NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The Dew Drop Inn announced that they will receive $50,0000 in funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Green Book-listed music venue and hotel in Central City, where legends like Ray Charles and Little Richard performed, is currently being restored and planned to reopen in fall 2023.
The grant funding will support the development of dynamic historic exhibits which will be integrated throughout the Dew Drop Inn to ensure the venue’s rich legacy is shared with patrons.
“We are grateful to the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund for their support of the Dew Drop Inn and our dedication to telling stories of African American achievement and resilience,” said Curtis Doucette, owner and developer of the Dew Drop Inn. “This funding will allow us to cement the Dew Drop Inn’s legacy, not only through outstanding entertainment, but also through a commitment to history, culture, and community.”
“The Action Fund’s investment in and celebration of 40 historic African American places illustrates our belief that historic preservation plays an important role in American society,” said Brent Leggs, executive director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president, National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The history embodied in these places is emblematic of generational aspirations for freedom, the pursuit of education, a need for beauty and architecture, and joys of social life and community bonds. That’s why the Action Fund believes all Americans must see themselves and our shared history in this year’s grantee list if we are to create a culturally conscious nation.”
The Dew Drop Inn is one of 40 sites to receive a total of $3.8 million in grant funding to advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes that represent African American cultural heritage. With more than $91 million in funding, the Action Fund is the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places.
Since 2017, the Action Fund has received an unprecedented total of 5,638 funding proposals requesting $655 million, and since 2018, the Action Fund has supported 242 grantee projects through its investment of $20M.
To learn more about this program and this year’s grant recipients, visit savingplaces.org/actionfund.
For more information on the Dew Drop Inn, visit dewdropinnnola.com.
