Members of the National Preservation Partners Network met in Asheville, North Carolina, in April of 2025, for our annual Spring Retreat where they learned from each other and heard from other experts on historic preservation. The focus of the retreat was disaster preparedness and response, and Asheville provided the opportunity to learn lessons in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
National Preservation Partners Network
Helping you do your job, every day.
Do you work for a nonprofit that helps communities thrive
using older or historic places?
So do we.
The National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN) is an independent, membership-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing the growth and effectiveness of the nonprofit historic preservation movement. We are a community of, and for, professionals who work at national, regional, statewide, and local nonprofit preservation organizations.
“NPPN knows what matters to us. They listen, they show up, and they bring people together who care about the same things we do. Their programs meet us where we are, shaped by what we actually need. The support is real, the resources are practical, and the connections we make here last. We know we are stronger with NPPN by our side.”
Featured Events
Coming Up in National Preservation Partners Network’s 2026 Webinar Series
June 24, 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST
Preservation for All Roundtable: Advancing LGBTQ+ Preservation Efforts and Historic Places
LGBTQ+ history is often embedded in everyday places – from bars and community centers to residences and public spaces – but these sites have not always been recognized or preserved. This webinar introduces practical approaches to identifying, researching, and advocating for LGBTQ+ historic places in communities across the country.
Drawing on the work of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project and the LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance, the session will highlight strategies for documenting place-based history, building compelling narratives, and navigating local, state, and national designation processes. It will also address key challenges in this work, including terminology, archival research, and the level of documentation often required to support LGBTQ+ histories.
Attendees will gain tools to advance recognition and interpretation of LGBTQ+ historic places in their own communities.
With:
Amanda Davis, Executive Director, NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project
Ken Lustbader, Co-Director, NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project and Founder, LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance
Stay tuned for additional information on future topics and dates!
News from the Network
NPPN Joins Coalition of Nonprofit Organizations to File Amicus Curiae Brief in White House Ballroom Case
On May 27, 2026 eleven national and local nonprofit organizations devoted to architecture, landscape, historic preservation, planning, and National Parks stewardship joined together in filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief supporting the National Trust for Historic Preservation in its lawsuit over the proposed White House Ballroom. The litigation challenges the Trump Administration’s demolition of the White House East Wing and ongoing construction of a massive new ballroom structure on the historic White House grounds, a designated National Park.
A preliminary injunction granted to the National Trust by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon on March 31, 2026, has been stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit pending an appeal by the Trump Administration. A hearing before a panel of the Circuit Court is scheduled for Friday, June 5, 2026.
In the brief, the amicus organizations make a number of points, including the following:
- Each president is but a temporary steward of the White House, and no president has the inherent right to destroy any portion of the White House complex or undertake a huge construction project such as this without obtaining express approval from the Congress. No such authority has been granted in this case.
- The historical record shows that virtually every other major White House project over the years has been carried out with approval and engagement by Congress. The Administration’s attempt to evade or usurp this authority should not be allowed to succeed.
- Despite the government’s recent assertions, the case is not about national security. It is simply about whether the President has complied with the law in his longstanding quest to construct a massive ballroom structure at the White House.
- The fact that private donors are supposedly paying for the project does not give the President any special authority to carry it out.
- The White House and its surrounding cultural landscape constitute a National Historic Landmark of highest significance to the nation, as well as a designated National Park. Not only has the Administration failed to secure basic congressional approval for this project, but it has also ignored planning and preservation standards and principles specifically established to ensure that changes to the White House and its grounds respect its cultural and historic values.
- Given the significant issues brought in this case, the balance of equities, and the likelihood that the National Trust will ultimately prevail on the merits, the Court of Appeals should reinstate the preliminary injunction and halt further construction of the ballroom project.
The 11 organizations participating as amici curiae include the following:
The American Institute of Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects
The Association for Preservation Technology International
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City
The Cultural Landscape Foundation
The DC Preservation League
The National Mall Coalition
The National Preservation Partners Network
The Olmsted Network
The Society of Architectural Historians
The 1772 Foundation, in partnership with the National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN), is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Historic Properties Redevelopment Program (HPRP) grants. Nine nonprofit preservation organizations across the United States have been selected to receive funding totaling $498,500 to support the rehabilitation, stabilization, and stewardship of historic properties in their communities.
“The 1772 Foundation is proud to support organizations that are making a tangible difference in their communities by saving irreplaceable historic places,” said Ethiel Garlington, executive director for the Foundation. “These revolving fund programs are proven models for sustainable preservation, and this year’s recipients represent the breadth and creativity of the field.”
Congratulations to the grant recipients!
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County
Read the Full Press Release
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