They dumped us!

And just like that, the federal government reneged on a $30,000 commitment to TCLF.

On Friday evening, May 2, 2025, at 7:33 PM ET, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) informed TCLF by email that it had cancelled its commitment to provide $30,000 to support the expansion of its What’s Out There Guide to African American Cultural Landscapes. This a popular initiative the NEA had previously funded and a recipient of a prestigious 2024 National Honor Award in Communications from the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Losing a $30,000 NEA grant is significant. TCLF honored its commitment by securing the required matching funds, and undertaking the work in earnest, but now, critical arts funding has been stripped/withdrawn.

The NEA has supported TCLF’s work repeatedly over the past two decades, through multiple administrations; indeed, they have been a vital partner, which has inspired others to give. But TCLF can no longer count on federal support.

Your help is needed now more than ever before. Please consider making a targeted gift to TCLF’s What’s Out There Guide to African American Cultural Landscapes, to elevate the visibility and value of this fragile, rich, and interwoven cultural landscape legacy that is American history.