Due Thursday June 12: Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund Capacity Grant Applications | As part of their FY2025 Disaster Recovery Grant Program, the National Park Service (NPS) will award $48 million for repair and recovery of historic and cultural resources in areas that have received a major disaster declaration in calendar years 2023 and/or 2024. There are two different types of funding opportunities - capacity grants (applications due June 12, 2025) and preservation grants (applications due July 15, 2025). The breakdown of the awards, including that they fund, is below.
A short summary of the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund grant program that has general information on funding priorities, project and applicant eligibility, and upcoming important due dates and deadlines is available for both the preservation and capacity grants.
We encourage you to review the list of declared disasters on FEMA's website or interact with this map to determine if your Tribe was affected; watch the webinar NPS recorded for SHPOs and THPOs; and consult with your Tribal government (if needed) to determine whether work on any sites under your Tribe's jurisdiction would qualify for one of these grants.Tribal Meeting June 17, 2025, Comment Due July 7, 2025: VA Office of Construction & Facilities Management Proposed Program Alternatives | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing Nationwide Programmatic Agreements (NPAs) to address Section 106 processes for two of the agency’s most active programs - the State Home Construction Grant Program and the Leasing Program of the VA Office of Real Property. There is a (virtual) Tribal meeting June 17, 2025 (2:30 PM ET), and comments are due July 7, 2025. NATHPO will be attending the June 17 meeting and submitting a comment, a copy of which we will provide to you when it is finalized. You can learn more about the proposals, find details about the comment meeting, and get details about comment submissions HERE.
Due July 7, 2025: Comments on BIA Workforce Proposals | The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA), and the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs are accepting comment on implementation of the President's Executive Order (EO) 14210 establishing the "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative and “to streamline operations while minimizing any potential impact on the quality of services provided to Tribes.” Comments are due July 7, 2025. NATHPO officials attended one of the recent listening sessions, and we will be submitting comment, a copy of which we will make available once it is finalized. Details and information about comment submissions can be found HERE.
NATHPO regularly submits comment letters to federal agencies advocating on behalf of Tribal communities and their THPOs. You can find several of our most recent letters HERE, and if you know of an upcoming deadline and want NATHPO to consider submitting comment, please contact Melissa Madrigal at melissa@nathpo.org.
NATHPO HAPPENINGS
NATHPO At NCAI | This week, NATHPO Director Dr. Valerie Grussing attended the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid-Year Convention & Marketplace in Mashantucket, CT, at Foxwoods Resort Casino. While there, Valerie helped lead a panel of THPOs talking about the importance of the sacred work they perform and why it's so vital for them to have sustained support from both the Federal and Tribal Governments.
Responding To The Department Of Interior Secretarial Order On History | As we promised in our initial statement responding to the Interior Department’s new Secretarial Order on history, NATHPO has sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging him to reconsider the order, which we believe discourages a thoughtful understanding of the damage inflicted upon Tribal Nations and indigenous communities both by the United States government and American citizens empowered by the government. You can find a copy of the letter attached to this email.
NATHPO In The News | Over the last several weeks, NATHPO's advocacy on behalf of THPOs and Tribal Historic Preservation has made some news.
On May 15: Broadband Breakfast ran a piece including NATHPO’s joint letter with NACI responding to comments on the CTIA petition for rulemaking
On May 23: E&E News carried NATHPO's statement responding to the Interior Department’s new Secretarial Order on history
On May 28: Indianz carried NATHPO's statement responding to the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the Apache Stronghold case to save Oak Flat
On May 29: Grist ran an article with quotes from NATHPO Executive Director Valerie Grussing, Crystal C-Bearing (Northern Arapaho THPO) and Raphael Wahwassuck (THPO & Tribal Council Member for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and NATHPO Board Member) about both THPO/SHPO funding and the Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency reducing review time from 30 days to 7
On May 30: KJZZ (Phoenix, AZ), aired a piece featuring an interview from Valerie on the new Department of Interior Secretarial Order on History
On May 30: The Wild Line Podcast aired a new episode featuring comment from Valerie on both Oak Flat and the Department of Interior Secretarial Order on History
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR NATHPO'S PROTECTING NATIVE PLACES GRANTS
As of May 22, 2025, NATHPO's Protecting Native Places program hit its 25-application limit after launching earlier this month. This is the quickest NATHPO has reached the maximum number of applications in the four-year history of the program.
Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, we were able to increase the award amount to $40,000, and now NATHPO is in the process of reviewing these first 25 applications. We are no longer accepting applications.
Many thanks to all of the THPOs who applied for Protecting Native Places Grants this year, as well as the applicants and recipients in years past who made this program the success story it has become. We look forward to announcing the recipients once the list has been finalized.
SEEKING NEW NATHPO BOARD MEMBERS
NATHPO's Board of Directors has seen some changes in recent weeks, and we are seeking two new members of our Board of Directors from the Western and Great Plains Regions. If you are a THPO and NATHPO member and are interested in serving, know of someone from any of these regions who would make a good Board member, or want more information about what it means to be part of NATHPO's Board of Directors, please contact Valerie Grussing at Valerie@NATHPO.org or Melisa Madrigal at Melissa@NATHPO.org.
NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR NATHPO'S EXCELLENCE IN TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD
NATHPO will present our Excellence in Tribal Historic Preservation Award at the NATHPO Conference September 8-12, 2024. This annual award recognizes Tribal Historic Preservation Officers who have made exemplary contributions to protecting culturally important places and perpetuating Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance. Connections to cultural heritage sustain the health and vitality of Native peoples and THPOs are at the forefront of this work.
To nominate someone, please fill form HEREand send it to Executive Director Valerie Grussing (valerie@nathpo.org) and copy Operations Director Melissa Madrigal (melissa@nathpo.org) by August 8, 2025.
Eligibility: The awardee must be a member of NATHPO who has made a significant impact through her/his work protecting Native places or otherwise preserving cultural heritage. Nominees are THPOs who demonstrate exemplary achievement and quality of work in historic and cultural preservation, advocacy, building partnerships, and elevating the community of THPOs. Nominations may be made by NATHPO members. NATHPO staff can provide verification of membership status (join or renew today!). Awardee is selected by the NATHPO Board of Directors following the August 8, 2025, deadline.
Register Today for NATHPO's Annual Conference!
Registration is open for NATHPO's 25th Annual Conference, happening September 8-12, 2025! We would like to thank Reno-Sparks Indian Colony for hosting us in 2025! We look forward to seeing everyone in Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino!!! You can find more details about the conference and register HERE. If you or your organization are interested in becoming a sponsor, you can access our sponsorship deck HERE.
NATHPO Community Calendar & Job Board & Grant Opportunities
Stay current on important happenings using our new Calendar of Events, and post your own to share! And let us know if you have a job posting you would like to share and we'll post it on our Community Job Board. AND don't forget to browse our listing of relevant Grant Opportunities.
Thank you for all you do to protect culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance, and to empower Tribal preservation leaders.
THPOs: this is your organization! Your participation and support through membership and dues make our work possible. JOIN OR RENEW TODAY! Founded in 1998, the Association is a national non-profit membership organization of Tribal government officials who implement federal and Tribal preservation laws.
