Coalition tops 100 members. Important action items,
Harbeson, Kristen
Friends:
Have you been to the Coalition website lately? Have you SEEN what you’ve done?! The Coalition for Full Funding now has 111 members from 42 States and the District of Columbia! Maryland has soared ahead with eight supporting organizations, with Arkansas and Georgia close behind with seven organizations each. Watch out for Wisconsin, though. Four new members joined from America’s Dairyland just yesterday!
It’s been a while since we’ve sent you an update on activities in Washington, but that’s just because it’s been hard to catch our breath from all the activity.
· KEY MEETINGS: The Coalition steering committee has been working hard to schedule meetings with key staffers on Capitol Hill, as well as decision-makers at the Department of the Interior. The response has been cautious: in the face of continued economic woes, as well as the “pay as you go” rules, working to secure full funding for the HPF will be difficult. The presence of a growing Coalition, however, is making an impression and shows important grassroots support. The key will be to continue growing our membership – and for you to help educate your Members of Congress on the far-reaching benefits of historic preservation. More on that later.
· CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS: Yesterday, Coalition steering committee organizations, as well as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and the History Channel provided a Historic Preservation Congressional Caucus briefing to educate staffers on the Federal-State/Tribal-Local structure of the federal Historic Preservation Program, and the role that their nonprofit partners play in the movement. The briefing was well attended, with nearly 60 Congressional staff present. Thanks go to the History Channel for sponsoring lunch.
· ADVOCACY DAY: In and around all this other activity we are busy preparing for National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week, which will be held March 1-5, 2010. The week will include NCSHPO Advocacy Day and Annual Meeting, Preservation Action Lobby Day and Board Meeting, NAPC Board Meeting, and the National Historic Tax Credit Conference. Funding for the Historic Preservation Fund will be the primary ask during the Hill visits, and while we will not be requesting full funding this year, the goals of the Coalition will be presented.
ACTION ITEMS
With the increased activity in Washington, the time has come for Congress to hear from you. Below are some critical action steps:
1) GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: Let your Members of Congress know that your organization has joined the Coalition for Full Funding and let them know that historic preservation is important in their districts. Educating them on the benefits of preservation is critical. You may want to send them informational one-pagers: About the Coalition; Quick Facts about Historic Preservation; About the Historic Preservation Fund. This does NOT constitute lobbying: non-profits and government agencies are always welcome to provide educational information to elected officials, and to serve as resources for specific interests.
2) HELP US TO TARGET OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS: We need to know who your Congressional Representatives are so that we can help target our message to appropriate Members of Congress. Please send me this information at: harb...@sso.org.
3) PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL PRESERVATION ADVOCACY WEEK: If you are able to join us in March in D.C., your voice would lend strength to our message. This is a once-a-year opportunity to make a substantive impact on historic preservation funding levels by providing key information to Members of Congress and their staff in D.C. during the period when they will be making budget decisions. We encourage you to participate at whatever level you are able: non-profit organizations may make direct asks to their Members during Hill visits; State and Local agencies may not make the direct asks, however they are able to provide information on the issues during their visits. You can find more information and register by CLICKING HERE.
4) SPREAD THE WORD: The membership of the Coalition is growing steadily. Please help spread the word and encourage your partner and member organizations to follow your lead. A sample appeal letter can be found on the Coalition website: Sample appeal letter for new Coalition members
As always, thank you for your commitment to historic preservation and to full-funding of the Historic Preservation Fund. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
Best,
Kristen
Join the Coalition for Full Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund..
visit the website at: www.fullyfundhpf.org
Kristen Harbeson
State Services Director
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
444 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 342
Washington D.C. 20001
(e) harb...@sso.org
(p) 202 624 5465
(f) 202 634 5419
(w) www.ncshpo.org