The National Park Service announces availability of grant funding through African American Civil Rights Grant Program (AACR). The program will document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories telling the full story of the long struggle for African American civil rights from the transatlantic slave trade onwards across two separate grant funding opportunities. 

AACR Grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), administered by the NPS, and will fund a broad range of preservation projects including survey and inventory, National Register nominations, oral histories and more. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal funding match. Congress has appropriated $21.7 million in FY2022 funding for History and Preservation projects.

Resources for Applicants:
- AACR Application Information
- AACR FY2022 Informational Video
- Frequently Asked Questions
- AACR Application Checklist

Who May Apply:
- States and Territories
- Indian Tribes that meet the definition in 54 USC 300309 and Native Hawaiian Organizations that meet the definition in 54 USC 300314
- Local Governments, including Certified Local Governments
- Non-profit Organizations

What Is Funded:

Pre-preservation and Preservation Projects:
- Preservation projects must range from $75,000 to $750,000 in federal share, of which 20% may go toward pre-preservation costs such as architectural or engineering services. Grant applications that solely involve pre-preservation work must range from $15,000 to $75,000.
- Preservation projects fund physical preservation of historic sites to include historic districts, buildings, sites, structures, and objects. Projects must comply with laws, such as Section 106 and NEPA, and execute a preservation covenant/easement.
- Eligible costs: pre-preservation studies, architectural plans and specifications, historic structure reports, and the repair and rehabilitation of historic properties according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Archeology and Historic Preservation.
- Properties must be listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designated a National Historic Landmark either individually or as part of a district.
- The AACR Preservation grant opportunity number is P22AS00648

History Projects:
- History grant projects must range from $15,000 to $75,000 in federal share.
- Eligible costs include survey, planning, and documentation of historic sites/events, creation of interpretive and educational materials around significant sites (including oral histories), and conservation of significant civil rights collections.
- Successful applications will emphasize innovative strategies, creative projects with measurable results, and include cross-generational engagement that promote and preserve the community’s civil rights resources. Projects should involve public-private partnerships and serve as models to communities nationwide. Your project must select one of the categories listed below. If a project overlaps more than one category, select the dominant category.
-- Survey and Planning
-- Interpretation and Education
-- Research and Documentation
-- Collections Conservation
- The AACR History grant opportunity number is P22AS00647

Process and Deadlines
This program is administered by the National Park Service. Congress has appropriated $21,750,000 for this grant program in Fiscal Year 2022. Applications are due November 8, 2022. All applications must be made through Grants.gov. No paper applications will be accepted. Registration in Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and other federal systems can take up to four weeks, so please start early. To be notified when the opportunity opens, please go to Grants.gov and subscribe to a saved search for CFDA 15.904.