Advocating for historic preservation
As Washington State’s only statewide preservation advocacy organization, the Washington Trust plays a key role in advocating for good preservation policy on both the state and national levels.

Statewide
The Washington State Legislature has now entered the 2025 session and will be working across the next several months to finalize the 2025-2027 state budget. Given that the state faces a $12 billion deficit, we know that many programs may be facing budget cuts. Here are the funding asks and bills we’re keeping an eye on:
Washington State Main Street Program
The Washington State Main Street Program (WSMSP), which the Washington Trust manages through a partnership with DAHP, is a large and ever-growing network currently consisting of 77 communities. The Washington Trust, along with the network of local Main Street organizations across the state, requests that the legislature keep intact the $590,000 annual WSMSP budget to allow the program to continue operating.
Bills We’re Watching
- HB 1576/SB 5554 – Local historic designation
- HB 1160 – Elimination of design review for housing projects
- HB 1458 – Reducing carbon emissions in buildings
- SB 5148 – Housing compliance with the Growth Management Act
- HB 1658 – Ensuring dedicated funding for history and heritage museums and county historic preservation programs
- HB 1810 – Unreinforced Masonry (URM) identification and retrofit funding
Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation’s (DAHP) Capital Grant Programs
DAHP houses four capital grant programs that provide preservation funding to projects across the state. All four need the state legislature to continue their funding in the next budget cycle:
- Heritage Barn Initiative – $1 million requested
- Historic County Courthouse Program – $10.5 million requested
- Historic Cemetery Grant Program – $515,000 requested
- Historic Theater Grant Program – $515,000 requested

National
Recent attempts by the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget to freeze all programs supported by federal funds have created an environment of uncertainty that is incredibly challenging for nonprofits like the Washington Trust to navigate. While numerous legal challenges have temporarily blocked these efforts, the current administration’s intent with these programs remains unclear. However, the we at the Washington Trust know that the preservation movement is strong, and we must stand together. We must tell our elected officials that historic preservation and heritage are too important to our country and to our communities to be scrapped.
Read this post by executive director Chris Moore to learn about potential impacts of funding freezes and/or cuts to the Washington Trust and to historic preservation in our state.
Preservation Advocacy Week
Each year, Washington Trust staff members and volunteers travel to Washington, D.C., to advocate for historic preservation programs and funding at the federal level as part of Preservation Advocacy Week (also known as “Lobby Day”). Joined by fellow advocates from across the country, we meet with our state’s representatives and senators to emphasize the value of preservation to Washington’s communities. This is our chance to speak directly to the senators, representatives, and other high-level lawmakers who can enact real change to federal historic preservation policy and budgets.
Mark your calendars for March 3-6, 2025, for the next Preservation Advocacy Week! We’ll be looking for delegates to join us in D.C. in the coming months. Interested? Email to let us know!
Learn more on our Preservation Advocacy Week webpage.
Preservation + Housing
The Washington Trust is committed to promoting sustainable and economically viable communities through historic preservation. As part of this mission, we recognize the importance of addressing the affordable housing crisis in Washington State and highlighting the potential role that historic preservation can play in providing housing affordability and increasing housing density. Read our Preservation + Housing Position Paper via the link below and offer your feedback!
Advocacy Alerts
Stay in the loop on the Washington Trust’s advocacy work and learn how you can help raise your voice in support of historic preservation. Click below to sign up for emails and make sure to select “Preservation Issues and Advocacy Alerts” from the list as an area of interest!