LPF receives 2023 Commonwealth History Fund Grant

The Lincoln Preservation Foundation is one of the eleven recipients to receive a grant from the Virginia Museum History and Culture’s Commonwealth History Fund. Lincoln Preservation Foundation has been awarded $40,000.00.

The VMHC, in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources, awards grants to history organizations and projects throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia through its Commonwealth History Fund.

There are several key selection criteria to be considered for the grants, including the significance of the project or resource, its impact on its community and the Commonwealth, the focus on historically underrepresented topics and communities, and the need for funding and urgency of the project.

One of the largest initiatives of its kind, the Commonwealth History Fund is expected to award up to $2,000,000 over its first five years. In 2022, the VMHC awarded $402,500 to fellow history organizations.

Funds can be used for a variety of purposes including preservation, publications, artifact acquisition, research, conservation of artifacts and educational programming. Eligible recipients include Virginia non-profits, educational institutions, and state recognized Virginia Indian tribes.

The Fund was made possible through the generosity of Dominion Energy and others. “The Commonwealth History Fund has quickly become one of the best tools we have as your state history museum to support history education and preservation efforts taking place in your local community,” said VMHC President and CEO Jamie Bosket. “We are so very thankful for this opportunity to invest in the work of our fellow history organizations, now and for years to come.”

We are incredibly honored to be one of the eleven compelling projects chosen to receive funding from the Commonwealth History Fund. Through this amazing opportunity, we will be able to give back to our communities by implementing a project that will help us to continue telling the story of Virginia and have a lasting impact on future generations.

The Lincoln Preservation Foundation plans to use this funding to replace the original 138-year-old roof of an endangered African American church site, addressing its urgent structural issues and safety concerns. The roof reconstruction project is a critical step forward in completing the bricks-and-mortar restoration of the historic structure and will allow interior work to begin.

The Grace Heritage Site, originally known as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, is in the small Quaker village of Lincoln, in western Loudoun County. Lincoln lies within the Goose Creek Historic District, a mostly rural landscape that consists of almost 10,000 acres.

In 1982, the Goose Creek Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area was first settled by Quakers who opposed slavery. It had strong Underground Railroad activity and a large Black population. Lincoln Preservation Foundation, working along with the descendant community, is dedicated to saving this important landmark and cultural resource. The Grace Heritage Site is a Loudoun County treasure that, despite the test of time, still has much to teach us about the African American story. 

More information on The Commonwealth History Fund can be found at VirginiaHistory.org/HistoryFund.