The African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) provided 13 grants totaling $1 million to Maryland nonprofit groups, local governments and businesses in fiscal year 2016. These AAHPP grants, made available through a partnership of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) and the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), offer assistance to organizations and private citizens in their sponsorship of successful acquisition, construction or improvement of African American heritage projects.
The goal of the AAHPP is to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. This year’s grant awards ranged from $14,000 to $100,000 (See attached detailed list for all grants awarded).
“I commend the work of these individuals and organizations in their effort to preserve and showcase Maryland’s unique African American heritage and culture,” Gov. Larry Hogan said. “The diversity of these preservation projects and their geographic distribution across our state demonstrates the significant contributions African Americans made in every corner of the state. I applaud the hard work and dedication of the commission and the Trust in identifying these landmarks and ensuring this piece of history will be preserved for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.”
Grant recipients
Baltimore City
Ebenezer Kingdom Builders, Inc.
Ebenezer AME Church and Parish House
$100,000
Baltimore County
Piney Grove United Methodist Church
Piney Grove United Methodist Church and School House
$100,000
Calvert County
Calvert Nature Society, Inc.
Kings Landing Park / Camp Mohawk
$73,000
Caroline County
Community Civic League of Federalsburg, Inc.
Community Civic League of Federalsburg / Laurel Grove Road School
$98,000
Carroll County
Community Foundation of Carroll County, Incorporated
Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse
$15,000
Charles County
Pomonkey High School Alumni Association, Inc.
Old Pomonkey High School
$95,000
Dorchester County
The Friends of Stanley Institute, Inc.
Christ Rock Methodist Episcopal Church
$100,000
Frederick
Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc.
Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery
$87,000
Prince George’s County
The University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc.
Frederick Douglass Square at the University of Maryland
$100,000
Somerset County
John Wesley Community Association, Inc.
John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church
$40,000
Talbot County
Historic Easton, Incorporated
Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church
$100,000
Talbot County
Bethel A.M.E. Church, Inc.
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
$14,000
Wicomico County
The Chipman Foundation, Inc.
Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center
$78,000
The mission of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) is to interpret, document, preserve, and promote Maryland’s African American heritage; to provide technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives; and to educate Maryland’s citizens and visitors about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland and the nation. MCAAHC is housed within the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.
The Maryland Historical Trust is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning. The Trust was formed in 1961 to assist the people of Maryland in identifying, studying, evaluating, preserving, protecting and interpreting the state’s significant prehistoric and historic districts, sites, structures, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, cultural objects and artifacts, as well as less tangible human and community traditions. Through research, conservation and education, MHT assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage.
Online applications for fiscal year 2017 AAHPP funding will be available in early spring 2016 on MHT’s website (mht.maryland.gov/grants). Application deadlines and workshop dates will also be announced on this page.
For more information about the grant program, please contact Anne Raines (MHT) at 410-514-7634 or anne.raines@maryland.gov, or Dr. Joni Floyd (MCAAHC) at 410-216-6180 or joni.floyd@maryland.gov. For information about organizations receiving grants, please contact the institutions directly.