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THPO Funding

What is the History of THPO Funding?

Per the 1992 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act, tribal governments were able to create and operate Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) programs by officially entering into agreements with the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. Among other tasks, THPOs may assume the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) responsibilities on tribal lands and also receive funds for this purpose from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), also administered by the National Park Service. In the first year of THPO funding in Fiscal Year 1996, 12 tribes received a total of $958,500 for an average of about $80,000 each.

Click here to see the growth of the THPO program

Courtesy of the Suquamish Tribe
Courtesy of the Suquamish Tribe

Historic Preservation Fund (HPF)

The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was created by the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and is supported by annual revenues from Outer Continental Shelf oil leases and assists states, local governments, and Indian tribes with their historic preservation activities nationwide. The HPF is administered by the National Park Service that is located within the Interior Department. The Interior Department receives its federal appropriations via the House and Senate subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

FY20 Federal Appropriations for THPOs:
Click here for final FY2020 HPF funding levels

FY19 Federal Appropriations for THPOs:
Click here for final FY2019 HPF funding levels

FY18 Federal Appropriations for THPOs:
Click here for final FY2018 HPF and the President’s FY2019 request

FY2017 Federal Appropriations for THPOs:
Click here for the final FY2017 HPF funding levels