On November 14, the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded Historic Macon Foundation the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence at the PastForward Conference in San Francisco, recognizing the organization for its success implementing innovative approaches to historic preservation.

One of nine annual National Trust Awards, the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence recognizes a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated sustained and superlative achievement in historic preservation. Through its pioneering neighborhood revitalization approach, Historic Macon has transformed blighted historic neighborhoods into vibrant communities completing over 150 historic rehabs or new in-fill construction in three neighborhoods. Leveraging historic tax credits and public-private partnerships with Knight Foundation and Mercer University contribute to ongoing success.

The impact of Historic Macon is beyond neighborhoods. Historic Macon continues to lead the state in number of historic tax credit applications for the fifth consecutive year. Through state-wide historic tax credit consulting services, Historic Macon has leveraged millions of dollars into local economies across Georgia. Macon’s Fading Five, a list of endangered places, including the Cotton Avenue district and Alexander IV, celebrates 6 saved places to date across Macon-Bibb County.

“Historic Macon Foundation is a national innovator in how to promote preservation as a community-building and economic development strategy,” said Stephanie K. Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Its incremental, block by block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach to revitalizing vacant properties has been particularly effective in demonstrating the powerful impact of saving places.”

“Our goal is to make our community stronger by being proactive and progressive through historic preservation, and our vision is to be the premier preservation organization in the country,” said Ethiel Garlington, Executive Director of Historic Macon Foundation. “Receiving this prestigious award not only demonstrates our success at implementing our vision but also reaffirms our community’s national reputation.”