Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $3.8 million New York State African American Heritage Grant Program aimed at supporting and promoting the history and achievements of African Americans and people of African descent across the state. The program will provide funding to nonprofit organizations and local governments to document, interpret, and preserve sites, stories, and cultural contributions that are significant to the African American experience in New York.
Governor Hochul emphasized the importance of this initiative, noting that it will expand ways to teach, preserve, and celebrate Black history in the state while working with community partners to foster a greater understanding of the contributions of Black New Yorkers. The program is funded through a state appropriation to the Commission on African American History and focuses on historical periods from 1627, when the first enslaved Africans arrived in New Amsterdam, to 1975, encompassing the Black Arts and Black Power movements.
The grant program features two categories: education and capital projects. Up to $2.8 million is allocated for education grants to support research, programming, interpretation, and documentation projects, with awards up to $150,000 per project. Capital grants, totaling up to $1 million, will support pre-development planning, design, or construction for sites associated with African American heritage, with awards up to $200,000.
The program is administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in partnership with the Commission on African American History and the New York State Department of State. Acting Commissioner Kathy Moser highlighted that the grants will provide resources for storytellers, history ambassadors, and community stewards to preserve and share New York’s Black history for future generations. Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley also noted the initiative’s role in celebrating and preserving the contributions of the African American diaspora to the state’s cultural, economic, and social fabric.
Eligible applicants include registered nonprofit organizations and municipalities committed to documenting, preserving, and promoting African American history through targeted education or capital projects. Examples of qualifying organizations include cultural institutions, historical societies, museums, faith-based groups, and cemetery associations. Applicants are encouraged to attend upcoming informational webinars and complete a pre-application questionnaire to confirm eligibility before submitting a full application.
The grant program builds on the work of the New York State Commission on African American History, established in 2022 by Governor Hochul, which highlights the contributions of Africans and African Americans to New York State and the nation. This initiative aims to provide sustained support for education, preservation, and storytelling that honors and amplifies the African American experience across New York.
