Press Release
March 28, 2023
Contact: Nicole Harvey
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-5202
nicole.harvey@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/grants
Oklahoma Black Living Legacy Awarded Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is proud to announce that the Oklahoma Black Living Legacy has been awarded a grant through the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.
“This is what community is all about, opportunities to celebrate the richness and talent within our communities,” said Sen. George Young, Oklahoma City. “I am so pleased that the Oklahoma Historical Society has the foresight to administer grants that encourage upward mobility and recognition within Senate District 48. The Freedom Center of Oklahoma City is a source of history that we need to preserve, and I am proud of their work and grateful for the opportunity they have been given.”
Oklahoma Black Living Legacy received $4,000 for a project titled “Oklahoma Black Living Legacy 3 Year Strategic Plan,” which will help fund the development of a strategic plan to help the organization create goals and objectives. Part of the eligibility requirements for the grant program is that the organization must have a strategic plan. If the organization does not have a strategic plan, the only grant an organization could apply for is the development of a strategic plan.
“Oklahoma Black Living Legacy (OBLL) preserves the history and artifacts of Oklahoma African Americans,” said Doris Youngblood, director of Oklahoma Black Living Legacy. “It aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the contributions of African Americans to the rich history of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant allows OBLL to develop a three-year strategic plan to successfully achieve their vision of sharing Oklahoma African American History with the public.”
The OHS will distribute over $575,000 in grant funds, with projects ranging from collections care and strategic planning to exhibit development and educational programming.
“These grant funds continue to empower local communities to collect, preserve and share their history for future generations of Oklahomans with over 150 projects funded to date,” said Nicole Harvey, director of strategic initiatives and grants administrator for the OHS.
The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society to encourage the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.
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