The black archives, history and research foundation of south florida at the historic lyric theater (bahlt) will expand capacity with the hiring of a collection specialist and the assistance of interns…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. $700,000 on September 1, 2026, under the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program (CFDA 45.309).

The recipient will expand archival capacity by hiring a collection specialist and engaging interns to digitize 15,000 high-priority items and create a community-facing artificial intelligence interface. Project activities include recruiting six graduate students for intensive, paid professional mentorship and establishing a peer network of 20 community volunteers from the tri-county area to participate in a certification program in archival basics. Deliverables encompass high-resolution digital surrogates of fragile physical artifacts, integration of archival interns and peer preservationists into a professional workflow at the institution, and deployment of an AI platform to transform the archive from a passive repository into an active, conversational resource.

Performance occurs in Miami, Florida from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2029. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

The black archives, history and research foundation of south florida at the historic lyric theater (bahlt) will expand capacity with the hiring of a collection specialist and the assistance of interns to facilitate archival processing and digitization of 15,000 high-priority items and creating a community interface using artificial intelligence (AI). Project activities include recruiting six graduate students who will receive intensive, paid professional mentorship and establishing a peer network of 20 community volunteers who are residents of the TRI-county area to be selected for a certification program in archival basics. The project outcomes include the creation of durable, high-resolution digital surrogates of fragile physical artifacts, connecting archival interns and peer preservationists into a professional workflow at bahlt, and the continued integration of an AI platform that will shift the archive from a passive repository to an active, conversational resource.