The latest updates on this grant program and how to find out if a grave or cemetery is eligible for funding.

By Joanna Wilson Green | DHR Cemetery Preservation Archaeologist

PROGRAM NOTE: The Historical African American Cemeteries & Graves Fund (AACGF) is under new management! Please welcome Angel Williams, who is now administering the grant and will be your point of contact for all questions and requests going forward. Ms. Williams comes to the Fund from DHR’s National Register program and brings her extraordinary organizational skills and attention to detail with her. Ms. Williams can be contacted through DHR’s dedicated grant mailbox at AACGF@dhr.virginia.gov. Please join us in welcoming Angel to the AACGF – we know you will enjoy working with her.

The 2024-25 grant cycle is nearly complete, and we are glad to report that we have been able to fund many new cemeteries as well as our existing clients. To date the fund has provided a total of $237,655 in maintenance and block fund grants to 33 cemeteries across the Commonwealth. The current application period ends May 31, 2025, and we have very little funding left. We will gladly continue to accept and process applications for as long as we can, however, and encourage anyone interested in our grant funding to apply as soon as possible. If your application arrives after funding for this fiscal year is exhausted, we will be glad to put you in line for funds to be issued on or shortly after July 1 when our new cycle begins. Our application packet and manual can be found on DHR’s website. The application forms are fillable PDFs and can be completed on your desktop and either sent as an electronic file or printed and mailed. If you find that you are unable to access these forms, please contact us and we will be happy to send them to you.

The AACVGF provides grants to support the maintenance and care of cemeteries established prior to 1948, specifically for the interment of African Americans. The graves of any individuals born prior to 1900 (regardless of date of death) AND the graves of any individuals born in or after 1900 and interred prior to 1948 are considered eligible. Birth and/or interment dates may be confirmed through headstone inscriptions, vital records, church records, newspaper obituaries, and other information sources. Initial grants will be made at a rate of $5 per eligible grave, and recipients are thereafter invited to apply for block grants to fund “extraordinary maintenance” projects.

Please note that we cannot accept the results of ground penetrating radar (GPR) unless this work has received DHR’s prior approval. In order for GPR to receive consideration for funding the applicant must obtain this pre-approval and provide a technical report detailing the results of survey. This report must contain, at minimum:

• a statement of methodology for both data gathering and post-processing;
• a discussion of the author’s interpretation of recovered data, and conclusions based on that interpretation;
• plan map(s) indicating the presence of all anomalies and the probability of each representing an interment feature;
• depth slice images confirming the persistence of features through the soil column;
• radargram profiles and digital images documenting current field conditions, surface features, and other relevant discoveries; and
• a copy of the author/s curriculum vita/e

As a reminder to our current grant recipients, DHR requires that you submit a reconciliation of expenses to DHR after July 1 but no later than September 30. This reconciliation should document how grant funds were used in the maintenance of your cemetery and should include invoices or receipts if available. All materials should be forwarded to Ms. Williams by mail at 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA 23221, or electronically at AACGF@dhr.virginia.gov. If you are a 2024-25 grant recipient and have not yet submitted your form, please contact Ms. Williams as soon as possible. DHR will be unable to disburse any additional grant funds to your organization if this information is not submitted and approved.

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CEMETERIES FUNDED 2024-25 (TO DATE)

Albemarle County
Mount Calvary Baptist Church Cemeteries
Oak Union Baptist Church Cemetery
Zion Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
First Baptist Church Covesville
Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Cemetery
Piedmont Baptist Church Cemetery

Buckingham County
Stanton Family Cemetery
Third Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery

Caroline County
Oliver Cemetery

Charlotte County
Red Hill Cemetery for the Enslaved

City of Alexandria
Alexandria City Cemeteries

City of Blacksburg
Wake Forest Cemetery

City of Charlottesville
Chestnut Grove Church
Union Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery

City of Danville 
Flippen Cemetery

City of Hampton
Union Street Cemeteries

City of Richmond
Mt. Olivet Cemetery
East End and Evergreen Cemeteries
Forest View Cemetery

City of Virginia Beach
Ackiss Cemetery

Essex County
Angel Visit Baptist Church Cemetery

Fluvanna County
Oak Hill Cemetery
Union Baptist Church – Shores

Hanover County
Hickory Hill Enslaved African American Cemetery

Henrico County
Woodland Cemetery

Loudoun County
Solon Cemetery
Waterford Union of Churches African American Cemetery

Louisa County
Springfield Baptist Church Cemetery

Middlesex County
Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery

Montgomery County
Wake Forest Cemetery

Richmond County
Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery

Southampton County
Helping Hand Cemetery

Warren County
Henrico Baltimore Family and West Africa Community Cemetery