The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting applications for the African American Cultural Heritage Fund.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund provides grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. Last year, 27 projects received a total of $1.6 million dollars, with projects spanning the US, from Historic Vernon Chapel AME Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma to National Center of Afro-American Artists at Abbotsford in Roxbury, Massachusetts. These grants are designed to advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscape projects representing African American cultural heritage through grants to nonprofit organizations and government agencies. The Action Fund supports projects focused on African American cultural heritage, and can include: Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation. You can read more about eligible activities and expenses, grant conditions, and other information on the program here.

There is a two-step process to receive a grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The first step, a Letter of Intent (LOI), must be submitted by Friday, January 15, 2021 at 11:59 PM local time, through the online grants portal. If the LOI is accepted, a full application will be requested of the applicant. Grant awards will be announced in July 2021.

National Trust funding is available exclusively to nonprofits and government agencies, and any applicants who are invited to submit a full application will be required to also be Forum members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation at the Organizational level. The National Trust has many grant programs that may be of interest, which you can read more about on their website. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email the National Trust Grants Department at grants@savingplaces.org.