African American Heritage Grant - Capital Grants

The New York State African American Heritage Grant Program is administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Division for Historic Preservation in partnership with the New York State Commission on African American History and the New York State Department of State. The program was established to preserve, interpret, and promote sites, structures, and stories connected to African American history and culture throughout New York State. Funding is provided through a New York State appropriation supporting greater public understanding of the contributions, struggles, and achievements of African Americans and people of African descent in New York. Eligible projects must focus on the period between 1627, marking the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in New Amsterdam, and 1975, corresponding with the later years of the Black Arts and Black Power movements. The Capital Grant category supports preservation, rehabilitation, accessibility, conservation, planning, and construction activities associated with buildings, sites, monuments, cemeteries, and cultural resources related to African American history in New York State. Eligible capital activities include conservation and restoration work, stabilization projects, accessibility improvements, landscape conservation, new construction associated with interpretation, and historic cemetery preservation. The program also supports pre-development planning and design activities such as feasibility studies, reuse studies, architectural and engineering plans, ADA accessibility planning, archaeological investigations necessary for construction, and property condition assessments. Projects combining planning and construction may include pre-development expenses only if those costs do not exceed 15 percent of the total grant request. Capital Grants prioritize projects involving publicly accessible historic resources and projects threatened by adverse conditions that may jeopardize their long-term survival. Historic properties do not need to be formally designated or older than fifty years to qualify. However, projects involving National Register-listed, National Register-eligible, or National Historic Landmark properties must comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Applicants requesting capital funding must either own the project property or provide documentation of a long-term lease agreement and owner consent authorizing the proposed work. Projects funded under this program must preserve public educational value and contribute to increased awareness of African American history in New York State communities. Approximately $1 million is available for Capital Grants through one anticipated funding round. Awards range from a minimum of $30,000 to a maximum of $200,000. Matching funds are encouraged but not required. Funding is administered on a reimbursement basis, requiring grantees to initially pay project expenses before submitting reimbursement documentation. Projects funded through the program must be completed and fully closed out by August 2030. Certain expenditures are prohibited, including property acquisition, demolition, fundraising activities, indirect organizational overhead, travel expenses, food and entertainment costs, and any work completed before contract execution. For historic resources, all funded activities must comply with preservation standards and state review requirements. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations registered in New York State and municipalities including cities, villages, towns, and counties. Eligible nonprofit organizations may include museums, preservation organizations, historical societies, burial ground associations, cultural institutions, and faith-based organizations operating nonsectarian public programs. Nonprofit applicants must maintain prequalification within the New York State Statewide Financial System by the full application deadline of August 3, 2026. Capital project applicants must demonstrate organizational capacity to complete and maintain the funded project after completion. Successful applicants may also be required to comply with preservation covenant requirements when grant funding supports National Register-listed or eligible historic properties. The application process begins with a mandatory online pre-application questionnaire due by May 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Eligible pre-applicants will receive access to the full grant application package beginning June 1, 2026. Full applications are due by August 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Required application materials include a Project Narrative Criteria Worksheet, Itemized Budget Worksheet, resumes of key personnel and consultants, documentation of community support, property photographs where applicable, and optional planning or engineering documents. Applicants that do not own the property associated with the project must also provide an Owner Consent Form. Capital project awardees will additionally be required to comply with Cultural Resource Information System review procedures for applicable projects. Applications are evaluated using a 100-point scoring framework with up to 10 additional points available for projects aligned with agency priorities. Review criteria include project scope and timeline, organizational capacity, public benefit, historical significance, project budget quality, and community support. Public benefit scoring considers accessibility, long-term preservation impact, and the extent to which projects improve awareness and interpretation of African American history. Additional priority points may be awarded to projects representing equitable geographic distribution, organizations committed to African American history and culture, and projects addressing underrepresented resources or themes. Award announcements are anticipated in November 2026. Capital project questions may be directed to Ashley Barrett at Ashley.barrett@parks.ny.gov, while budget or contracting questions may be directed to Katherine Raymond at katherine.raymond@parks.ny.gov.

Prioritize projects involving threatened properties and publicly accessible sites that provide educational programming related to African American history.