New initiative to preserve historically Black colleges and universities

Through the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, the JPB Foundation, and the Executive Leadership Council will invest $1 million to pilot the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative.

This new program will provide technical assistance and fund preservation-based stewardship plans at up to eight HBCU campuses across the country. A stewardship plan defines a preservation solution and course of action for the future conservation and reuse of a historic building, landscape, or campus. In collaboration with HBCUs, the partnership seeks to empower HBCUs leaders with the resources to protect, preserve, and leverage their historic assets, ensuring these academic institutions and symbols of African American pride are preserved to inspire and educate future generations.

“HBCUs across the country are both an embodiment of and testament to excellence and perseverance,” said Phylicia Rashad, the Action Fund’s co-chair. “All HBCUs connect generations together and serve as both the creators and chroniclers of achievement in America. And yet, too many HBCU campuses need restoration and reinvestment.”

Since their founding in the 1830s, the number of HBCUs has grown into 105 Congressionally designated schools that tell the story of African-American activism and the fight for education equality. These campuses and landscapes—of which many were designed and built by African-American architects and students—display ingenuity and craftsmanship, and they serve as landmarks in the communities that surround and support these institutions. Despite this pivotal role, the preservation of HBCUs is often overlooked and vastly underfunded, leading to deferred maintenance, vacancy, and the threat of demolition to many significant historic buildings, the National Trust said on its website.

“Only a handful of HBCUs have campus preservation plans that identify their most important historic resources or give direction for their long-term stewardship,” said Paul Edmondson, the National Trust’s president. “HBCUs are tremendously important institutions in our national life and their assets must be invested in and adapted for modern uses, while also celebrating their imbued legacies and storied past.”

To address this need, the HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative will fund up to six single-structure and two campus-wide preservation plans during the pilot program. The initiative’s grant cycle will open in the fall, and eligible HBCUs are encouraged to apply for direct funding to hire qualified consultants to develop stewardship plans. The National Trust will further support HBCUs by providing technical assistance during the planning process, connecting HBCUs to resources, and encouraging the engagement of African-American design and preservation students, architects, and professionals during the planning and implementation phases. A community of esteemed national leaders in campus planning, architecture, and landscape design will advise the National Trust as a part of the initiative’s advisory committee.