WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today awarded $23.4 million to 39 projects in 16 states and the District of Columbia as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights grant program, which focuses on the preservation of sites and stories directly associated with the struggle of African Americans to gain equal rights. 

“Since 2016, the National Park Service has provided over $126 million through this program to document, preserve, and recognize the places and stories associated with the struggle for civil rights of African Americans,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.  

These grants will support the preservation of historic places like the Harriet Tubman YWCA and the Louis Armstrong House, and fund history projects such as documenting the African American Recreational Tourism and the Negro Motorist Green Book in Michigan. 
 
Harriet Tubman YWCA in Durham, N.C. 
This grant will fund rehabilitation of the Harriet Tubman YWCA, a key building in Durham’s African American history associated with both the civil rights and the feminist movements in Durham, rehabilitating the building and returning it to occupancy to meet the growing need for affordable housing. The project will include development of architectural and construction plans to preserve and adaptively reuse the building. 
 
The Louis Armstrong House in Corona, N.Y. 
This project will preserve and rehabilitate the home of the iconic music and cultural icon, Louis Armstrong. Built in 1910, it was inhabited by the Armstrong family until the death of Louis in 1971 and Lucille in 1983. The overarching goal is to ensure the home remains a vibrant and lasting testament to the legacy of Louis Armstrong, and safeguard its historical, cultural, and architectural significance. The project seeks to protect the structural integrity of the house and enhance the safety of the environment for staff and visitors. 
 
African American Recreational Tourism and the Negro Motorist Green Book in Michigan 
The project will produce a survey of properties and sites related to African American recreation included in the Negro Motorist Green Book. Resources will include gas stations, rooming houses, and resorts. The survey report will include an extensive historic context on African American recreation tourism in Michigan, and a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places will be developed.  
 
Through the Historic Preservation Fund, Congress appropriated funding for the African American Civil Rights Grant Program in fiscal year 2023. The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to assist with a broad range of preservation projects, lessening the loss of nonrenewable resources and benefiting the preservation of other irreplaceable resources, without using tax dollars. 

Since its establishment in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Administered by the National Park Service, 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 go.nps.gov/grants.