The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) announced $3 million to preserve sites with significance to Black history.
The AACHAF, established in 2017, is a program under the National Trust for Historical Preservation. Since its inception, the program has raised $140 million in funding – by far the most raised by an organization dedicated to preserving Black history. For this year, the program has identified 30 sites with significance to Black history. These include sites associated with sports, entertainment, education, and Black women’s rights. The grant would help expand the staff at these sites, boost restoration efforts, preserve original structures, and establish educational programs for the general public. The grants have been individually given to various entities – ranging from $50,000 to $150,000.
This year’s grants by the AACHAF are part of the National Grant Program, which aims to preserve historical sites as a way to connect future generations with the past. Speaking of the program, Brent Leggs (executive director, AACHAF) said: “The National Grant Program represents the Action Fund’s enduring commitment to telling the full American story—one that makes room for Black resilience, creativity, and achievement. History is crucial to our nation’s understanding of where we’ve come from, who we are today, and how we envision our future.”
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The grants came courtesy of philanthropists like the Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Some of the sites that will benefit from the grants are the Alpha Gamma Omega House in LA and The Lefferts Historic House in Brooklyn.
