Network of Rosenwald Schools
Reconnecting Rosenwald Schools
In November 2025, the Campaign received a three-year grant from the Mellon Foundation for a project to develop a strategic plan for a network of Rosenwald Schools and begin implementing it. The project came about as a result of the Campaign’s observation that many Rosenwald School support groups have minimal interactions with other support groups on issues such as restoration, interpretation, and coordination of events and activities such as educating people about the important history of the schools.
As the first step in the project, the Campaign created an 11-member Advisory Committee to oversee and provide guidance on the process. The committee consists of six people with direct stewardship connections to existing Rosenwald Schools (in Virginia, Texas, South Carolina, and Maryland), plus experts on Rosenwald Schools and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, representatives of the National Parks Conservation Association, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.
The Committee held its first meeting in April 2026 in Washington, DC. The group discussed topics including the Campaign’s interactive map and database of existing Rosenwald Schools, how the National Underground Railroad Network might serve as an example for developing a network of Rosenwald Schools, and the activities involved in restoring and maintaining a Rosenwald School. The Committee then developed initial concepts for the Network’s mission, goals, activities, composition, and structure.
To gain more input on potential support for a network of Rosenwald Schools and what it could entail, the Committee developed a survey and hopes to receive feedback from one or more representatives of 10 to 11 additional school support groups and at least one group for a school (or collection of schools ) that no longer exists. The first set of questions in the survey pertain to the school and its current status, followed by questions about the proposed Network, National Historical Park, and potential events.
Once all the surveys have been conducted, the Campaign will evaluate the information gathered and submit it to the Advisory Committee to further develop the Network’s mission, goals, activities, composition, and structure of a possible network of Rosenwald Schools.
The Campaign is planning to host a Convening of Rosenwald School support groups and other interested parties in the fall of 2027. If there is significant support for a Network of Rosenwald Schools, a strategic plan will be implemented following the Convening.