National Trust for Historic Preservation
“To save the places that matter in America.”
1 live lawsuit, 1 comment to the agencies, 85 cents of every dollar to the work.
The origin
How they started
The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural sites, some of which sit on or border public land. Congress chartered it in 1949, and President Truman signed it into existence that October. Since 1988 it has published an annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and it owns and operates a portfolio of historic sites that began with Woodlawn Plantation in Virginia. It’s headquartered in Washington, DC.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States protects significant places representing our diverse cultural experiences by taking direct action and inspiring broad public support.” as filed.
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Historic Preservation & Conservation
$34.9M, 38% of spendingPreservation services includes: 1) work to save threatened historic places across the country; 2) research, information and technical assistance to members, private and public organizations, and government bodies with…
Including $21,412,607 granted onward, the largest share ($1,700,000) to Nt Green Fund Inc.
Read it as they filed it
HISTORIC PRESERVATION & CONSERVATION: PRESERVATION SERVICES INCLUDES: 1) WORK TO SAVE THREATENED HISTORIC PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY; 2) RESEARCH, INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND GOVERNMENT BODIES WITH RESPECT TO CONTEMPORARY PRESERVATION ISSUES AND REHABILITATION PROJECTS RELATED TO IMPORTANT HISTORIC BUILDINGS, LANDSCAPES, AND LANDMARKS; 3) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE/GRANTS AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT THROUGH PROGRAMS INCLUDING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE ACTION FUND, THE BACKING HISTORIC SMALL RESTAURANTS, AND THE NATIONAL FUND FOR SACRED PLACES GRANT PROGRAMS; THESE PROGRAMS SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS, LANDSCAPES, AND COLLECTIONS; PUBLIC INTERPRETATION OF HISTORIC PLACES; CAPACITY-BUILDING; PRESERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAMS, CONFERENCES, AND RETENTION OF PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS; 4) PARTNERSHIPS WITH STATE AND LOCAL PRIVATE NONPROFIT PRESERVATION GROUPS TO DEVELOP RESOURCES TO PROMOTE PRESERVATION AS A SOLUTION TO IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUES, SUPPORT THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF SIGNIFICANT HISTORIC SITES, AND ADVANCE BEST PRACTICES IN PRESERVATION.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Historic Sites
$34.0M, 37% of spendingThe national trust and its partners are the stewards of 27 national trust historic sites which are open to the public.
Including $462,561 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
HISTORIC SITES - THE NATIONAL TRUST AND ITS PARTNERS ARE THE STEWARDS OF 27 NATIONAL TRUST HISTORIC SITES WHICH ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THEY ARE A NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT COLLECTION OF HISTORIC PLACES THAT INCLUDE A WIDE VARIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES, STRUCTURES, LANDSCAPES, AND OBJECT COLLECTIONS THAT BRING DIVERSE STORIES OF AMERICAN HISTORY TO LIFE. IN 2024/2025, THE NATIONAL TRUST OWNED AND MANAGED 10 OF THESE SITES; OWNED 11 SITES (ONE THROUGH A LONG-TERM LEASE) THAT ARE MANAGED BY INDEPENDENT LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS; AND PROVIDED LIMITED SUPPORT TO SIX OTHER SITES THAT ARE OWNED AND MANAGED BY OTHER ENTITIES. THESE HISTORIC SITES WELCOMED OVER 1,282,000 VISITORS IN 2024/2025. THE HISTORY, STORIES, PEOPLE, COLLECTIONS, ARCHITECTURE, AND LANDSCAPES OF THESE SITES ARE INTERPRETED TO ON-SITE VISITORS, AND THROUGH DIGITAL PROGRAMS, SOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITES, AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION TO MILLIONS MORE. THE SITES SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, EVENTS, AND UNIQUE GATHERING PLACES FOR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. THE NATIONAL TRUST AND ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS MAINTAIN THE SITES AS GOOD MODELS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION, COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT, INTERPRETATION, AND COMPREHENSIVE STEWARDSHIP.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Historic Preservation & Conservation
$8.4M, 9% of spendingEducation - communicates the importance of historic preservation, threats to historic places, and achievements in saving historic places to members and the public.
Including $35,600 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
HISTORIC PRESERVATION & CONSERVATION: EDUCATION - COMMUNICATES THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION, THREATS TO HISTORIC PLACES, AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN SAVING HISTORIC PLACES TO MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC. PRODUCES AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE, WEBINARS, AND IN-PERSON TRAININGS, QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL, AUDIENCE NEWSLETTERS, AND WEBSITES TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT PRESERVATION ISSUES, COMMUNICATE PRESERVATION SUCCESSES, AND STIMULATE NEW INTEREST IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION. TO INSPIRE ACTION BY THE PUBLIC, STAGES MEDIA CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS THE 11 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES LIST. PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEGAL AND POLICY ASPECTS OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION. HISTORIC PRESERVATION & CONSERVATION: MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH - EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE IMPORTANCE OF AND TECHNIQUES FOR PRESERVING THE NATION'S ARCHITECTURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION: PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE: 1) "PRESERVATION," THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE CHRONICLING INDIVIDUALS AND PROGRAMS WORKING TO SAVE HISTORIC PLACES; 2) "FORUM JOURNAL," A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL SERVING A NETWORK OF PRESERVATION PROFESSIONALS, STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS; 3) WWW.SAVINGPLACES.ORG AND WWW.SAVINGPLACES.ORG/PRESERVATION-LEADERSHIP-FORUM (PRESERVATION LEADERSHIP FORUM) OFFER ONLINE CONTENT AND EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS THAT INSPIRE AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND PRESERVATIONISTS AT ALL LEVELS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
85 cents of every dollar goes to the work
A good sign, not a scorecard: what matters is the extremes, and this is nowhere near one.
$77,290,024 programs, $6,343,152 management, $7,631,106 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. The FY2025 filing lists two people as former president & ceo (thru 01/24) and trustee (as of 02/24), Jay C Clemens and Carol Quillen, usually a handover inside the year. The FY2025 filing lists two people as executive director, Jay C Clemens and Denise Wise as interim, usually a handover inside the year. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at NTHP? Claim this page.
Those 704 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If NTHP is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Find your way inThe record
The court record
Fights alongside The Wilderness Society (2 shared cases), Defenders of Wildlife (1 shared case), Earthjustice (1 shared case), Grand Canyon Trust (1 shared case) and Great Old Broads for Wilderness (1 shared case) and 8 more. Same case, same side, on the federal docket.
The filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $58,821,158 |
| 2012 | $17,132,030 |
| 2013 | $81,173,575 |
| 2014 | $50,315,872 |
| 2015 | $47,802,657 |
| 2016 | $51,831,170 |
| 2017 | $44,959,214 |
| 2018 | $80,513,654 |
| 2019 | $63,957,784 |
| 2020 | $67,909,234 |
| 2021 | $75,204,166 |
| 2022 | $94,041,688 |
| 2023 | $83,640,008 |
| 2025 | $104,875,831 |
From $58.8M in 2011 to $104.9M in FY25, across 14 public filings (none on record for 2024).
On the Hill
NTHP files its own federal lobbying reports: 31 filings from 2019 to 2026, naming 56 bills. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on the budget, government issues and civil rights.
The record
On the record with the agencies
1 comment on federal decisions since 2023, each filed under the group’s own name on regulations.gov, none yet on a decision we track. Read them on regulations.gov.
Year by year
The record, in order
- 1949National Trust for Historic Preservation is formed.the return, formation year
- 2002Wyoming Sawmills Inc. v. United States Forest Service: amicus, won.the docket
- 2011Montana Wilderness Association v. Gene Terland: plaintiff, closed.the docket
- 2017S. Utah Wilderness Alliance v. Burke: plaintiff, closed.the docket
- 2020Wild Virginia v. Council on Environmental Quality: plaintiff, closed.the docket
- 2025National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States v. National Park Service: plaintiff, still in court.the docket
- 1 comment to the Interior Department, under the group’s own name.regulations.gov
Rust, a case still in court. Hollow, a filing. Every row is a record we hold: 5 federal cases with the group on the docket, 1 comment filed under its own name. Nothing here is written from memory.
Under threat right now
The most urgent fights on the record
Open comment windows first, then live federal cases. Each opens the groups defending it.
- Comments close Oct 16 · 1 day leftCumberland Island National SeashoreGeorgia
- Comments close Oct 23 · 8 days leftWhite Mountain National ForestNew Hampshire
- Comments close Oct 26 · 11 days leftGifford Pinchot National ForestWashington
- Comments close Nov 2Gates of the Arctic (Ambler Road)Alaska
Every place under threat, the fifty states and the wildlife, each with who’s on the record for it.
National Trust for Historic Preservation files 2 related organizations on its return: National Main Street Center INC (501(c)(3)) and Nt Green Fund INC (501(c)(3)). A related organization shares people or purpose; it does not share the books.
Ways in
How to help
Straight to their own donation page. Your dollar never passes through us.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with NTHP
The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.