15.904 historic preservation fund grants-in-aid historic preservation fund grants-in-aid assist in the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties by such means as education,…

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded $750,000 under the Historic Preservation Fund Grants-in-Aid for Competitive Grants program (CFDA 15.966) to the Brookland Center for Community Economic Change on June 27, 2025. This project grant supports the rehabilitation of the building interior for the former Lakeview School, a historic property in West Columbia, South Carolina, with completion targeted for April 30, 2029. The Lakeview School represents significant African American civil rights history, and this funding is part of the African American Civil Rights (AACR) competitive physical preservation grant program designed to document and preserve sites and stories related to African American efforts to gain equal rights as citizens.

The deliverables under this award include architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and physical preservation work on the Lakeview School structure. These products align with the broader program objectives to identify, evaluate, and protect historically significant properties through comprehensive preservation methodologies. As a minority-owned nonprofit organization operating the site as the Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center, the awardee will execute the interior rehabilitation while maintaining the property's historic integrity and continuing its role as a community development and economic empowerment resource for the Lexington and Richland Counties region.

15.904 historic preservation fund grants-in-aid historic preservation fund grants-in-aid assist in the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties by such means as education, survey, planning, technical assistance, preservation, documentation, and financial incentives like grants and tax credits available for historic properties. Opportunity P24AS00542 african american civil rights (aacr) is a competitive physical preservation grant program to document and preserve the sites and stories of the history of the african american efforts to gain equal rights as citizens from the transatlantic slave trade forward. Projects are for historic sites listed in, or eligible for listing in the national register, and include architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and physical preservation to structures. Beneficiaries include states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. This project is awarded to the brookland center for community economic change for the rehabilitation of the building interior for the former lakeview school.