Stillman College, other HBCUs receiving preservation grants
By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Kyle Hamrick
Five Alabama colleges will receive $2.5 million in National Parks Service funds for preservation projects as part of a larger award for 21 colleges valued at $9.7 million.
In a press release, NPS Director Chuck Sams explained the value Historically Black Colleges and Universities return to American life.
“For more than 180 years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have provided high-level academics, opportunities, and community for generations of students. These grants enable HBCUs to preserve the noteworthy structures that honor the past and tell the ongoing story of these historic institutions,” he said.
The Alabama colleges receiving funds are:
- Alabama State University ($500,000 for its G.W. Trenholm Hall Preservation Project Phase II),
- Miles College ($500,000 for its Williams Hall Historic Preservation Project Phase III),
- Selma University ($500,000 for preserving Historic Dinkins Memorial Hall),
- Alabama A&M University ($500,000 for restoring and renovating Carnegie Hall Library) and
- Stillman College ($500,000 for transforming Sheppard Library into a Civil Rights Museum).
Colleges in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia also received funds from this award.
The NPS has awarded more than $87 million in grants to HBCUs since 1990. Funds come from the Historic Preservation Fund, which relies on revenue from federal oil and gas leases, not tax dollars.
Accredited HBCUs are eligible to apply for these grants. Applications for $10 million in Fiscal Year 2022 will be available later in the fall.
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