Sarah Ford | July 28, 2014
Preserving the Diverse Roots of America’s Past Through the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Recognized as the leader of the historic preservation movement in the United States, this week’s Featured Charity is dedicated to highlighting and preserving the diverse roots of America’s past.
What our organization does:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places.
Chartered by Congress in 1949, the organization is now supported entirely by private contributions. We:
- Take direct, on-the-ground action when historic buildings and sites are threatened,
- Help build vibrant, sustainable communities,
- Engage the government on both a local and national level to bolster protections for America’s heritage, and
- Strive to create a cultural legacy as diverse as the nation itself so that all of us can take pride in our part of the American story.
Thanks to more than 750,000 members and supporters, and partnerships with hundreds of preservation organizations from coast to coast, the National Trust is recognized as the leader of the historic preservation movement in the United States.
How you can help & how your donation will make a difference:
How you can help:
There are many ways to show your support for historic preservation efforts. You can:
- Sign up for our email alerts: to receive regular updates on crucial preservation efforts nationwide.
- Visit our online advocacy center: to sign a pledge.
- Contribute directly to one of our 47 National Treasures: to help ensure they remain for generations to come.
- Become a member: Join a group of dedicated people committed to preserving the places that tell the stories of our history. Your support as a Member is critical to ensuring our success protecting America’s heritage for future generations.
Your Donation’s Impact:
As an organization, we pride ourselves on our ability to raise awareness and create community-driven campaigns to save important historical sites. Our National Treasures campaign, is composed of critically threatened places across the country where the National Trust for Historic Preservation is making a deep organizational investment. Guided by more than 60 years of experience, we are taking direct action to protect these places and promote their history and significance, engaging local preservationists to help us advance the cause of preservation nationally. For each National Treasure, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is creating a coordinated campaign that taps expert resources across the organization, including preservation, advocacy, legal, marketing and fund-raising.
One great success story is the partnership the National Trust has with the National Park Service to rehabilitate the historic White Grass Dude Ranch in Grand Teton National Park to create the Western Center for Historic Preservation (WCHP). The Center’s primary purpose will be to preserve rustic park architecture through work on the deferred maintenance backlog of historic structures in Grand Teton National Park and other parks in the Intermountain Region. The Center will also be used to support cultural resource research for Grand Teton and the Greater Yellowstone Area including the completion of National Register nominations, historic structures reports, cultural landscape surveys and historical research for context studies.
What makes us successful & what we wish more people knew about us:
Every project that the National Trust takes on becomes a collaborative effort between the Trust and local preservationists. This allows us to help build relationships in local communities and provide crucial support, both logistically through preservation grants and by raising awareness on a regional or even national scale. This approach has allowed us to give a greater voice to activists, who like the buildings they are trying to save, are often unable to get the attention that they deserve.
The National Trust has launched an initiative to train young people in preservation crafts while rehabilitating historic cultural sites that are open to the public. Named “HOPE Crew” for “Hands-on Preservation Experience,” the program links preservation projects to the national youth corps movement.
Upcoming Events:
National Preservation Conference
November 11 to November 14:
- Where: Savannah, Georgia
- What: As the premier educational and networking event for those who are committed to saving places, PastForward pushes new frontiers in programming, outreach and engagement with robust opportunities for onsite, online and virtual experiences.
Innovative Resources and Tools:
PastForward features in-depth Learning Labs, on the ground exploration through Field Studies, Preservation Leadership Training Intensive Workshops and live demonstrations, films and exhibits in the Preservation Studio. Expect the Unexpected: PastForward engages new audiences in Savannah and virtually with TrustLive, live-streaming marquee presentations that explore preservation through new lenses and address pressing issues including climate change, entrepreneurship, data mapping, and engaging new audiences. Sign up today!
Our thanks to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for helping us learn more about their work! To learn more about their impact and to connect with them, click here.
With over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States, who should you support and why? The purpose of this blog is to help you discover and connect with some of America’s most trusted 501(c)3 nonprofits, so you can become more informed and invest your support in charities that are making a significant impact and changing lives every day.
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