Partners in Preservation Amex Stewardship 2019: 17” X 11” Folded to 8.5” X 11”: Saddle Stitch: 24Pgs: 4/4: Stock TBD
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NTHP Partners in Preservation Amex Stewardship 2019: 17” x 11” folded to 8.5” x 11”: Saddle Stitch: 24pgs: 4/4: Stock TBD Partnersin Preservation THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF AN UNPRECEDENTED PARTNERSHIP 2006 THROUGH 2017 Prepared for The National Trust for Historic Preservation by Social Capital Partnerships JUNE 2019 2 | Partners in Preservation Partners in Preservation | 3 Purpose Through the Partners in Preservation program (PiP), American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have established a partnership that is unique among corporate-nonprofit relationships for its longevity, collaborative spirit and visibility. Since launching in 2006, PiP has grown in scope and aspiration. It also evolved alongside trends in digital marketing and engagement. This report endeavors to capture the cumulative impact of PiP and create a base of knowledge from which American Express and the National Trust can shape future collaborations. Table of Contents Executive Summary Purpose and Executive Summary p. 2 • Fundraising Each year, between 20 to 25 historic places are selected to vie Background p. 4 for their share of preservation funding from American Express. PiP enabled participants to leverage additional funds Since its inception in 2006, Partners in Preservation (PiP) has and find new donors. Impact: By the Numbers p. 6 awarded more than $25 million in grants to more than 250 • Marketing Impact on Participating Organizations p. 8 historic sites across the United States. As one of the largest privately funded preservation programs in the country, PiP is a PiP resulted in increased media attention and growth Impact on the National Trust p. 22 critical source of funding for brick and mortar preservation in social media communities. projects. Conclusion p. 23 • Community Engagement PiP raised the visibility of organizations in their communities, Appendix: Grants p. 24 in particular through Open House events. Many organizations PiP broke new ground by positioning found new partners, and several “competing” organizations even continued to collaborate after the campaign was over. historic preservation as a cause important to people and communities. By democratizing PiP has also had an important impact on the National funding for preservation and—creating new Trust for Historic Preservation. The initiative has grown the Trust’s audience, increased its visibility, and positioned the relevancy and urgency for the cause—this organization for other national grantmaking collaborations. longstanding partnership elevated historic These collaborations have grown in recent years to include preservation to newer, broader audiences. the National Fund for Sacred Places and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Going forward, the challenge for PiP will be to continue For many organizations, participating in PiP was to keep the grant-making process innovative, connect more transformative. By opening up their doors and rallying communities with preservation, and engage more people their communities to vote for their sites, participating in saving the places that matter to them. organizations experienced long-lasting impacts on their: • Mission and Programs. The Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Mount The restoration projects funded by PiP enabled recipient Vernon Square, D.C., received a $75,000 organizations to better serve their communities. grant from Partners in Preservation in 2013. Photo courtesy of Pepper Watkins. 4 | Partners in Preservation Partners in Preservation | 5 I. BACKGROUND ith the company’s roots in the travel services the outset. “We’re trying to save places people industry, American Express has a long history care about,” said David Brown, former chief Wof supporting the preservation of historic places preservation officer at the Trust and one of PiP’s around the world. One of its earliest acts as a young company “ It democratized founding architects. “How do we know what people in 1885 was raising money through its employees to help build care about? Why not let them vote?” In addition, the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. In 1995, the company how money Brown said, public participation helps counter helped found the World Monuments Fund’s Watch list, which perceptions of elitism often associated with historic highlights the most endangered historic sites in the world. was going out preservation. “We were essentially saying, ‘You can American Express’s support of the National Trust for Historic the door.” make a decision where the money goes,’” he said. “It Preservation dates back to the 1970s. democratized how money was going out the door.” David Brown, Former Chief Preservation Officer, In 2006, American Express approached the Trust with the National Trust for Historic Preservation Selecting a diverse and even unconventional set idea to create a large-scale, national program to restore, of sites to participate in each PiP campaign also revitalize and preserve historic sites. With a small, nimble helped broaden the public’s perception of historic team that included staff from both the Trust and American preservation. “A lot of people think about preservation Express, the Partners in Preservation (PiP) program was born. The Bay Area campaign was the Trust’s first attempt to invite in the context of Mount Vernon and Colonial The program had three main goals: the public’s participation on a mass scale. It also represented a Williamsburg—places where famous men lived,” said Brown. “We wanted to show that preservation 1. Raise the visibility of diverse historic places, new and unusual way of distributing preservation funds. When the program was announced in 2006, social media was was really about a range of places that come together 2. Mobilize public support for historic preservation, and nascent and the concept of voting for a charity to win funding to tell the story of America.” 3. Deliver financial assistance to preservation projects in was novel. In fact, the Wall Street Journal and several other strategic cities across the United States. media outlets described PiP as the “American Idol” of historic Following eight years of city-based campaigns, PiP preservation, referencing the highest-rated television program evolved into national, themed campaigns, beginning The San Francisco Bay Area was selected for the inaugural at the time. in 2016 with PiP: National Parks. People from across campaign. A diverse group of 25 historic sites in the Bay Area the U.S. were invited to “Vote Your Park” to celebrate selected by the Trust would vie for $1 million in grants from The public voting aspect of PiP was an important part of the the National Park Service Centennial. Most recently, American Express by asking community members to vote for initial program design, because engaging the public was a PiP: Main Streets in 2017 and 2018 celebrated the their favorite sites online. primary objective of American Express and the Trust from importance of Main Street districts across the U.S. AMERICAN EXPRESS NATIONAL PARKS ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION, IS FIRST NATIONAL 5-YEAR COMMITMENT CAMPAIGN, MARKING THE NATIONAL PARK CHICAGOLAND PiP IN GREATER BOSTON TWIN CITIES WASHINGTON, D.C. SERVICE CENTENNIAL 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014/15 2016 2017 FIRST CAMPAIGN FIVE SITES IN NEW SEATTLE-PUGET NEW YORK CITY NATIONAL TREASURES MAIN STREETS LAUNCHES IN SAN ORLEANS SELECTED FOR SOUND HOSTS THE LARGEST GRANTS TO PROJECTS FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION FUNDING PiP CAMPAIGN BY NATIONWIDE AFTER HURRICANE FUNDING AMOUNT KATRINA 6 | Partners in Preservation Partners in Preservation | 7 II. IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS All numbers represent Partners in Preservation campaigns from 2006-2017. PRESERVATION FUNDING EARNED MEDIA $ Million+ NATIONAL 25 20 + INVESTED IN PARKS 3 Billion+ 4,000 IMPRESSIONS MEDIA 250 14 CITIES Placements UNIQUE MAIN 12 STREET SITES COMMUNITIES MEDIA OUTLETS Partners in Preservation has generated coverage in nearly every major media outlet in the United States as well as heavy local coverage in cities where the campaigns took place. A sampling of PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT outlets that have covered PiP over the years includes: Million+ Million+ 13 PAGE 3VOTES VIEWS COLLECTED 570,000+ INDIVIDUALS VOTED ONLINE 8 | Partners in Preservation Partners in Preservation | 9 III. IMPACT ON PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS Since Partners in Preservation launched in 2006, more than 250 nonprofit organizations and government agencies across the U.S. have participated in the program. Like the historic places they steward, the participating organizations are a diverse lot. While many are preservation- focused nonprofits, they also include arts organizations, daycares, houses of worship, museums and conservation groups. They are located across large cities, small towns and remote wilderness. All share a commitment to preserving and honoring the past in order to better serve the needs of their communities. When surveyed about the PiP experience in 2010 and again in 2019, past participants have consistently reported positive impacts on their mission and programs, fundraising, marketing, community engagement and growth. Mission and Program Impacts At its core, PiP is a preservation-based grant-making place. “One of our goals is to continue the St. Augustine program. Grants provided by American Express enable tradition of outreach programs to the poor and needy, nonprofit organizations that own or rent historic and our building serves this purpose on a weekly basis,” properties to complete strategic restoration projects on the church wrote in a grant report. their facilities. In many cases, these physical improvements have enabled organizations located in the In Chicago, a $100,000 PiP grant enabled another historic sites to better serve their communities. church, Quinn Chapel AME Church, to remodel its kitchen—the floor of which had become dangerously For example, in the historic New Orleans community of unstable. With a safe and modern kitchen, the church is Tremé, St. Augustine Church received a $75,000 grant to now physically equipped to serve its constituents and restore its Parish Hall, which had been in desperate need meet the needs of its programs, which include a Head of repair. Now that the restoration is final, St.