Field Service Partnerships
Field Service Partnerships and Partners in the Field
Maggie Stier, Field Service Representative for the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on a site visit in Acworth, NH.
Credit: Courtesy of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance
Who knew, 15 years ago, when Paul Bruhn of the Preservation Trust of Vermont was dreaming up a way to improve his organization's ability to help communities and people "in the field" that he was going to revolutionize the way preservation assistance was delivered across the country? Fifteen years later, with lessons learned from pioneers in Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan and New Hampshire, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has launched the Partners in the Field program which we expect will create a sea change in preservation services across the country.
The concept is simple. When a preservation organization doesn't have the resources to help their constituents in a timely and effective manner on their own, they create partnerships to leverage resources and expertise. In 1992, Paul Bruhn approached the Northeast Office with the idea to team up and compete for a challenge grant available from the Washington, D.C. headquarters to jointly hire field staff to travel around Vermont, providing preservation assistance on behalf of both our organizations. The concept has worked brilliantly. In 2007 alone, the Vermont Field Representatives worked in 158 communities statewide, assisting more than 300 projects and providing over $600,000 in grants.
Building on this model, Partners in the Field is a transformative challenge grant program to expand preservation field services nationwide. The grant program is a collaboration between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Statewide and Local Partners, funded by a generous challenge grant from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust. Mr. Wilson, convinced by the success in Vermont and other states who have adopted a similar approach, made a $5 million gift to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to encourage other statewide and local preservation organizations across the nation to create partnerships for field service delivery and to secure new funding sources to support the work.
"Our statewide and local partners are at the creative forefront of preservation in the 21st century," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Our Partners in the Field matching grants will help our network of preservation organizations across the country use proven tools to save places and revitalize communities."
"The addition of these new field services partnerships dramatically expands the availability of preservation expertise and resources in the region," noted Wendy Nicholas, director of the Northeast Office. "In all ten of the ten states here and three major cities – Philadelphia, Boston, and Buffalo – much more help will soon be on the way to help people save the places they care about."
Field Representatives and Circuit Riders: Preservation "First Responders"
Looking for help with an an advocacy project in your community? If you live in MA, PA, RI, Boston, or Philadelphia, follow this link to find the names and contact information for the Field Service Representatives in your area. If you live in CT, NH, or VT, follow the link for each of those states. The Field Representatives in DE, ME, NJ, and Buffalo have not yet been hired, but check back by late August 2009.
