Arizona's Past Protected: Heritage Fund Awards $453,130 for Historic Preservation Across the State

On March 19, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to approve eight Fiscal Year 2026 Heritage Fund Historic Preservation grants totaling $453,130 – funding that will protect and stabilize some of the most significant historic structures in the state. The Arizona Heritage Alliance, which has championed the Heritage Fund since its founding in 1992, applauds these awards and the dedicated work of the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), whose staff conducted the initial application reviews and site visits that made this rigorous, merit-based process possible.

This year's awards reflect the remarkable diversity of Arizona's historic built environment – adobe military barracks, ranch houses, prisoner-of-war structures, mission churches, and neighborhood schools – and the communities, organizations, and agencies committed to keeping them standing for future generations.

The Projects: Eight Places Worth Saving

Camp Naco Barracks A4 – Naco Heritage Alliance | $60,000. On the high desert grasslands of Cochise County, about half a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, stands Camp Naco – a former adobe military installation constructed in 1919 and one of the best-preserved remaining Buffalo Soldier border posts in the country. The site encompasses approximately twenty historic buildings across sixteen acres, and Barracks A4 is among its most significant structures.This grant will fund structural stabilization, adobe wall repairs, exterior envelope improvements, roofing, and new doors and windows – bringing Barracks A4 to a weather-tight gray shell that will halt further deterioration and protect the public and philanthropic investment already made in the site. It is a critical first step toward the building's eventual adaptive reuse.

Kannally Ranch House, Oracle State Historic Park – Arizona State Parks | $60,000. At Oracle State Historic Park in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the historic Kannally Ranch House faces a set of familiar but urgent threats: moisture intrusion, failing window and door frames, and a deteriorating fireplace and chimney that, left unaddressed, will continue to damage the home's irreplaceable interior wall paintings.This grant will fund repairs using reversible, minimally invasive methods to protect the adobe structure and its historic finishes, ensuring the ranch house can continue to serve as a space for public programming, interpretation, and park administration.

Camp Papago POW Structures, Phase 1 – Arizona Historical Society | $60,000. In 1943, the U.S. Army established Camp Papago in Phoenix to house German and Italian prisoners of war. Two wooden huts from that camp survive today – rare examples of mid-twentieth century production construction that began their lives as an Officer Hutment and an Army Repair and Storage building before being converted into apartments.This grant funds Phase 1 of a six-phase effort that will ultimately bring these structures to the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe as a museum exhibit. Phase 1 focuses on engaging an architectural firm experienced in historic preservation to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, including research and preparation of National Register of Historic Places documentation.

San Rafael Ranch House – Friends of San Rafael State Natural Area | $43,640. The San Rafael Ranch House anchors the San Rafael Ranch Historic District in the grasslands of Santa Cruz County, managed by Arizona State Parks. This grant will address structural repairs to the building's wrap-around veranda and its supporting brick pillars, dormer windows, double-hung windows, and plaster damaged by past water intrusion. The Friends of San Rafael will work closely with State Parks on the project, with State Parks construction services contributing in-kind labor as part of the match.

Historic Resource Survey for Parks and Recreation Facilities – City of Tucson Planning & Development Services | $58,180. Tucson's parks system is rich with historic significance – but much of that history has never been formally documented. This grant will fund Phase 1 of a two-phase historic resource survey, establishing the historical context and eligibility criteria needed to evaluate Tucson's park facilities under National Register of Historic Places standards. The resulting framework will guide future preservation, designation, and storytelling efforts for Tucson's cultural assets in the parks.

St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church – St. Philips Preservation and Endowment Foundation | $60,000. Phase 2 of a three-phase preservation effort at Saint Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, this grant will stabilize the mud adobe south facade wall of the sanctuary – a wall that has separated from its framework and is now as much as seven inches out of plumb, presenting a threat to both the building and its visitors. A perimeter ledger will be installed and the wall anchored in place, with additional repairs to create a weather-tight and structurally secure building. Phase 1 – replacement of the original clay tile roofs – was funded in part by a 2024 Heritage Fund grant.

Mission San Xavier del Bac – Patronato San Xavier | $60,000. The Mission church at San Xavier del Bac, built between 1783 and 1797, remains a living, active parish church – the primary spiritual home of the Wa:k O'odham community. This grant will fund rehabilitation of the church's decorative retablo facade, including the replacement of the central wooden balcony, a defining architectural feature last replaced in 1953 that is now unsafe to stand on. The work will also remove Portland cement veneer plaster applied during a 1950s restoration and consolidate areas of original historic plaster that survive across the facade – allowing for more accurate interpretation of the facade's rich decorative elements.

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and School, West Wing – St. Michael's School | $51,310. This grant will complete rehabilitation of the west wing of the St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and School campus in Tucson – an active classroom space whose historic wood features have deteriorated and require repair. The scope of work includes like-for-like reconstruction of 23 decorative viga accents, 9 windows and screens, 8 corbels, 7 viga posts, and 7 beams, all limited to documented areas of deterioration. The work will stabilize character-defining features essential to the building's historic integrity while keeping the classrooms in active use.

Beyond Historic Preservation: Environmental Education and Local Parks Also Receive Funding

March's Board meeting also saw approval of Heritage Fund grants in two additional categories. Five organizations received Environmental Education grants totaling $99,517, supporting programs that connect Arizona youth and the public with the natural world – from inclusive horseback riding camps and mountain bike programs to river-based learning and snake conservation education. Three sponsors received Local, Regional, and State Parks (LRSP) grants totaling $296,200, funding a community baseball field for the Dishchii'bikoh Community School on the White Mountain Apache homeland, pickleball courts at Keiller Park in Willcox, and water system improvements at Hippie Hole along the Colorado River in La Paz County. Together, these awards bring the total FY26 Heritage Fund investment approved today to $848,847.

Speaking Up for Preservation

"Every one of these eight projects represents a place that should be preserved for future Arizonans," said Kathryn Leonard, Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer. "My office is proud to collaborate with these organizations and local governments that recognize the value of these places to ensure that Heritage Fund dollars go to the projects where they will do the most good. These grants will make a real and lasting difference for Arizona's heritage."

"Arizona State Parks and Trails is proud to administer these Heritage Fund grants on behalf of Arizona's communities," said Bob Broscheid, Executive Director of Arizona State Parks and Trails. "From stabilizing a century-old adobe barracks near the border to funding the planning work that will one day bring World War II prisoner-of-war structures back to public view, these investments reflect the full power of what the Heritage Fund was built to accomplish. We thank Governor Hobbs and the Legislature for their support, and we look forward to seeing these projects come to life across the state."

"The Arizona Preservation Foundation stands proudly alongside the Arizona Heritage Alliance in its lead role as champion for the Heritage Fund, and we are heartened by today's awards," said Jim McPherson, Board President of the Arizona Preservation Foundation. "These eight historic preservation projects – spanning a Buffalo Soldier barracks, a World War II prisoner-of-war site, mission churches, ranch houses, and community schools – represent the full breadth of Arizona's historic legacy. We are deeply grateful to Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona State Legislature for approving the funding that makes this grant cycle possible. Their commitment to Arizona's historic and cultural resources is felt today in every community represented in these awards. But we must be candid: worthy projects were left unfunded this cycle, and they will continue to be left behind until the Heritage Fund is fully restored to what Arizona's voters intended. The Arizona Preservation Foundation and the Arizona Heritage Alliance will not stop advocating until that day comes."

A Fund Worth Fighting For

The Arizona Heritage Fund was created by Arizona voters to ensure that lottery proceeds support the state's historic, cultural, and natural resources – year in and year out. The Arizona Heritage Alliance has fought for that promise since 1992, and the exclusion of a State Parks Heritage Fund appropriation from the FY25 state budget was a painful reminder of how fragile that commitment can be. This month's awards are cause for genuine celebration – and a renewed call to action.

For more information about the Arizona Heritage Alliance and how to support the full restoration of the State Parks Heritage Fund, visit azheritage.org