Financial Sponsorship

Identifying, Preserving, Digitizing, and Sharing African American-Related Records and Research Resources

Large amounts of records, resources, and research materials that document the histories of enslaved people as well as free people of color have not been cataloged or digitized by cultural heritage institutions in the United States. The IAAM and the Center for Family History recognize that this work remains an important priority. Our goal is to facilitate complete access to rare African American genealogical and historical records and resources online - and to learn and encourage ways for collecting organizations to build capacity for this kind of work.

Digitizing large numbers of records - like the United States Colored Troops Pension Application, Revolutionary War Land Bounty Records & Pension Applications, Plantation account ledgers, etc. - is an expensive endeavor.  

This new iteration of the longstanding program funds projects to digitize materials that deepen public understanding of the histories of people of color and other communities and populations whose work, experiences, and perspectives have been insufficiently recognized or unattended. By funding a cohort of academic, independent, and community-based organizations to digitize now-unavailable or underutilized collections, the Center for Family History aspires to cultivate broad recognition of the value of creating access to resources that document historically marginalized people to spur and inform the advancement of social justice and the preservation of African American history.

For more information about how to support our digital preservation work, please email cfh@iaamuseum.org.