The budget proposed by the President for the year that begins October 1, 2005, contains changes that affect preservation and conservation.

Most significantly, the Save America’s Treasures program budget is proposed to be $15,000,000, a steep reduction from the previous $30,000,000. This is a disappointment for what has become a highly successful and competitive program. Since the program was founded seven years ago, it has awarded more than $218,000,000 in federal grants to save nationally significant collections, structures and sites. That funding has been matched 1-1 by private support.

This cut appears to have been made to make room for a new grant program called Preserve America, which is proposed to receive $12,500,000 for “grants to States, Tribes, and local communities for projects that preserve important historic resources through the promotion of heritage tourism.” This program would be administered by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. This new program does not appear as likely to fund conservation of collections as Save America’s Treasures has been.

At the National Endowment for the Humanities, level funding has been proposed for both the agency ($138,000,000) and the Division of Preservation and Access ($18,643,000.)

Museum programs at the Institute of Museum and Library Services are proposed for an increase of $4,191,000. That increase is divided almost equally between the Museums for America Program and National Leadership Grants. The Conservation Project Support program’s proposed budget of $2,810,000 represents a $22,000 increase over this year.IMLS is also slotted to receive $2,000,000 in new funding for a new program, currently being developed, to benefit African American museums.