Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership launches Black Experiences Grant Program
From the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership
Historic Route 66 turns 100 years old in 2026, but the party has already started! The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is leading efforts of the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission by kicking off the Mother Road’s birthday celebration with the Route 66 Black Experiences Grant Program. As part of the Route 66 Centennial Commission’s Party With a Purpose, the grant program is one of the first in a series of "birthday gifts” to be given to Route 66 over the next several years.
The Road Ahead was awarded a $250,000 grant by American Express to provide direct grants to help Black owned and/or operated businesses and attractions, and to support research and programs designed to interpret and tell the stories of Black experiences associated with Route 66. The Route 66 Black Experiences Grant Program is part of the Road Ahead’s broader effort to celebrate the road’s Centennial by helping the millions of people who live, work, and travel along Route 66 through projects focused on preservation, promotion, research/education, and the economic development of Route 66.
Commissioned in 1926 and decommissioned in 1985, Route 66 continues to attract both domestic and international travelers. Funds raised by the Road Ahead become part of its Visionary Fund used to award grants through a Route 66 Centennial Grants Program.
Applications for The Black Experiences Grant Program are being accepted through March 4, 2022 and are available at route66roadahead.org.
New rounds of the Route 66 Black Experiences Grant Program will continue annually through 2026. For more information on the program overall, click here.
Established in 2016, with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments' Fund, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership’s mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research and education, and economic development.
Contact:
Bill Thomas, Chairman
Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership
rt66theroadahead@gmail.com
(217) 648-5077
