Garcitas Community Preservation Project Selected for Mellon Funded Out(sider) Preservation Initiative Grant at UVA Center for Cultural Landscapes

The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative (OPI), founded by Dr. Andrea Roberts and supported by the Mellon Foundation announces the recipients of its second grant cycle. Housed within the Center for Cultural Landscapes, OPI advances research, education, and grantmaking that support descendant-centered approaches to Black placemaking and preservation. Selected from a highly competitive pool of 100 applications, this year’s eight grantees represent community-rooted projects led by descendants, artists, educators, and local leaders preserving and activating Black historic settlements in Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, and California.

Members of this year’s grantee cohort were selected for their deep connections to place, their capacity to facilitate descendant return and revitalization, and their commitment to preservation as a living practice. From family land and historic Black settlements to churches, gathering spaces, and migration routes, the projects reflect the many ways communities continue to care for places that carry history, identity, and belonging. Each initiative is grounded in local knowledge and shaped by the people most closely connected to the stories being shared.