Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
October 2025
Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
—Reaching a combined total of $2,500,958, the projects will involve rehabilitation and stabilization, data recovery, and acquisition—
RICHMOND – The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources (VBHR) have announced that funding from the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Grant Program will be used to support seven projects in the Commonwealth.
The General Assembly established the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Historic Preservation Fund in April 2022 under Virginia Code Section 10.1-2202.5. The purpose of this legislation is to create a grant program to protect and support the Commonwealth’s historically underserved and underrepresented communities as well as the cultural and historical sites associated with them. The fund will provide grants for the acquisition, protection, and rehabilitation of historic and archaeological sites of significance associated with Virginia’s Black and Indigenous communities and People of Color.
On September 18, 2025, following a multi-step review process, DHR recommended seven projects for a total of $2,500,958 to the VBHR for approval. This includes five rehabilitation/stabilization projects, one archaeological data recovery project, and one project that includes both acquisition and rehabilitation. The funding for these projects covers seven different localities including five grant projects in the Eastern region and two grant projects in the Northern region. The VBHR concurred with DHR, and a complete list of projects approved for funding are listed below along with their respective applicants and localities:
| Project Name | Applicant | Locality | Award Amount |
| Historic Free Hill Cemetery Archaeological Study | The Fluvanna County Historical Society | Columbia, Fluvanna County | $110,490 |
| Jamestown Contraband Project | Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation | Jamestown, James City County | $317,500 |
| Mattaponi Indian Tribe Cultural and Historical Resource Revitalization Project | Mattaponi Indian Tribe & Reservation | West Point, King William County | $999,900 |
| The Reclamation of Our Heritage: Preserving the Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop | Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum | Onancock, Accomack County | $64,967 |
| 1935 Walker-Grant School Rehabilitation | Fredericksburg City Schools | City of Fredericksburg | $454,175 |
| Strong Boards for Sacred Walls | The Virginia Nottoway Indian Circle & Square Foundation | Capron, Southampton County | $50,000 |
| The Museum of West Warm Springs and Meeting House - The John Wesley ME Church Restoration | Valley Program for Aging Services | Warm Springs, Bath County | $503,918 |
Over the next months, DHR staff will be conducting initial site visits and meetings with grantees. Applicants who were not selected for funding are encouraged to reapply for the next round, which will open in February 2025. For more information about Virginia’s BIPOC Fund grant program, visit dhr.virginia.gov or email DHR Grants Coordinator Caitlin Sylvester at bipocgrantfund@dhr.virginia.gov.
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