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Updated April 18, 2022
American Battlefield Protection Program
The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP)
Authorization and Funding History
promotes the preservation of significant sites where
NPS first awarded Battlefield Planning grants for
“historic battles were fought on American soil” (54 U.S.C.
preservation projects at historic battlefields in 1992 under
§§308101-308103). Initiated by the Secretary of the Interior
the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. Upon
in 1991, the program was authorized by Congress in 1996
authorizing the program in 1996, Congress authorized to be
in the American Battlefield Protection Act (P.L. 104-333)
appropriated $3 million annually for a duration of 10 years.
and is currently administered by the National Park Service
In 2009 (P.L. 111-11), Congress permanently authorized
(NPS). For most of its existence, the ABPP comprised two
discretionary appropriations at $3 million annually for the
distinct competitive grant programs: the Battlefield
program.
Planning Grant Program and the Battlefield Land
Acquisition Grant Program. Congress authorized two new
Battlefield Planning grants are funded as part of NPS
grant programs in 2019, bringing the total number of ABPP
appropriations within the agency’s National Recreation and
grant programs to four (see “New ABPP Grant Programs”).
Preservation (NR&P) account. Appropriations for the
program are split between two subaccounts within the
ABPP Planning Grant Program
NR&P account: direct grant-making funds are provided
Under the Battlefield Planning Grant Program, NPS awards
under the “Cultural Programs” activity, and grant
grants to groups, institutions, organizations, governments
administration funding is provided under a separate “Grants
(local, state, and tribal), and federal entities sponsoring
Administration” activity. Typically, Congress has not
preservation projects at historic battlefields. The program
funded the program at the full authorized level. Actual
supports projects that include site identification and
appropriations for the program have remained unchanged at
documentation, planning and consensus building, and
roughly $1.2 million annually since FY2015. Figure 1
educational programs, among others. Any battlefield or
shows the appropriations for FY2013-FY2022.
associated site on American soil is eligible for funding
under this grant program. Planning grants are not awarded
Recent Grant-Making Trends
for land acquisition or capital improvements. Applicants are
According to NPS, the program has helped to protect and
encouraged but not required to provide matching funds or
enhance battlefields through more than 600 projects in 42
in-kind services for these grants.
states and territories. Individual project funding historically
has ranged from $5,000 to more than $100,000. Florida
Figure 1. Appropriations for ABPP Planning Grant
received the largest amount of program funding since
Program: FY2013-FY2022
FY2017, at just under $600,000 for six projects. See Figure
($ in thousands)
2 for an overview of the five states that received the largest
amount of funding for FY2017-FY2021.
Figure 2. FY2017-FY2021 Planning Grants: Five Most-
Awarded States
(current $ in thousands)
Source: CRS, with data from annual NPS Budget Justifications for
FY2015-FY2023. “Actual” figures were taken from the volume
published two years following the fiscal year in question (e.g., for
FY2015, figures are from FY2017). FY2022 figures are “enacted”
totals.
Notes: Totals do not reflect appropriations for grant administration.
Current dol ars have been converted to real (constant) 2022 dol ars
using the GDP (Chained) Price Index column in Table 10.1 from the
Source: NPS, “Battlefield Planning Grants,” at http://www.nps.gov/
Office of Management and Budget, “Historical Tables,” at
subjects/battlefields/battlefield-planning-grants.htm.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/.
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American Battlefield Protection Program
ABPP Land Acquisition Grant Program
funding for the program. For FY2022, Congress allocated
Under the ABPP Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant
$18.9 million from the LWCF to the ABPP program, nearly
Program, grants are awarded to state and local governments
$17 million of which was for the Land Acquisition
seeking fee simple acquisition of eligible battlefield land or
program. Figure 3 shows the appropriations for FY2013-
the acquisition of permanent, protective interests
FY2022.
(easements) in battlefield land. Eligible sites for Battlefield
Acquisition grants pertain to Revolutionary War, War of
Recent Grant-Making Trends
1812, or Civil War battlefield lands. Specifically, eligible
Since FY2016, ABPP has awarded grants to 15 different
sites are limited to Civil War battlefields listed in the Civil
states. From FY2017 to FY2021, the state that received the
War Sites Advisory Commission’s 1993 Report on the
most grant funding was Virginia, with nearly $17 million.
Nation’s Civil War Battlefields and, as of 2014, those listed
(Figure 4). The second-most-awarded state, Pennsylvania,
in the 2007 The Revolutionary War and War of 1812
received just under $5 million. See Figure 4 for an
Historic Preservation Study (P.L. 113-291). Grants
overview of the five states that received the largest amounts
awarded through this program require at least a 50%
of funding for FY2017-FY2021.
nonfederal cost share (54 U.S.C. §308103(d)).
Figure 4. FY2017-FY2021 Land Acquisition Grants:
Figure 3. Appropriations for ABPP Land Acquisition
Five Most-Awarded States
Grant Program: FY2013-FY2022
(current $ in thousands)
($ in thousands)
Source: CRS, with data from annual NPS Budget Justifications for
Sources: FY2020 and FY2021 totals are from NPS, “Annual Report
FY2015-FY2023. “Actual” figures were taken from the volume
on the Programmatic Agreement Regarding the Preservation Planning
published two years following the fiscal year in question (e.g., for
Grants and Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants.” FY2017-FY2019
FY2015, figures are from FY2017). FY2022 figures reflect “enacted”
totals were provided to CRS by NPS.
totals.
Notes: Current dol ars have been converted to real (constant) 2022
New ABPP Grant Programs
dol ars (see note in Figure 1). Figures for FY2021 and FY2022
In 2019, Congress authorized two new ABPP grant
include grant administration funding for three programs—the Land
programs (P.L. 116-94). The Battlefield Interpretation
Acquisition program and the two new ABPP programs funded
Modernization Grant Program (54 U.S.C. §308104) funds
through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (see “New ABPP
projects and programs that deploy technology to modernize
Grant Programs”).
battlefield interpretation and education. The Battlefield
Restoration Grant Program (54 U.S.C. §308105) provides
Authorization and Funding History
funding for projects that restore day-of-battle conditions on
Funding for the Land Acquisition program comes from the
land preserved under the ABPP Land Acquisition Program.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF; 54 U.S.C.
Both programs require a minimum 1:1 federal to nonfederal
§§200301 et seq.). Appropriations were previously
match for project proposals. Congress authorized up to
considered discretionary funding provided to NPS in its
$1 million in appropriations for each program for each of
Land Acquisition and State Assistance account, under the
FY2020 through FY2028.
“Federal Land Acquisition” activity (although the grants are
for state and local acquisition). Congress first appropriated
Congress first appropriated funding for these programs in
funding for this program in 1998 as part of the Omnibus
FY2021. In October 2021, NPS announced that 11 grants,
Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations
totaling more than $900,000, were awarded as part of the
Act, 1999 (P.L. 105-277). Congress authorized
Battlefield Interpretation program. Grants for the Battlefield
appropriations for the program multiple times, most
Restoration program were not awarded in FY2021;
recently in 2019, by increasing authorized appropriations to
however, NPS announced the first grant cycle for the
$18 million per year through FY2028 (P.L. 116-94).
program in FY2022. For FY2022, each program received
$0.9 million of the $18.9 million LWCF mandatory
In August 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA;
appropriation.
P.L. 116-152) established mandatory spending for the
LWCF. As a result, funding for the ABPP Land Acquisition
Mark K. DeSantis, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
program is now a mandatory appropriation, and the
President and/or Congress may determine the level of
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American Battlefield Protection Program
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