News Release

National Park Service awards nearly $200,000 to preserve the Delta Region’s history and culture

Map of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Mississippi and the boundary of the Lower Mississippi Delta Region.
Map depicting boundaries of eligible grant projects.

News Release Date: October 3, 2024

Contact: NPS SER Communications

ATLANTA – The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA), today announced the award of $186,756 in Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI) grants. This year’s awards will support 11 projects advancing preservation of the Delta Region’s culture and history across 7 states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

“The National Park Service’s Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative grant supports communities throughout the Mississippi Delta working to preserve and share the region’s important history and culture,” said Christopher Collins, chair, NPS Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative, and superintendent, New Philadelphia National Historic Site. “The LMDI program provides up to $25,000 in grant funds for a wide variety of projects, ranging from preservation projects to heritage festivals.”“We are happy to partner with the National Park Service in helping communities throughout the Lower Mississippi Delta region highlight the heritage of this remarkable region,” said David A. Grove, President and CEO of JNPA. As co-administrator of the program, JNPA is responsible for managing the online application process and distributing funding to recipients.

This year’s LMDI grants will support projects, including:
  • 100 Years Later: A Centennial Look at the Continuing Impact of the 1927 Flood on the Lower Mississippi Delta — Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
  • BlackAmericana Fest — Louisiana
  • Bridging the Blues! Connecting Music Heritage in Arkansas and Louisiana through A+ — Arkansas, Louisiana
  • Native Life and Enduring Connections Near the Confluence — Missouri
  • Reopening of the McComb City Railroad Depot Museum — Mississippi
  • Setting the Record Straight: Sainte Genevieve Museum Collections Integrity Project — Missouri
  • Telling a more complete story... Life in rural Shelby County — Tennessee
  • The Clinton Riot Historical Site — Mississippi
  • The Trail of Tears Through Hickman County, KY: Our Native American Ancestors — Kentucky
  • Unita Blackwell Houses’ Collection Conservation — Mississippi
  • Ward Chapel AME Church Adaptive Reuse: Stabilize Roof — Illinois
Established in 1994, the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative has provided more than $3 million in grants to organizations exempt from federal income tax, such as non-profit organizations, tribal groups, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and state and local governments. Administered by the NPS in partnership with JNPA, LMDI funds may be appropriated by Congress to support the Delta’s cultural entities in their work toward research, interpretation and preservation goals for the region’s cultural resources.

Learn more about the LMDI grant program, including geographic parameters, this year’s funded projects, and information on how to apply for future grants on the program website: https://www.nps.gov/locations/lowermsdeltaregion/what-we-do.htm
 
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 430+ national park sites 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, Twitter, and YouTube.

About the National Park Service’s Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative: The Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative is a comprehensive and innovative effort established by Congress through Public Law 103-433 to preserve the Delta Region’s significant cultural and historic resources. Federal funding for this program is provided by the National Park Service and administered in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association, official non-profit partner of the LMDI Program.

Map Caption: Map depicting boundaries of eligible grant projects, for more detailed county information, visit the program website.

Tags: lmdi lower mississippi delta initiative lower mississippi delta region


Last updated: October 3, 2024

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