We are honored to announce that AARCH Society has received a $5,000 IDEA grant from the Ausherman Family Foundation. Funding will support three key projects under the AARCH Society’s Living Treasures Program – an initiative which honors and celebrates Frederick County, Maryland seniors, aged 90 and above, by collecting, preserving, and sharing their stories to provide a richer understanding of our community’s history. The projects include: producing a follow-up to the documentary “Tale of Lion,” which premiered at Frederick’s Weinberg Center for the Arts in 2018, publishing a new edition of AARCH Society’s Living Treasures Cookbook, and supporting our annual Living Treasures Banquet. We are grateful for our partnership with the Ausherman Family Foundation and for their ongoing support of our Mission and operations.

The Living Treasures Program uses oral histories to further the AARCH Society’s mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing the African American history of Frederick County. The Living Treasures are living repositories of African American culture, traditions, and history. Our goal is for their stories to inspire, educate, and connect the community in profound ways. As one of our major initiatives, this program not only remembers the past, but ensures that experiences, culture, and traditions are passed down through generations. The Living Treasures Program will be a significant part of the exhibits and programs offered in the AARCH Society’s African American Heritage Center, benefiting students, the community, and visitors, which will open in 2025.
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AARCH Society is pleased to announce that it has been approved for a $50,000 reparations grant from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

We are honored to be one of five organizations that met the criteria for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland’s Reparations Program, which supports organizations and programs that have a proven history of restoring and building up Black and African American communities. Recipients will be honored in an Awards Ceremony at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 18th.

Reparations Grant Project

Aligned to The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Reparations Fund Grant goals of reconciliation and consciously historical education, the “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” project will provide engaging programs to the local and regional community about Frederick County’s African American cemeteries through initiatives that will become an embedded part of AARCH Society’s educational outreach:

• The Heritage Center permanent exhibit will feature the evolution and historical context of African American cemeteries and burials in Frederick City and county.
• Pop-up and travelling exhibits will engage diverse audiences about known and still being discovered cemeteries and efforts to preserve them.
• A Virtual/Interactive Exhibit on the AARCH Society website will feature illustrated and interchangeable displays, essays about African American cemeteries, including interviews with descendants and diverse stakeholders about preservation efforts, and equally important, the human stories and histories associated with these sacred places. An interactive Story Map will engage and educate users/visitors.

We are extremely grateful to the Episcopal Diocese for this support of AARCH Society’s work to celebrate, educate, and enlighten current and future generations on the rich contributions and history of African Americans in Frederick County, Maryland.

Spring 2024 Grants for AARCH Society

The African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society (AARCH Society) is honored to announce three grants in 2024 that support our mission to educate, enlighten, and enrich current and future generations on the rich contributions of Frederick County’s African Americans.

Omnibus Spending Bill Grant

AARCH Society has received grant funding from the federal government to support efforts to provide community, national and global access to 200 years of African American life in Frederick County, Md., through digitizing portions of our historical collection. We are grateful for the support of Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) who supported the award of $162,000 through the fiscal year 2024 Omnibus Spending bill. Learn more here.

Reparations Grant

AARCH Society has secured a 2024 grant for $50,000 from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland’s Reparations Program. We are honored to be one of five organizations chosen as this year’s recipients. The program is open to applicants within the Diocese’s region of service that “have a proven history of doing the work of restoring African American and Black communities.” Learn more here.

Equity and Inclusion Splash Grant

The City of Frederick has awarded AARCH Society $30,000 to support virtual exhibits and displays about civil rights and activism. These funds will support the AARCH Society’s plans and installations at the African American Heritage Center slated to open in 2025 at 125 All Saint’s Street in the historic district of Frederick, Md. The City of Frederick is a valued partner of the AARCH Society, and we are deeply appreciative of the numerous ways they have supported our Heritage Center efforts.

FirstEnergy Foundation Grant

AARCH Society was awarded $10,000 from the FirstEnergy Foundation. These grant funds support education initiatives and local and regional economic development in Frederick County, Md., including tourism. The Foundation’s vision is to invest in transformative organizations that enhance the vitality, sustainability and diversity of the communities it serves. AARCH Society is grateful for FirstEnergy Foundation’s continued support of our work to celebrate and educate others on the diverse cultures that have contributed to Frederick, Md., through the centuries.

Grants are an important way that AARCH Society is working toward opening the African American Heritage Center, Frederick County’s first museum and educational center dedicated to the history and contributions made by Black citizens of Frederick County, MD.

$162K Grant for Archival Digitization

Sens. Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen Secured Funds 

FREDERICK, MD –   The African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society (AARCH Society) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded direct federal funding to support its efforts to provide community, national, and global access to 200 years of African American history in Frederick and Frederick County through digital and virtual content.

Society will receive $162,000, requested and secured by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.), through the fiscal year 2024 Omnibus Spending bill passed by Congress to digitize portions of its historical collection for public access and engagement.

Empowering future generations 

“Preserving and digitizing cultural objects and materials is a key objective of our Collections Management plan,” says Cheryl Renée Gooch, Executive Director of the AARCH Society. “Working with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on this project, AARCH Society will encourage public engagement by making this material available online. By sharing the intriguing history of African American life and history in Frederick County from the early and colonial periods to the present, we are fulfilling a central part of our mission to educate and empower current and future generations about our shared history.”

“Maryland is at the center of so much of America’s history, and it’s critical that we share the stories of our past to learn the valuable lessons they hold and honor the contributions of Marylanders. We secured this funding so that the AARCH Society can now digitize its records and publish them online, making Frederick County’s deep African American history and culture accessible to all and preserving them for generations to come,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Frederick, MD, African American Heritage Center

The AARCH Society was incorporated in 2009. It is currently securing funding for The African American Heritage Center at 125 All Saint’s Street in Frederick, Md., which is slated to open in 2025. The 3,200 square feet museum will house the core exhibit “Our Journey, Our Stories” reflecting the life and history of African Americans in Frederick County.

When the Frederick African American Heritage Center opens, visitors of all ages from around the region and nation will enter a dynamic hub of activity that tells the compelling stories and history of African Americans in Frederick County.

Here, you can undertake research, learn about and experience cultural objects highlighted through permanent and changing exhibitions, as well as educational and multidisciplinary programs that enrich and transform. Learn more about the AARCH Society Heritage Center here.

The African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society is pleased to announce that the Ausherman Family Foundation has awarded our organization an IDEA grant in the amount of $5,000. The funds will be spent on supporting African American music programming in 2024.

The Ausherman Family Foundation’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Aligned Grants Committee seeks to understand and support community needs in Frederick County by working with Black-led non-profits to provide grant funding and support such as ongoing coaching, capacity building, and mentorship.

AARCH Society is grateful to the Ausherman Family Foundation’s ongoing support and partnership, as well as the support we receive from all of our valued partners.

AARCH Society is pleased to announce new grant support from Frederick County, the State of Maryland, Ausherman Family Foundation, and First Energy.

AARCH Society Grants Fall 2023

• In late August, the Rural Maryland Commission awarded $313,928 from its Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund to support construction of the Heritage Center site – located at Carroll and All Saint’s Streets – furnishings and equipment, and exhibit production.
• The Frederick County Tourism Council awarded $19,396 in two separate TRIPP Grants to be used for tourism promotion and development.
• First Energy awarded $10,000 to support the many educational and community programs conducted by AARCH Society.
• Ausherman Family Foundation awarded $5,000 of administrative support for AARCH Society; this is in addition to $25,000 awarded earlier to support the establishment of our Executive Director position filled in September by Dr. Cheryl R. Gooch.

“We continue to be honored at the faith our partners are demonstrating in our work to bring Frederick County’s only African American-focused museum to life,” says AARCH Society President Protean Gibril. “We are grateful for their support in making this important work a reality in 2024.”

In April, Frederick County recommended a Community Partnership Grant in the amount of $25,000 be awarded to AARCH Society, which was approved by the Frederick County Council in May. Funds will support our work to open Frederick’s first African American museum, the Heritage Center, in 2024.

In July, AARCH Society was awarded $47,500 in funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to support the installation of exhibits at our African American Heritage Center, planned for 2024. Grant funds support heritage tourism projects and activities that attract visitors and expand economic development and tourism-related jobs throughout Maryland.

Also in July, we received a $10,000 Community Promotion Grant from the City of Frederick to support our work to open the Heritage Center. Mayor Michael O’Connor presented a ceremonial check to AARCH Society’s Protean Gibril, Rose Chaney, and Barbara Thompson.

Finally, in August,  AARCH Society was part of a Senate Appropriations bill that, once approved, would bring $162,000 in funds to AARCH Society. If secured, the funds will be put toward digitizing and preserving the Society’s archival items. The $10 million bill seeks to provide funds for community-led projects in the state of Maryland and was put forward by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin.

We are, as always, profoundly grateful for the support we continue to receive through our private, government, and charitable foundation partners. Grants and donations provide critical support that allows us to serve community members and visitors of all ages and cultural backgrounds who are interested in learning about and sharing their stories about African American history and heritage in Frederick County.

AARCH Society is honored to announce the following new grants that have been received by our organization for 2023.

• In December, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Financing Fund awarded a $35,000 grant. Frederick County will partner with AARCH Society to create an African American Historic Context Study of Frederick County. This work will expand on the completed Phase I, which involved a context statement and survey of Black resources in northern Frederick County. The proposed project will focus on identifying and researching historic and cultural themes to create a more comprehensive picture of the African American experience in Frederick County.
• Also in December, Ausherman Family Foundation awarded AARCH Society $3,000 for the production of a documentary of Greenmount Cemetery, an African American cemetery that was located at the current site of Frederick Health.
• In November, Maryland Humanities awarded AARCH Society a $10,000 SHINE grant for our work spotlighting the culture and history of Frederick County African Americans.
• Also in November, FirstEnergy Foundation awarded AARCH Society $3,000 to support programming.

In July, AARCH Society received a $50,000 grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, which will help support exhibit design for the planned African American Heritage Center. The grants are for heritage tourism projects and activities in the state.

“Our administration is proud that this funding will allow for 107 projects to move forward and congratulate Maryland’s Heritage Areas and their tourism partners for their support in changing Maryland for the better,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

AARCH Society is also extremely grateful for the ongoing support of the Frederick community, which continues to embrace our Mission and our goal to open the Frederick African American Heritage Center in 2023.

In June, the Community Service Fund of Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ awarded a $1,000 unrestricted grant to AARCH Society through the Community Foundation of Frederick County. That same month, The Isaiah Charles Brown Memorial Fund donated $500 in unrestricted funds to AARCH Society through the Community Foundation of Frederick County. This gift, made at the recommendation of Dr. Denise Rollins, as well as the Evangelical Reformed Church gift, will be utilized for operating and program costs at AARCH Society.

In July, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick (UUCF) chose AARCH Society as the recipient of its split-plate program, which donates half of a service’s collections to a local non-profit organization. AARCH Society President Protean Gibril presented to UUCF members earlier in the month. “We look forward to strengthening congregational support for the AARCH Society’s mission and working toward a community with justice for all,” said UCC member Carol Antoniewicz.

AARCH Society is grateful for this community support and partnership and has a special note of thanks for UUCF member Joe Ginorio, who composed a song in honor of AARCH Society: Listen to “Freedom Rings” here.

AARCH Society is pleased to announce that we have received a $25,000 grant from the Ausherman Family Foundation. The funds will be used in support of operations as we continue our work in the community and our goal to open The African American Resources and Cultural Heritage Center in downtown Frederick in 2023.

“The Ausherman Family Foundation has believed in AARCH Society from the beginning,” says Protean Gibril, AARCH President. “They are tremendous advocates of our Mission to preserve, share, and celebrate the history of African Americans in Frederick County both on an organizational level and an individual level through their trustees and staff.”

“Ausherman Family Foundation is proud to support AARCH Society in keeping with our Vision to make Frederick County a thriving community of vibrant spaces and places,” says Leigh Adams, Executive Director of the Foundation. “AARCH Society is ensuring that important voices and stories are added to the record of Frederick’s history and heard by future generations.”

AARCH Society serves community members and visitors of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in learning and sharing stories about local African American history and heritage through African American History Walking Tours of Frederick, AARCH Reads, Cemetery Preservation and Restoration, Living Treasures, educational programs, and more.