Last updated: October 1, 2026
Article
NPS Awards $21.8 million in African American Civil Rights Preservation and History Grants
Bergner, dated 2026
NPS announces today the award of $21.8 million in African American Civil Rights Preservation and History Grants to fund 54 projects in 18 states that will preserve sites and stories related to the struggle of African Americans for equality. These grants fund physical preservation projects and history projects by States, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations, and comes from FY2025 appropriations from the Historic Preservation Fund.
The National Park Service is investing $21.8 million in FY25 African American Civil Rights Preservation and History Grants for 54 projects in 18 states that will preserve sites and stories related to the struggle of African Americans for equality. Grantees include states, tribes, local governments and nonprofits.
Established in 1977, the Historic Preservation Fund invests in communities nationwide to safeguard cultural resources, strengthen local economies and ensure that more Americans see their history represented. Since its inception, it has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments and nonprofit organizations.
“Preserving our nation’s history is about honoring the people, events and cultures that shaped who we are,” said Jessica Bowron, NPS Comptroller exercising the delegate authority of the Director. “These grants empower communities to tell their stories, celebrate their heritage and ensure that future generations can connect with the past in meaningful ways.”
The Historic Preservation Fund is the primary source of federal funding for historic preservation in the United States. The fund is supported by revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf and does not use tax dollars.
Projects awarded include:
| State | Project Title | Recipient/Grantee | Award |
| Alabama Birmingham |
HPF AACR History - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Archive Digitization Project | Birmingham Civil Rights Institute | $99,290 |
| Alabama Anniston |
HPF AACR Preservation - Anniston Gurnee Avenue Building Rehabilitation | City of Anniston | $750,000 |
| Alabama Birmingham |
HPF AACR History - 4th Avenue Historic District Survey and National Register Nomination | City of Birmingham | $100,000 |
| Alabama Decatur |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nominations for Cedar Lake Colony and Sykes Cemetery | City of Decatur | $77,000 |
| Alabama Montgomery |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nomination for Historic Ben Moore Hotel | City of Montgomery | $50,000 |
| Alabama Montgomery |
HPF AACR Preservation - Ben Moore Hotel Rehabilitation (Phase I) | City of Montgomery | $750,000 |
| Alabama Montgomery |
HPF AACR Preservation - St. Jude Hospital Campus Rehabilitation | City of Montgomery | $750,000 |
| Alabama Selma |
HPF AACR Preservation - Brown Chapel AME Church Sanctuary Stained Glass Restoration | The Historic Brown Chapel AME Church Preservation Society | $750,000 |
| District of Columbia Washington |
HPF AACR History - Carter G. Woodson and ASALH Archives Collections Plan | Association for the Study of African American Life & History | $100,000 |
| Florida Palm Coast |
HPF AACR History - Preserving the Civil Rights Legacy of Flagler County | African American Cultural Society Inc. | $100,000 |
| Florida Punta Gorda |
HPF AACR History - National Register Study of African American Food Service Properties and Civil Rights Movement | Cultural Heritage Center of Southwest Florida Inc. | $100,000 |
| Florida Miami |
HPF AACR Preservation - Miami Greater Bethel AME Church Stabilization and Rehabilitation | Lightburn Community Development Corporation of Overtown | $400,000 |
| Florida Miami Gardens |
HPF AACR History - Bunche Park Historic District National Register Nomination | Miami-Dade County | $100,000 |
| Georgia Brunswick |
HPF AACR Preservation - Colored Memorial Building Rehabilitation (Phase 2) | Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority | $750,000 |
| Georgia Camilla |
HPF AACR Preservation - Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home Rehabilitation | Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home Inc. | $520,000 |
| Georgia Danielsville |
HPF AACR Preservation - Madison County Courthouse Rehabilitation | Madison County | $750,000 |
| Georgia Midland |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nomination for Pierce Chapel African Cemetery | Hamilton Hood Foundation Inc. | $100,000 |
| Georgia Girard |
HPF AACR Preservation - Historic Girard Elementary School Rehabilitation | WGS 3.0 | $750,000 |
| Georgia Portal |
HPF AACR Preservation - Willow Hill Rehabilitation | Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center Inc | $750,000 |
| Georgia Savannah |
HPF AACR Preservation - Cuyler School Rehabilitation | Economic Opportunity for Savannah Chatham County Area, Inc | $750,000 |
| Georgia Thomasville |
HPF AACR Preservation - Good Shepherd Episcopal School Rehabilitation | Episcopal Diocese of Georgia | $750,000 |
| Georgia Union Point |
HPF AACR Preservation - Historic Springfield Log Cabin School Rehabilitation | The Springfield Community Center, Inc | $750,000 |
| Georgia Warm Springs |
HPF AACR Preservation - Warm Springs Eleanor Roosevelt School Rehabilitation (Phase 3) | The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation | $750,000 |
| Illinois Chicago |
HPF AACR History - DuSable Museum Collections and Digitization Plan | The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center | $100,000 |
| Illinois Chicago |
HPF AACR Preservation - The Forum Rehabilitation (Phase 2) | Urban Juncture Foundation | $750,000 |
| Kansas Topeka |
HPF AACR History - Western Kansas Black Settlement Study | The Other Roads | $98,784 |
| Louisiana Jonesboro |
HPF AACR Preservation - Jonesboro Historic Old Palace Theater Rehabilitation | Greater North Louisiana Community Development Corp. | $750,000 |
| Louisiana Many |
HPF AACR Preservation - Sabine High School Rehabilitation | SHSRP Management Group Inc. | $750,000 |
| Maryland Chestertown |
HPF AACR Preservation - Chestertown Colonial Custom House Stabilization and Rehabilitation | Washington College | $731,200 |
| Maryland Randallstown |
HPF AACR History - African American Museums and Collections Preservation | The Association of African American Museums | $99,935 |
| Mississippi Drew |
HPF AACR Preservation - Drew Rosenwald School Rehabilitation (Phase 2) | City of Drew | $750,000 |
| Mississippi Jackson |
HPF AACR Preservation - Alexander Residence Hall Rehabilitation | Jackson State University | $750,000 |
| Mississippi Jackson |
HPF AACR Preservation - Stringer Grand Lodge Rehabilitation | Jackson State University | $750,000 |
| Mississippi Jackson |
HPF AACR History - Historic Resource Survey and National Register Nominations for Mississippi Hills Region | Mississippi Heritage Trust | $100,000 |
| Mississippi Jackson |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nomination for Mississippi Freedom Houses | Mississippi Heritage Trust | $100,000 |
| Mississippi Jackson |
HPF AACR History - Mississippi Freedom Trail | Mississippi Humanities Council | $90,870 |
| Missouri Neosho |
HPF AACR History - Neosho Colored School Exhibit | George Washington Carver Birthplace District Association Inc. | $100,000 |
| North Carolina Rural Hall |
HPF AACR History - Memorial Industrial School Documentation and Digital Preservation Project | Goler Community Development Corporation | $100,000 |
| North Carolina Hendersonville |
HPF AACR History - Henderson County Civil Rights History Exhibit | City of Hendersonville | $61,625 |
| Nebraska Lincoln |
HPF AACR History - Nebraska African American History Research and Exhibit Planning | Nebraska State Historical Society | $100,000 |
| New York Buffalo |
HPF AACR History - African American Naval Service Exhibit | Buffalo Naval Park Committee, Inc. | $97,176 |
| Ohio Cleveland |
HPF AACR Preservation - Shiloh Baptist Church Rehabilitation | Cleveland Restoration Society, Inc. | $750,000 |
| Ohio Dayton |
HPF AACR Preservation - Fifth Street Branch YMCA Rehabilitation | Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, Inc. | $750,000 |
| Ohio Rendville |
HPF AACR History - Rendville Historic Resource Survey and National Register Nominations | Ohio History Connection | $97,400 |
| South Carolina Cordesville |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nomination for the Taveau Church | Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation DBA Preservation South Carolina | $28,530 |
| South Carolina Charleston |
HPF AACR History - Drayton Hall African American Research and Exhibit Planning | Drayton Hall Preservation Trust | $100,000 |
| South Carolina West Columbia |
HPF AACR Preservation - Brookland Center Rehabilitation (Phase 3) | Brookland Center for Community Economic Change | $750,000 |
| South Carolina Beaufort |
HPF AACR History - Interactive Guide to Gullah Geechee African American Civil Rights Sites | The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor | $100,000 |
| South Carolina St. Helena Island |
HPF AACR Preservation - Penn Center Butler Building Stabilization and Rehabilitation | Penn Center, Inc. | $750,000 |
| Tennessee Memphis |
HPF AACR History - Memphis Orange Mound Historic District Study | City of Memphis | $100,000 |
| Texas Corsicana |
HPF AACR History - East Side Neighborhood Historic District Survey and National Register Nomination | City of Corsicana | $100,000 |
| Texas Marshall |
HPF AACR Preservation - Rehabilitation of the President's Home on Wiley University Campus | Wiley University | $750,000 |
| Texas San Antonio |
HPF AACR History - National Register Nomination for the Majestic Theatre | Foundation for Cultural Arts in San Antonio | $100,000 |
| Virginia Franklin |
HPF AACR Preservation - Hayden Village Rehabilitation | Southeastern Virginia Areawide Model Program Inc. | $347,534 |
Learn more about HPF programs, grants awarded in 2026 and how to apply at the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund and visit the NPS Newsroom for future announcements.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.