In recognition of their dedication and drive to saving, sharing, and studying history in Virginia, the Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center has received the Commonwealth History Fund grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC).
In 2025, the VMHC awarded more than $500,000 to Virginia-based historical societies, community centers, educational institutions, and state-recognized Indian tribes across the state. This is the fourth and largest grant cycle for the Commonwealth History Fund, which will see VMHC award more than $2 million over the first five years.
With support from the VMHC, the Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center will mount a new exhibition on the area’s Black history called “Living Legacies.” With extensive community involvement, this exhibit will bring together compelling objects, images and stories representing fundamental moments in local, state and national history.
“VMHC is proud to play a leading role in the enduring and far-reaching mission of saving and sharing Virginia’s history,” VMHC President and CEO Jamie Bosket said in a press release announcing the awards. “We are similarly proud to be able to provide meaningful financial support to our fellow history organizations — empowering great preservation and education efforts taking place in communities all across Virginia.”
As part of VMHC’s Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary initiative, and associated with the upcoming exhibition “Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation,” grant applications related to America’s semi-quincentennial were given special consideration, though this focus was not a requirement. More than 80 applications were submitted with requested funds totaling more than $5 million.
The full list of 2025 awardees includes the Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center, Historic Alexandria, Historic Richmond Foundation, Historic Staunton Foundation, Historical Society of Western Virginia (Roanoke), The JXN Project (Richmond), Monacan Nation Cultural Foundation (Amherst), Pamunkey Indian Tribe (King William), Toano Historical Society, Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (Ashland) and WHRO Public Media (Norfolk).
Virginia Tribes will be the focus of several funded projects including a documentary about Native identity in the 100 years since the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, an apprenticeship program to honor and preserve Monacan pottery and cultural traditions, and an exhibition focused on the voices of modern Indigenous people telling stories of westward expansion.
Two awardees will create dynamic educational materials for the public and classrooms featuring previously overlooked stories, including those of the American Revolution. African American history in the state will feature prominently in the engagements and exhibitions of multiple projects, while other organizations will focus on landmarks in their cities such as Alexandria City Hall, Monumental Church, the Cabell Log House and the Pamunkey Indian Museum and Cultural Center among others. More information about each recipient and the projects that were funded is available here.
Founded in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources in 2021 and with the support of Dominion Energy and others, the Commonwealth History Fund furthers VMHC’s mission to support and encourage meaningful history, education, and preservation projects throughout Virginia. Previous awards have funded preservation, publications, artifact acquisition, research, conservation of artifacts and educational programming.
