NATHPO ANNOUNCES HISTORIC GRANT FROM MELLON FOUNDATION 

The Three-Year, $5 Million Grant Will Allow NATHPO To Greatly Expand Its Support For THPOs! 

On Friday, December 6, 2024, Dr. Valerie Grussing, Executive Director of the National Association of Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) traveled to New York City to formally accept a three-year, $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. This award represents the largest single grant to NATHPO in the history of the organization. 

With these funds, NATHPO will be able to make unprecedented re-grants to Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), whose responsibilities have long since expanded beyond both the statutory framework passed in 1992 and the funding currently provided by Congress. These re-grants will put badly needed resources directly into the hands of THPOs working day in and day out to protect their Tribes’ sacred places and preserve their cultural resources. The funding will also allow NATHPO to expand its own capacity to support and advocate on behalf of THPOs. 

“NATHPO is beyond grateful for this historic support from the Mellon Foundation,” said NATHPO Executive Director Valerie J. Grussing. "THPOs, who long ago outgrew the job description in statute, remain chronically underfunded. The added support we will be able to provide directly to THPOs with this grant will help them perform their work of protecting sacred places and preserving cultural resources. Moreover, by expanding our own capacity, NATHPO will be able to expand its reach in advocating on behalf of and the work we do providing hands-on support to THPOs.” 

“Mellon’s support for NATHPO reflects a deep commitment to honoring the profound interconnection between Indigenous communities and their ancestral landscapes, recognizing that place is not just about geography, but living heritage, culture, and community” said Mellon Foundation Humanities in Place director Justin Garrett Moore. "By providing multiyear support for NATHPO and the Protecting Native Places program, we are investing directly in tribal leadership, Indigenous knowledge systems, and local solutions that have been historically underfunded but are essential to preserving and revitalizing cultural sites that tell powerful stories of resilience and continuity."   

Who we are – NATHPO is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization, founded in 1998, of Tribal preservation leaders protecting culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance. Connections to cultural heritage sustain the health and vitality of Native peoples. We provide guidance to preservation officials, elected representatives, and the public about national historic preservation legislation, policies, and regulations. We promote Tribal sovereignty, develop partnerships, and advocate for Tribes in governmental activities on preservation issues. For more information visit our website at www.nathpo.org. 

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.