SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program is encouraging Indiana residents who identify as Black or African American to apply for their college scholarships and internships this spring. 

Two $10,000 scholarships are up for grabs for any and all African American Indiana students who are current graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate students, or post-graduates.

The scholarships aim to cover education-related expenses such as tuition at any accredited college or university and will be awarded for the 2025-26 school year.

Preference will be given to students majoring in history, public history, African/African American studies, archaeology/anthropology, preservation, conservation, city planning, landscape architecture, and journalism.

The application for these two scholarships can be found on the Indiana Landmarks scholarship website. The deadline to apply is May 2. 

On top of these two scholarship opportunities, the Black Heritage Preservation Program is also offering two full-time paid internship positions for summer 2025. Interns will be paid $22.50 an hour with 37.5 hour work weeks lasting 11 weeks. 

Again, eligible applicants include graduating high school seniors, undergraduates and graduate students as well as post-graduates dedicated to pursuing preservation careers. 

The application for these two internships can be found on the Indiana Landmarks internship website. The deadline to apply is May 2.

The Black Heritage Preservation Program's main goal is to "recognize Black heritage by identifying places that should be listed in the National Register of Historic Places and seeking to expand the definition of those eligible for designation to include places where little or no physical evidence remains." according to Indiana Landmarks. 

The program is funded by a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., generous commitments and donations from private donors as well as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

Based in South Bend, the Northern Regional Office of Indiana Landmarks serves 14 counties by working with individuals and groups to save historic places and offering restoration advice.

Most recently the Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program task force in South Bend identified a local Black heritage site in need of some support.

"Members of Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program task force in South Bend have identified preserving the West Side Recreation Club as a priority," the organization said. "A new owner purchased the building a year ago hoping to reuse it, but years of previous owners’ neglect have endangered the building. It needs swift investment and a plan for reuse before it’s lost, a fate already met by too many other Black heritage sites around the state."