The 2025 Star of Texas event is almost here! Get your tickets now for this amazing event to be held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on April 25. This year, we are celebrating the incredible work of Dale Sellers and Phoenix 1 Restoration and Construction. Sellers started Phoenix 1 in 1999 based on his passion for preserving the places that tell the story of Texas, and the company is now the premier historic preservation construction company in Texas. They have worked on everything from an 1840s one-room log cabin to the Texas State Capitol, twice. With their breadth of work and their devotion to high-quality preservation projects, they have left an indelible mark on historic sites across the state. At the Star of Texas event, we will celebrate that work and hear about its impact on Texas.  

Hall of State

Dale Sellers, President & CEO of Phoenix 1 Restoration & Construction

Texas State Capitol Building

THF grants issued  in 2024

We are excited to announce that our Quarterly Micro Grants program is moving to a two-step letter of inquiry (LOI) model, utilizing our new Grants Portal. 

As our grants program has grown, so has applicant interest. With this new application model, we hope to streamline processes and reduce applicant time commitment while maintaining the open process that provides fair consideration for all.

To apply for a Quarterly Micro Grant, eligible 501(c)(3) organizations with an active project preserving Texas history should create an account in the THF Grants Portal to prepare an LOI. 

We are currently accepting LOIs for the Summer 2025 Quarterly Micro Grant cycle through April 22. An LOI proposal should include a brief introduction to the applicant organization, followed by an overview of the project for which funding will be requested. 

Summer 2025 LOI responses will be issued to applicants by May 9. Select applicants will be invited to complete a Step 2 application at that time. For more information, including how to use the Portal and what THF looks for in an LOI, visit the link below. 

Texas State Historical Association, Austin, was presented a grant during their 2025 Annual Meeting in Houston. The funding was used for the meeting, which presents an array of opportunities for individuals and organizations dedicated to historical, cultural, preservationist, and tourism endeavors.

Rancho Alegre, Austin,  will use grant funds to record hundreds of hours of oral histories with Tejano and Conjunto musicians for public release. Both genres originated in the late 19th century along the Texas and Mexico border as Mexican, German, and Czech farmers combined accordions and polkas with traditional Mexican folk music.

The Tales N' Trails Museum in Nocona received a grant to help fund an archaeological study of locally sourced lithic artifacts that have been stored in the museum for the past twenty years. The findings and artifacts will be incorporated into an exhibit at the museum.

The Dallas Historical Society will use its grant funding to pilot a Republic of Texas Card Game, distributing 500 decks of this educational tool free to Dallas area classrooms. The grant was presented at the organization's headquarters at the Hall of State in Dallas' Fair Park, and you can view our photo set of the 1938 Art Deco style building on our Flickr page.

Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation used funding from its 2024 grant to restore the exterior of the Point Bolivar lighthouse to its historic condition and color. The lighthouse was built in 1872 and famously harbored 125 refugees during the deadly Galveston Hurricane of 1900. It survived numerous subsequent storms and stands today as a much-loved symbol of courage and resilience.

THF President & CEO David Preziosi participated in National Preservation Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., alongside preservationists from across the country in early March. They visited legislative offices to discuss the Historic Preservation Fund, State Historic Preservation Offices (known as the Texas Historical Commission in our state), and the impact that Historic Tax Credits have in rehabilitating historic buildings. A large Texas delegation from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio met with lawmakers from our state to highlight how these initiatives help preserve historic sites across Texas.

Carlos Cantu, Houston
Michael Hall, Conroe
Sherry Pomykal, Houston
Diane Sherman, Dallas

Diane Davis, Anson
Michelle Parten, Crockett

Patricia & Egelberto Preziosi, Dripping Springs

Architecture and Design Foundation, Dallas
Fort Bend History Association, Richmond
Houston Fire Museum
New Braunfels Railroad Museum
New Braunfels Youth Collaborative
Preservation Texas, San Marcos
Stone Fort Museum, Nacogdoches
Texas Archive of the Moving Image, Austin
The Chinati Foundation, Marfa
View all Institutional Partners

Bob Bluthardt, San Angelo
Clair Robertson, Benbrook