The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Awards $3 Million to 24 Black Historic Sites
From a Chicago blues legend’s home to a Harlem stage that shaped generations, Black history lives in the buildings, neighborhoods, and sacred spaces that hold our stories. Now, thanks to a powerful investment, even more of those spaces are being protected for the future.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, just awarded $3 million in grants to 24 historic Black sites across the country. This funding is helping ensure that our legacies of activism, innovation, and cultural joy won’t just be remembered, they’ll be preserved, visited, and celebrated.
“These are places that hold our stories,” said Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund. “Grants that support their physical preservation and management are crucial to keeping our nation’s history alive.”
This year’s grantees reflect the depth and diversity of Black life in America, from music and art to education and activism. Among them is the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum in Chicago, once home to the father of Chicago blues and a gathering space for musicians who would shape the sound of a generation.
There’s also the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, Lewis H. Latimer House Museum in Queens, and Historic Brooklyn, Illinois, one of the oldest Black-founded towns in America.
Some sites are long-standing institutions. Others, like the Letitia Carson Legacy Project in Oregon and the Clemmons Family Farm in Vermont, are part of newer efforts to lift up lesser-known chapters of Black history. But all of them have one thing in common: they represent places where Black stories unfolded and where community roots still run deep.
Since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund has raised over $150 million and supported nearly 400 Black heritage sites nationwide. This year’s grants were distributed across three initiatives: the National Grant Program, the Conserving Black Modernism program, and the newly launched Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative, which helps families and communities preserve their own historical sites. That new program is supported by a $5.2 million investment from the Mellon Foundation.
Each one of these places tells a story. And thanks to this vital funding, they’ll continue to do so for generations to come. You can view the full list of grantees here.
Cover photo: The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Awards $3 Million to 24 Black Historic Sites / Photo Credit: Getty Images
