Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) on Tuesday received its full federal funding for 2025, ensuring uninterrupted support for local history projects, educational programs, and community partnerships across eastern Kansas and western Missouri. The announcement comes just weeks before the end of the federal fiscal year, when the funds would have otherwise expired.

The funding victory concludes a six-month effort to secure previously appropriated federal resources and was made possible by the hundreds of Freedom’s Frontier supporters who contacted their representatives on Capitol Hill, urging release of funds frozen since March. Their advocacy turned the tide.

“Because of the dedication and advocacy of our friends and partners across the region, we are now able to continue our core mission of promoting tourism and economic development in rural Kansas and Missouri,” said Lucinda Adams, executive director of FFNHA. “Your calls and conversations with your representatives mattered. We are deeply grateful.”

Part of a continuing resolution passed by Congress in March, the funding was caught in limbo when the Office of Management and Budget froze all federal spending that same month. Following pressure from legislators including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), the freeze was lifted in July. Still, reduced staffing at the National Park Service caused further delays and uncertainty. Annual appropriations expire if not distributed during the fiscal year, which ends September 30.

The National Heritage Area (NHA) Act of 2022 authorized all 62 NHAs to receive federal funds through 2037, with actual funding levels set by Congress each year. In July, appropriations committees in both chambers advanced draft legislation to fund the NHA program at or above current levels through fiscal year 2026. Whether a full spending bill will pass before the September 30 deadline remains uncertain.

FFNHA’s federal funding supports programs and grants to partner sites across eastern Kansas and western Missouri, providing vital resources to museums, historic sites, and educational initiatives that share the region’s stories of frontier exploration and conflict with visitors of all ages.