Moore Administration Announces $5 Million in African American Heritage Preservation Grants
31 Organizations Receive Funding to Restore Cultural and Historical Sites
(January 8, 2025) CROWNSVILLE, MD – The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) and the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) have awarded thirty-one African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) grants totaling $5,000,000 to numerous Maryland recipients for FY 2025.
“The African American Heritage Preservation Program identifies projects and organizations that work to preserve buildings, sites, or communities that share the story of Black history in Maryland,” said Governor Wes Moore. “I thank the Maryland Department of Planning and the Maryland Historic Trust for their partnership, for their thoughtful consideration of these recipients, and for their dedication to memorializing pieces of history that are too often forgotten.”These grants offer assistance to organizations and private citizens in their sponsorship of projects involving acquisition, construction, or improvement of sites related to African American heritage. This year’s grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000.
“The African American experience is essential to Maryland’s history. The Maryland Historical Trust is pleased to continue its collaboration with the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture to protect and enhance sites connected to Black heritage through the state,” said Maryland Historical Trust Director Elizabeth Hughes. “This funding ensures a future for important community anchors that have often been marginalized, helping us all understand the full story of our past.”
“We are so proud of this year’s awardees and look forward to supporting them as they work to help preserve Maryland’s African American history, culture, and heritage,” said Chanel C. Johnson, Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum. “The African American Heritage Preservation Program grant’s goal is to ensure these historically and culturally significant sites remain a part of Maryland’s history.”
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture is committed to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting, and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage. The Commission also provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors about the significance and impact of the African American experience in Maryland.
The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) is a state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland’s past. Through research, conservation and education, MHT assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage. Part of the Maryland Department of Planning, MHT serves as Maryland’s State Historic Preservation Office pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Award recipients are listed below. To learn more about each project, visit https://mdhistoricaltrust.wordpress.com/2025/01/08/fy-2025-african-american-heritage-preservation-program-awardees/.
# # #
