Preservation: Conserving Community in the Face of Change
Historic preservation is a powerful form of civic self-portraiture. Familiar buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes tell a layered story of who we are, and where we came from. Whenever ordinary people take action to safeguard places that matter to them, whole communities enjoy the social, environmental, and economic benefits.
Preservation 4Culture staff work with a volunteer advisory committee and partners in the field to support the work of local preservationists. Through funding programs for critical projects, issues advocacy, and promotion of heritage tourism, we strive to conserve places of meaning in communities throughout King County.
Landmarks Capital supports the rehabilitation of designated landmark properties countywide, no matter their use or ownership. The program extends the life of treasured historic places, with targeted funding for critical repairs, "green" retrofits, and restoration.
Preservation Special Projects funding supports activities that identify, evaluate, interpret, or protect the built environment. A primary program goal is to engage audiences new to historic preservation.
Preservation Sustained Support provides annual operating funds to organizations and municipal public agencies with a primary historic preservation mission. The program offers predictable levels of support, allowing organizations to plan for stable funding in a two-year period.
4Culture recognizes a need for an entry point into 4Culture's funding opportunities. Open 4Culture provides awards of up to $1,500 for arts, heritage or preservation projects that are created by or for underserved communities of King County, and are not served by our other programs.
Support for the unexpected - building damage from fire or structural failure, or a sudden chance to acquire new space. This program is open 24/7 when you cannot wait until our regular cycles of support.
Historic places are among King County's most popular tourist attractions. Through our award-winning Destination Heritage multi-media guide series, 4Culture helps visitors and residents explore agricultural, industrial, and maritime history off the beaten track. 
Each year, 4Culture honors the best of local historic destinations - lively sites, dynamic museums, and experiential programs - for meeting standards of excellence in the specialized field of heritage tourism.
In partnership with King County TV, 4Culture produces 4CTV, an award-winning series of television programs highlighting arts and culture throughout the County. Programs air regularly on KCTV (Channel 22), municipal cable channels and can also be streamed directly from 4Culture's website. Our catalog includes feature-length documentaries as well as half-hour shows featuring discussions with arts and heritage leaders.
Since 2005, 4Culture has assisted in the revitalization of maritime heritage in Seattle and King County. We support preservation of our nationally significant fleet of historic ships, convene a regular meeting of leaders from maritime heritage organizations, and are working to promote establishment of an exciting new National Maritime Heritage Area in western Washington.
Preservation 4Culture regularly partners with organizations, public agencies, and individuals to find creative solutions to protecting endangered historic sites. We offer assistance with media outreach, stakeholder convening, site-specific research, and strategic funding.
Preservation 4Culture offers consulting services to agencies of King County and its municipalities. We can assist with cultural planning, survey & inventory, landmark nomination research, and local preservation program development. For King County Road Services, 4Culture recently delivered project design, research, and field investigation services for the 
