Announced publicly today, SICARS received a small grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The announcement is part of $3 million in grants awarded to 40 sites and organizations. The award will help SICARS achieve our mission of protecting and preserving Geechee culture on Sapelo Island. Developers and gentrification have long threatened Gullah Geechee land and cultural heritage. This grant will help seed a new emergency fund—known as the Gullah Geechee Legal Defense Fund—to assist Gullah property owners with retaining land ownership and fight forced sales from rising taxes and speculative investors.

The Action Fund program is run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The program’s goal is to “advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes that represent African American cultural heritage.” It has awarded 105 organizations with over $7.3 million over the past four years.