The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced its first group of grant award recipients in conjunction with the newly established African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

A total of more than $1 million was awarded in the first round of grants supporting grass-roots efforts that preserves sites across the country.

The grants, announced this month in New Orleans at the Essence Music Festival, were given across four categories: capacity building, project planning, capital, and programming and interpretation.

Sixteen historic sites were included in the first round of grants, including the Grand Old Lady, a building in D.C.

The building, located at 1601 R Street NW, was purchased in 1954 by the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs Inc. (NACWC). From 1975 to 1985, the building was the home of the Foxtrappe, an elite nightclub for Blacks.

Actress and director Phylicia Rashad serves as an ambassador for the fund, a $25 million, multi-year national initiative.

For more information, go to www.savingplaces.org/ActionFund.