Saving Sacred Ground: The American Battlefield Protection Program’s Role in Battlefield Preservation

The historical sites that bear witness to America’s armed conflicts are disappearing. As development pressures, climate change and other threats put these landscapes at risk, the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) serves as a vital resource for communities, organizations, property owners and state, local, and Tribal governments working to preserve them.

Established in 1991 and formally authorized by Congress in 1996, the ABPP focuses on preserving and interpreting historic battlefields and conflict-related sites. Rather than seeking federal ownership, the program works in partnership with local communities and supports preservation through four targeted grant programs.

Four Ways to Save America's Battlefields: ABPP Grants

1. Preservation Planning Grants: Where Good Ideas Get Funded

The ABPP’s most adaptable funding option helps recipients better understand, protect and interpret battlefields and conflict sites nationwide. These grants support early steps in this process, such as archaeological surveys, site documentation, long-range planning, educational programming and community engagement. Many of the program’s strongest success stories began with small organizations fueled by passion but lacking resources. Grants range from $20,000 to $200,000 with no match required.

2. Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants: Saving Ground Before It’s Gone

These grants enable the Trust and similar organizations as well as state and local governments to protect and preserve Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War battlefield lands identified in congressionally mandated reports through fee-simple purchases and conservation easements. Funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the program has helped safeguard hallowed ground since 1999. While a dollar-for-dollar match is required, nonprofit partners like the American Battlefield Trust can often help secure local support and matching funds.

3. Battlefield Restoration Grants: Turning Back the Clock

Restoration Grants return Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War landscapes to their day-of-battle appearance. Available for planning and implementation, they provide up to 50-percent matching funds for projects that restore viewsheds, remove modern intrusions and re-create period landscapes, helping visitors better understand the experiences of soldiers on these hallowed grounds. Battlefield Interpretation Grants:

4. History Meets Technology

Today’s visitors expect more than plaques and cannons: They expect immersive and engaging experiences. Interpretation Grants help sites meet those expectations with mobile apps, augmented reality (AR), videos and updated signage that tell more comprehensive, more inclusive stories. With dollar-for-dollar matching, these grants support both planning and implementation to ensure historic narratives remain accessible, relevant and compelling

Beyong Grants: Expert Guidance and Technical Support

The ABPP provides more than funding. It offers resources to landowners, preservation groups and communities navigating the complexities of battlefield stewardship. Through comprehensive studies, the program has identified hundreds of endangered battlefields and assessed their conservation needs, raising awareness and giving communities the evidence needed to spur action.

A Partnership Approach

The ABPP’s strength lies in collaboration. The program recognizes that preservation succeeds when federal resources empower local initiative. On-the-ground work — fundraising, volunteer coordination, advocacy and stewardship — is what makes these grants effective. By making available resources to empower private landowners, friends groups, nonprofits, academic institutions and government partners, the ABPP fosters public-private partnerships that save taxpayers millions while protecting sites that tell America’s complex story.

For organizations and individuals committed to safeguarding the landscapes that shaped our national experience, the ABPP offers essential resources and expertise. As historic sites face unprecedented development pressures, the program’s grants and technical support provide the tools and partnerships needed to ensure that future generations can walk the ground where history unfolded.