The state has appropriated over $13.4 million in funding over the past eight fiscal years to America250PA, the commission created in 2018 by the state to plan the 250th anniversary, according to officials. In addition to public funding, America250PA has secured $7.6 million in private sponsorships and $2.6 million in in-kind support, bringing the total value of public and private investment to approximately $23.6 million, according to the commission. 

In addition, the state’s budget allocated $50 million for the Marketing to Attract Marquis Events program, covering security, operations, marketing, and other costs associated with the 250th celebration and major events where the semiquincentennial would be highlighted, according to the Altoona Mirror. Those events included the NFL draft in Pittsburgh, FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia, and the MLB All-Star Game held in Philadelphia.

Separate from the statewide funding, Philadelphia set aside $620 million in the city’s budget to support preparations for the 250th. Around $120 million has been going directly toward celebrations, including $70 million for public safety at events, according to City Controller Christy Brady’s report. The city allocated an additional $500 million for upgrades at the Philadelphia International Airport to prepare for an influx of visitors for major events connected to the semiquincentennial, including the FIFA World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field and the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.

“As the birthplace of American democracy, the city is making a significant investment to play a central role in the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations,” Brady said. “These are critical investments to ensure safety, neighborhood improvements and events that all Philadelphians and visitors can enjoy.”

The commission said private funding propelled a variety of initiatives, including the Keystone Classroom Initiative, which connected more than 50,000 elementary students in all 67 counties with Pennsylvania history and civics; Bells Across PA, the nation’s largest statewide public art initiative, with more than 120 bell installations celebrating local communities; the Liberty Tree Project, which planted certified Liberty Trees in all 67 counties; the Semiquincentennial Scholarship Program, which provided $250,000 in privately funded scholarships to Pennsylvania students; the Memorial Flag Initiative, which donated 25,000 American flags to honor veterans at cemeteries across the commonwealth; and Pennsylvania Day, volunteer initiatives, and numerous other community partnerships.

The commission said state appropriations supported its operations along with a range of statewide initiatives, including marketing and promotional efforts, the America250PA Mobile Experiential Unit, the 2024 National Convening in Philadelphia, and educational resources shared with communities across the commonwealth. 

State funded-initiatives included the America250PA Mobile Experiential Unit, which generated more than 50,000 engagements while traveling the state and bringing interactive educational programming into communities; over $1 million awarded through the Semiquincentennial grant and Lecture250 programs, supporting local organizations, historic preservation, educational programming, and public events across Pennsylvania; the 2024 National Convening in Philadelphia, which welcomed representatives from more than 30 state commissions and over 200 Pennsylvania organizations and partners to share ideas for the 250th; and the Commonwealth Concert Series, which concluded in June, bringing free performances to communities across Pennsylvania, with nearly 100,000 tickets claimed across the five-concert series.

New Jersey

New Jersey, where the famous Battle of Trenton was fought, featured more battles and skirmishes during the Revolutionary War than in almost any other colony.

Former Gov. Phil Murphy‘s administration had allocated around $30 million to support semiquincentennial initiatives by the end of 2024, including $25 million toward restoration of 10 key Revolutionary War historic sites across the state, using funds from the federal American Rescue Plan.

Those sites include Washington Crossing State Park, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Trenton’s Old Barracks and the Battle Monument in Trenton, Princeton Battlefield State Park, the Indian King Tavern, the Wallace House, Boxwood Hall, and Rockingham. 

By June 2026, Gov. Mikie Sherrill‘s (D-NJ) administration said over $130 million was being spent on restoration and visitor improvement projects at such state-owned historic sites in preparation for the 250th anniversary. More than 30 projects are in various stages of planning, design, and construction across the state, according to acting Environmental Protection Commissioner Ed Potosnak, including the Walt Whitman House, Liberty State Park’s historic train shed, Ringwood Manor, and the Proprietary House.

“The Sherrill Administration is on a mission to deliver a government that works for people and is proud to expand services that all residents and visitors can enjoy, including protection of historic and natural resources,” Potosnak said. “The ongoing projects across our state historic sites, including the Washington Crossing Visitor Center — New Jersey’s gift to America in celebration of the 250th, will ensure a safe, educational, enjoyable, and welcoming experience for the many visitors we expect to have this year from around the country and world for this milestone anniversary, and in the future.”

Virginia

Virginia is known as the birthplace of Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, as well as the location where British forces surrendered to the American rebels in 1781.

Virginia has appropriated $27 million for VA250, or Virginia’s American Revolution 250 Commission, to lead statewide activities that commemorate the semiquincentennial, according to officials.

VA250 says it has raised an additional $6 million in private support to support the milestone. 

In addition, the state legislature budgeted $20 million to establish the competitive Virginia 250 Preservation Fund administered by the Department of Historic Resources. In 2024, then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s (R-VA) administration authorized funding for the new program in the 2024-26 budget bill.

“The Virginia 250 Preservation Fund is critical to ensuring that Virginia is prepared to host millions of Americans for the semiquincentennial celebration of our glorious history,” Youngkin said at the time. “As home to Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Patrick Henry and the Battle of Hampton to the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia was at the forefront of our history. Bolstering our historic sites and museums will not only encourage and aid tourism, it is our responsibility as stewards of American history.”

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is known for hosting the Boston Tea Party, which helped spark the colonial rebellion, and as the home of the first shots fired of the war — the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) said in November 2025 that the state has devoted $6 million to support events and community programming related to the semiquincentennial. 

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism said in May that the Massachusetts 250 Executive Committee had raised $16.5 million to support the semiquincentennial, including $6 million from private sponsors giving over $250,000 each by November to fund the 2026 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, among other large-scale events marking the milestone anniversary. 

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Kate Fox said in June that the agency has spent another $2.5 million in marketing services, $2 million to support the July 4 “signature event,” and another $2 million on corporate and media partnerships.

In May 2026, Healey awarded another $4 million for Sail Boston 2026, a landmark waterfront celebration that featured a historic number of international tall ships. The event, which took place in July, was a multistate celebration tracing America’s maritime history along the East Coast. Boston served as the final port of the historic voyage, welcoming more than 60 ships from over 20 countries, according to the governor’s office.

The funding started in 2023, when the Massachusetts Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution received $1 million for statewide and local events from an amendment in the state’s budget for fiscal 2024.  

Lexington was among the towns to receive a part of the funding, with its semiquincentennial commission being allocated $200,000 to commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where the famous “shot heard round the world” marked the start of the American Revolution.

In September 2024, Healey announced $1.5 million in grants to 37 organizations through the first round of the Massachusetts America 250 grant program to support projects like historical reenactments, museum exhibits, community festivals, educational programs, and marketing initiatives. In July 2026, the Healey administration awarded a second round of grants worth $2 million to be awarded to 59 organizations. 

South Carolina

South Carolina saw hundreds of battles and skirmishes, more than almost every other colony, during the war for independence, including famous battles at Kings Mountain and Cowpens. There, patriot fighters played a critical role in thwarting Britain’s “Southern Strategy” to bring southern states back into the empire.

South Carolina has appropriated approximately $24.5 million for its America 250 commemoration efforts over five fiscal years, according to the state’s American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission. Starting in fiscal 2022, the state appropriated nearly $1.5 million to the anniversary. In fiscal 2026, South Carolina most recently allocated over $6.7 million for semiquincentennial activities. 

Of that sum, $13.5 million has been directed to local communities through the SC250 grant program, according to the commission. To date, 371 grants have been awarded statewide and distributed to support local projects and programming. All 46 counties have participated in the SC250 grant program, allowing local organizations to tell their own Revolutionary War stories.

The commission said remaining funding has gone toward a variety of initiatives, including American Revolution historic sites and interpretation, free digital resources including the Francis Marion Papers, statewide marketing of South Carolina’s Revolutionary War sites and experiences to cultural travelers, and support for Charleston’s role as one of the four nationally designated host cities for the 250th anniversary on July 4. Liberty Day at the Statehouse, a statewide educational program that welcomed hundreds of South Carolina fourth-grade students to Columbia for an immersive experience focused on the signing of the Declaration of Independence and South Carolina’s role in the American Revolution, is another initiative funded by the appropriations. 

The state also held over 130 events as part of Carolina Days, which took place June 26-July 5, including battlefield tours, museum exhibits, concerts, living history demonstrations, family festivals, and other local commemorations.

“SC250 has always been about investing in South Carolina’s communities,” SC American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission’s CEO Molly Fortune said. 

“The majority of the state’s funding is going directly to local organizations and projects that are telling the stories of the people and places that shaped our nation’s history,” she continued. “Many of the Commission’s largest initiatives take years to complete, but together they are strengthening historic sites, expanding educational resources, and helping more people connect with South Carolina’s extraordinary Revolutionary War story in meaningful ways.”

New York

New York was one of the more strategically important areas in the war due in part to its network of waterways, featuring the Battles of Saratoga, which have been widely considered the turning point of the Revolution. 

New York appropriated $5 million for semiquincentennial festivities in fiscal 2025. Around $2.5 million went to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the other $2.5 million went to the state’s education department. 

INDYCAR VIBRATIONS PROMPT ART SAFETY STUDY AT NATIONAL GALLERY BEFORE FREEDOM 250 RACE

In preparation for the historic festivities, state legislatures allocated $2 million to Sail4th 250 in the 2026 budget, plus an additional $350,000 Market New York grant. Sail4th 250, a multistate initiative, took place in early July and was hailed as the largest fleet of global tall ships to ever sail into New York’s harbor, during an event that included a massive aerial show and fireworks.

The state also received $5 million in federal funding for Sail250. In addition, New York received over $1.5 million in National Park Service grants alone in 2024 to enhance Revolutionary War sites, including Fort Ticonderoga and Hasbrouck House, which served as the military headquarters for Gen. George Washington.