The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) announced plans to award grants to 40 Black history sites and organizations through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF).
The NTHP has pledged to spend $3 million, which will be divided among projects in 17 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
Grants are given across four categories: capacity building, project planning, capital, and programming and interpretation.
“What it means to preserve a landmark in this instance is really about telling overlooked stories embodied in those places—ones of African American resilience, activism and achievement—that are fundamental to the nation itself,” the action fund’s executive director, Brent Leggs, told CNN.
The African American Museum and Library at Oakland receive funding for structural repairs “to protect the collection of documents related to Black history in California and the West.” Save Harlem Now! be given a grant to hire its first Executive Director to provide administrative, management, and organizational support “to further its mission to protect Harlem’s built environment and preserve its history.”
Roberts Temple, the site of Till’s 1955 funeral, will be provided with funds to assist the “structural stabilization” of the 1922 church.
The Hayti Heritage Center in North Carolina will be given a grant to “help repair its stained-glass windows, doors, and original wooden pews.”
You can read the complete list of grant recipients here.
The National Trust has already funded 105 historic places and invested more than $7.3 million to help preserve landscapes and buildings imbued with Black life, humanity, and cultural heritage.
