UTRF has just received word from National Trust for Historic Preservation regarding details of the elimination of Save America's Treasures funding from the FY 2011 federal budget.
For the last 10 years, SAT has been an immensely important source of funding to preserve cultural heritage sites in the United States. In December, 2008, UTRF was awarded a grant from Save America's Treasures that provided $200,000 in matching funds for the restoration of Unity Temple's south roof slab. We all know how difficult it is to raise brick-and-mortar funding for historic places, and have often wished that greater help was available from the federal government. Please take a moment to review the email and talking points below, and consider letting Congress know how much preserving our cultural heritage means to you and your community.
Dear Friend of Save America's Treasures:
As one of those most directly impacted by SAT, we especially need your help at this critical time!
I'm sure you shared our dismay at learning that the President’s FY 2011 budget recommends the elimination of Save America's Treasures. This represents a historic 30% cut in the Historic Preservation Fund and will seriously impede our ability to preserve, protect, and celebrate our heritage. Frankly, it's difficult to understand why the administration would want to end a program widely recognized as the most successful preservation effort in American history, particularly since just last March, President Obama signed the law permanently authorizing SAT and Preserve America to ensure their long-term viability. (Preserve America also has been eliminated.)
Contrary to the administration's "justification," [see end of this email] SAT has clearly demonstrated over the past 10-years that it "advances the goals of the National Preservation Act." Almost $294 million in federal challenge grants have been awarded to preserve over 1,100 nationally significant sites, structures and collections in every state and territory. The impact of this federal program is magnified by its non-federal matching requirement. While each grant requires a dollar for dollar match and is used as critical leverage to attract support, many projects produce matching contributions many times over the government's investment. SAT funds have leveraged more than $377 million in non-federal support. As the private side of this public-private partnership, Save America's Treasures at the National Trust has generated $57 million in matching contributions.
This decision is even more puzzling given our current economic situation and the enormous drive to create jobs. Between 1999 and 2009, Save America's Treasures' bricks and mortar projects created well over 16,000 jobs in cities, small towns and rural communities across the country (calculated using the same method used by the Stimulus Program to track jobs). The average total cost per job created by SAT is $13,780. This compares with the recent White House announcement that the Stimulus Package is creating one job for every $248,000. Had these calculations also reflected SAT's collections projects, we estimate it would have shown the creation of several thousand more jobs for conservators, and museum professionals.
The truth is, Save America's Treasures gives the American taxpayer a huge bang for its buck. To qualify for an SAT grant, a project must be "shovel ready" and most ultimately prove to be both anchors and engines for larger community revitalization.
While the SAT program is the largest pot of money available for preservation in the federal budget, the backlog is still enormous, and there is no existing entity to replace it, especially in this economy. If lost, it's hard to imagine where comparable support would come from, and the big losers would be our national patrimony and the hundreds of communities in which it's located.
YOU are our best examples of why stewarding our national heritage is a solemn obligation that passes from one generation to the next—and that preserving Save America’s Treasures is critical to this goal. We urge you to join this national campaign to reverse this very regrettable decision.
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