The National Parks Service (NPS) recently announced it is providing $9.7 million in grants to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in nine states across the U.S. to help preserve historic structures on their campuses.
The funds will go toward 21 preservation projects at 19 historically Black institutions, including Mississippi Industrial College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Selma University.
“For more than 180 years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have provided high-level academics, opportunities, and community for generations of students. These grants enable HBCUs to preserve the noteworthy structures that honor the past and tell the ongoing story of these historic institutions,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams in a news release.
The grant program for HBCUs is part of the Historic Preservation Fund, which was established by Congress in 1966 to provide states, territories, tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations with financial assistance for preservation projects. Since the 1990s, the NPS has awarded more than $87 million in grants to more than 85 HBCUs, according to the news release.
HBCUs that have accreditation are eligible to apply for the grant programs. Grant funds can be used to develop architectural plans, conduct historic structure reports, nominate sites for the National Register of Historic Places, and more.
