● This year’s grantees are stewarding historic sites that represent Black American life through modern architecture, education, sports, and Black women’s achievement.
● The Action Fund has supported 304 Black heritage sites with a total investment of $27M since 2018.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2024) – The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, today announced $3 million in grant funding to protect and preserve 30 sites representing Black history. With more than $140 million raised since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund is the largest resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places. Georgia
Thomasville, GA: Imperial Hotel / Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia, Inc.
The Imperial Hotel was established by Harvey and Dorothy Lewis Thompson, a Black couple, in 1949 and remained in business until 1969. The hotel was listed as a Green Book site in 1954, marking it as a safe haven for Black travelers during segregation. Funding will support the installation of an interior metal skeleton that will reinforce and stabilize the hotel’s walls.
Midland, GA: Pierce Chapel African Cemetery / Hamilton Hood Foundation
The Pierce Chapel African Cemetery, established circa 1828, is one of the oldest burial grounds for enslaved people from several plantations in the region. The cemetery has experienced severe damage over the years and was on the National Trust’s “11 Most Endangered Places in America” list in 2023. Funding will support project planning and establish a roadmap to preserve the landscape and the community’s history.
Thomasville, GA: Imperial Hotel / Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia, Inc. The Imperial Hotel was established by Harvey and Dorothy Lewis Thompson, a Black couple, in 1949 and remained in business until 1969. The hotel was listed as a Green Book site in 1954, marking it as a safe haven for Black travelers during segregation. Funding will support the installation of an interior metal skeleton that will reinforce and stabilize the hotel’s walls.
“The National Grant Program represents the Action Fund’s enduring commitment to telling the full American story – one that makes room for Black resilience, creativity, and achievement,” said Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. “History is crucial to our nation’s understanding of where we’ve come from, who we are today, and how we envision our future. These grants will support critical preservation efforts to revitalize and sustain tangible links to our shared past that we hope will inspire future generations.”
This work would not be possible without the Action Fund’s key philanthropic partners who share a commitment to social justice through preservation and education. The Mellon Foundation has been a longstanding supporter of the Action Fund and the National Grant Program, and several of this year’s grantees will be receiving the financial resources they need to complete capital projects, build organizational capacity, and more as a result of the Mellon Foundation’s contribution of $1.5 million.
Centreville, MD: Kennard High School at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center & Museum / Kennard Alumni Association, Inc.
“Preserving African American culture is central to preserving and understanding American culture writ large,” said Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation. “This new suite of Action Fund grants will provide crucial financial and strategic support to sites that further illuminate the Black voices and visions that make up our shared American past. We at Mellon are pleased to support this effort to ensure that all of us can continue to learn and experience these essential histories in our public spaces.”
In addition to the Mellon Foundation, the Action Fund is grateful for the generous contributions of the Ford Foundation and the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation to the National Grant Program.
This year’s awardees include the second round of Conserving Black Modernism grants, a program designed to protect and promote the work of African American architects. These sites will receive $1.2 million in preservation funding through the Action Fund with support from the Getty Foundation.
“We’re thrilled to support a second iteration of grants for the Conserving Black Modernism program,” said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. “This program both expands our understanding of modernist architecture in the United States and celebrates the unique contributions of pioneering African American architects who have long been overlooked.”
With amounts ranging from $50K to $150K, this year’s Action Fund grants will support preservation efforts across four categories:
● Building Capital: Supporting the restoration and rehabilitation of cultural assets important to Black history
● Increasing Organizational Capacity: Providing leadership staff positions within nonprofits stewarding Black heritage sites
● Project Planning and Development: Funding planning activities tied to the development of preservation plans, feasibility studies, historic site reports, National Register designations, and fundraising
● Programming and Education: Advancing storytelling through public education, exhibits, and creative interpretation
