FY2025 Historic Preservation Fund- African American Civil Rights- History Grants

The National Park Service administers the African American Civil Rights Grant Program through funding provided by the Historic Preservation Fund. This program is designed to support the documentation, preservation, and interpretation of sites and stories that represent the full history of the African American struggle for civil rights, beginning with the transatlantic slave trade and continuing through modern history. The funding opportunity reflects federal priorities to preserve nationally significant cultural heritage and expand recognition of historically underrepresented narratives. The purpose of this specific funding opportunity is to support history-focused projects rather than physical preservation efforts. Eligible project types include survey and planning, research and documentation, education initiatives, and collection conservation or digitization. The program encourages applicants to use the National Park Service’s Civil Rights in America framework to identify and justify the significance of proposed projects. Projects are expected to demonstrate strong public engagement, measurable outcomes, and innovative approaches to preserving and sharing African American civil rights history. Funding is provided through competitive grants ranging from fifteen thousand to one hundred thousand dollars per project, with a total program allocation of twenty-four million dollars. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement, although voluntary contributions may strengthen an application. Administrative and indirect costs are capped at twenty-five percent of the total project budget. Funds may be used for eligible costs such as research, educational programming, digitization, and preparation of National Register nominations, but may not be used for property acquisition, reconstruction, or work completed prior to award. Eligible applicants include a wide range of non-federal entities such as state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal governments and organizations. Native Hawaiian organizations and Alaskan Native entities are also eligible. However, projects involving properties owned or controlled by the National Park Service are not eligible. Applicants must also meet federal registration requirements, including obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier and maintaining an active SAM.gov registration prior to submission. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov and includes multiple mandatory components such as standard federal forms, a project abstract, a detailed project narrative addressing evaluation criteria, a budget justification, and supporting documentation such as financial statements and project images. Additional materials such as letters of support or owner consent may be required depending on the project. Applications are evaluated based on significance, urgency and need, feasibility, and long-term sustainability, with each criterion equally weighted. Applications must be submitted electronically by July 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances. Award notifications are expected approximately six months after the deadline, with an anticipated project start date of November 1, 2026 and completion by November 30, 2029. Questions regarding the opportunity can be directed to the program staff via the official email contact. This funding opportunity is part of an ongoing federal initiative, though each cycle is issued separately and must be applied for independently.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate historical significance tied to civil rights, address urgent preservation needs, include realistic timelines and budgets, and show long-term sustainability and public engagement.