The National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, announced $3.8 million in grant funding to 40 sites and organizations representing African American history.
New to this year’s list is a targeted focus on conserving Modernist structures designed by Black architects. Eight historic structures will receive $1.2M to help advance long-term preservation planning. This funding is part of the Conserving Black Modernism partnership led by the Action Fund with support from the Getty Foundation.
The preservation of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) across the country is also a focus of this year’s grant announcement. Through the Action Fund’s HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative, six HBCUs will receive nearly $700,000 in funding to ensure the protection of their cultural assets.
These often-overlooked places hold aspects of history that must be protected—and used to draw inspiration and wisdom for the benefit of all Americans.
In Maryland:
Morgan State University’s Jenkins Hall
Morgan State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Troy Pumphrey Jr.
Named after a former president of the University, Jenkins Hall was designed by Louis Edwin Fry, the first African American to receive a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard. Morgan State University will complete a conservation management plan and reuse study to determine the optimal future use for the building while preserving its monumental history.
Elktonia Beach Heritage Park
Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation | Annapolis, Maryland
Swimming pools, beaches, and other recreational facilities were a major national battleground during the struggle for Black civil rights, as segregation prohibited Black Americans from equal access to leisure activities. Purchased in 1902 by formerly enslaved veteran Fred Carr, Elktonia-Carrs Beach became a Green Book-listed recreational area where Black beachgoers had the opportunity to safely enjoy leisure activities. In partnership with the City of Annapolis, Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation will utilize this grant to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that the interpretation of the area’s Black history forms an integral part of the plans for the new Elktonia Heritage Park.
The Action Fund is the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places. Since its inception in 2017, the Action Fund has supported 242 places through its National Grant Program and invested more than $20 million to help preserve landscapes and buildings imbued with Black life, humanity, and cultural heritage.