The Apollo Theater in Harlem will restore its signature marquee and advance a broader renovation after receiving a preservation grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
According to USA Today, the award is part of nearly $3 million in funding distributed to 25 Black American landmarks—ranging from theaters and museums to cemeteries—with individual grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000.
For the Apollo Theater, which was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2024 and has shaped U.S. entertainment for over 90 years, the Action Fund’s $100,000 grant supports marquee restoration, lobby expansion, sound system upgrades, and improvements to HVAC and lighting systems.
It will also help modernize the café and retail space as part of the venue’s $65 million renovation. This is Apollo’s first full-scale overhaul, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2026. Performances will continue at the nearby Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater during construction.
Michelle Ebanks, the Apollo’s president and CEO, said the funding is meaningful both financially and symbolically, noting that Black historic places often face underfunding or a lack of visibility.
Brent Leggs, the Action Fund’s executive director and senior vice president of the National Trust, underscored the theater’s cultural significance, calling the Apollo Theater “a shrine to Black artistic genius” and emphasizing the goal of ensuring the venue thrives for the next century.
Other recipients include the Jewel Theater in Oklahoma City, which received $100,000 to restore its exterior. The long-vacant venue once served Black audiences during segregation and is considered a crucial piece of the city’s cultural heritage.
Since 2018, the Action Fund has awarded $45 million to 380 projects nationwide. Recent efforts include a $1 million grant to Memphis’s Clayborn Temple Church following an April fire, new descendant- and family-led stewardship grants for sites like the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum in Chicago and Clemmons Family Farm in Vermont and Conserving Black Modernism awards for buildings such as McKenzie Hall at the University of Oregon and the Interdenominational Theological Center’s administration building in Atlanta.