For about 30 years, we received $7 million from the federal government. We used that money in a variety of ways in our work, one of which was to support our historic sites. That was the gateway, where people learned about heritage conservation and preservation in the U.S. We also built our communications team and supported studies that showed the advantages of preservation, so that we could build stronger support: stronger membership in the trust, but also just broad public support. There were a variety of ways we used that money over the course of 30 years to try to build public support. You're right, it gave us the foundation to be able to grow into a strong privately funded organization.
On October 3rd, 2017. See this statement in context.