WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today awarded $9.7 million to fourteen projects in ten states as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant program, which focuses on the repair of historic structures on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

“These grants enable the historic educational institutions to preserve the story of African American education and the campuses where that continues to happen,” said NPS Director Charles F. Sams III. “Through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities grants program, the National Park Service supports our HBCUs in the preservation of their historic campus structures and history.”

This years’ grants will support the preservation of sites like Hampton University’s Mansion House, and Selma University’s Pollard Hall.

- The construction of the Mansion House pre-dates the founding of Hampton University by 40 years, and served as the seat of the 160-acre Little Scotland Plantation as well as a hospital for nearby Camp Hamilton during the Civil War. In 1867 it was used as both a teachers’ residence and the home of General Armstrong, who subsequently founded Hampton University in 1868, until 1893 when it became the home of later Hampton University presidents. The building was in continued use until August 2022 and is a contributing resource to the Hampton University National Historic Landmark District, which was listed in November 1969. This grant project will address upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, repair of deteriorated structural elements, repointing of masonry, and repairing the deteriorated finishes throughout.

- Founded as the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School in 1878, Selma University’s Pollard Hall was constructed in 1916 and served as an administration center for visitors, a meeting place for major figures in Black education such as Booker T. Washington, and the home of several university presidents. Pollard Hall has been determined a contributing resource to the proposed Selma University Historic District. This grant project will address repair of the roof system, HVAC system, electrical and plumbing systems, and the installation of an elevator. The grant recipient will also contribute $496,414 in matching funds.

Congress appropriated funding for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grant Program in FY2022 through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.

Established in 1977, the HPF is authorized at $150 million per year through 2023 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Administered by the NPS, HPF funds may be appropriated by Congress to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural resources.

For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/