FY2023 Historic Preservation Fund- African American Civil Rights- Preservation Grants | P23AS00472

Opportunity Information: Apply for P23AS00472

The FY2023 Historic Preservation Fund African American Civil Rights Preservation Grants opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P23AS00472) is a competitive grant program administered by the National Park Service (NPS) using Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) dollars to support preservation work at historic places connected to African American civil rights history. The program is meant to help document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories that reflect the full sweep of the African American struggle for equal rights, beginning with the transatlantic slave trade and extending forward through subsequent eras. In judging whether a proposed site and project are a good fit, NPS points applicants to its 2008 publication, Civil Rights in America: A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites, which is used as a guide for determining the historical appropriateness and significance of the properties and themes being advanced.

This specific announcement, P23AS00472, is narrowly focused on physical preservation of historic sites. In practical terms, that means funding can support a wide range of hands-on preservation activities and preservation-ready technical services that directly lead to protecting historic structures. Examples named in the announcement include architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and physical preservation work to structures. The intent is to strengthen the long-term stewardship of historically significant civil rights resources by paying for the planning, professional expertise, and construction-level interventions that keep buildings and other historic resources from deteriorating or being lost.

A key administrative point is that there are two separate FY2023 AACR grant announcements, and applicants need to choose the one that matches their project type. P23AS00472 is only for physical preservation projects. A different opportunity number, P23AS00471, covers historical research, documentation, survey work, and nomination-type efforts (for example, activities that build the historical record or support designation/recognition rather than construction or repair). If a project is primarily research or documentation, it belongs under P23AS00471; if it is primarily bricks-and-mortar preservation and related technical preservation services, it belongs under P23AS00472.

Funding for the broader AACR Grant Program is backed by FY2023 Public Law 117-328, which provided a total of 24 million for the program. Individual awards under this preservation-focused announcement have a stated maximum (award ceiling) of $750,000. Awards are made through a competitive process, and an important feature of this program is that it does not require a non-Federal match, which can lower the barrier to participation for organizations that may not have access to substantial matching funds.

Eligible applicants span a wide range of public and nonprofit entities. They include state governments; local governments such as counties, cities, townships, and special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including both 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education); and Tribal entities, including federally recognized Tribal governments and certain Tribal organizations. The announcement also references eligibility for Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian organizations as defined in federal statute (54 USC 300300). One notable restriction is that grants are not available for sites or collections owned by the National Park Service itself, meaning the program is intended to support preservation of non-NPS-owned resources.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant (not a formula allocation) under CFDA 15.904, offered by the National Park Service. The original closing date listed for applications was November 1, 2023, and the opportunity was created July 7, 2023.

• The National Park Service in the arts, humanities, other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2023 Historic Preservation Fund- African American Civil Rights- Preservation Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.904.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for P23AS00472

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: