. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
^"Preservationists lament loss of Save America's Treasures grant program". Kentucky: Madison Courier.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
^"National Park Service and Partners Announce $12.6 Million in Save America's Treasures Grants". Red lake Nation News. September 23, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^"IMLS ANNOUNCES SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES GRANT AWARDS" (PDF). NEH. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
^"'Save America's Treasures in the News'". American Architectural Foundation. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
^Rebecca A. Shiffer (Summer 1999). "Federal Grants to Save America's Treasures" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^"President Clinton Announces FY2000 Save America's Treasures Grants". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2020 – via National Archives.
^"Congressional Record - House" (PDF). US Congress. October 11, 2001. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^"Secretary Norton Announces More than $1 Million for American Indian Historical Preservation Projects". National Park Service. November 19, 2003. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ ab"Preservationists lament loss of Save America's Treasures grant program". Madison Courier.com. March 10, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
^"Interior Department and Partners Announce $7.6 Million in Save America's Treasures Grants". US Department of the Interior. December 12, 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
^"Save America's Treasures Grant Program Announces $14.3 Million in Awards". National Endowment for the Arts. February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
The economics of historic preservation : a community leader's guide (Book, 2005). [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 60858261.
Rypkema, Donovan (March 2005). The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader's Guide (9780891333883): Donovan D. Rypkema, Donovan D. Rypkema: Books. ISBN 0891333886.
Further readingedit
"The economic benefits of preserving community character: a practical methodology". Joni Liethe, National Trust for Historic Preservation (1991).
External linksedit
Official website, National Park Service
Official website
Preserve America Grants Effectiveness (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation)
The Economics of Historic Preservation (Randall Mason, Brookings Institution)
The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader's Guide (Donovan Rypkema, National Trust for Historic Preservation)
The Economic Benefits of State Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credits
Measuring the Economic Impact of Federal Historic Properties
The Preservation Economic Impact Model (National Park Service).
PlaceEconomics evaluation of Save America's Treasures vs. Economic Stimulus Plan