Baylor University Awarded $2.48 Million Grant for Black Gospel Archive

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Baylor University has been awarded a $2.48 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative (RCII) to support a major expansion of the Black Gospel Archive (BGA) at Baylor University Libraries. The award represents one of the largest foundation gifts to support Baylor Libraries and will underwrite an expansion of the Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center, create a four-year concert series and hire staff positions beginning in 2025, in addition to several other important projects aimed at furthering the goals of the BGA.

“Lilly Endowment’s support for the next phase of the Black Gospel Archive represents a game-changing opportunity for the Baylor University Libraries,” said Jeffry Archer, dean of University Libraries, Museums and the Press at Baylor. “After 20 years of groundbreaking work to locate, preserve and make accessible America’s Black Gospel music heritage, this gift will propel the Black Gospel Archive to a new level of national visibility and further our understanding of the impact of African American worship on religious culture at large.”

The RCII’s purpose is to “support museums and other cultural institutions across the United States in developing exhibitions and educational programs that fairly and accurately portray the role of religion in the U.S. and around the world.” Baylor’s proposal outlines several keystone projects that made it a fit for the initiative, including:

• Expanding the Black Gospel Archive & Listening Center in Moody Memorial Library to include new instructional space and adding $200,000 in state-of-the-art exhibits;
• Establishing a series of concerts to be held in Waco, Detroit and Chicago between 2025 and 2028;
• Launching a fully searchable online version of the leading discography of Black Gospel music, with direct links to the Royce-Darden Collection; and
• Creating a traveling Black Gospel music exhibit for use by churches across the country.

Serving as the grant’s principal investigator, Darryl Stuhr, director for digitization and digital collection preservation services at Baylor Libraries, said Lilly Endowment’s generous support will provide the most significant expansion of the project, collection, archive and outreach. 

“We are grateful for their trust in the Baylor University Libraries, and we look forward to creating meaningful partnerships and collaborations that will further enrich our mission, preserving and disseminating America's rich Black cultural musical heritage,” Stuhr said.

The proposal team also includes:

• Stephen Newby, D.M.A., The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship in the Baylor School of Music, Professor of Music and ambassador for the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program;
• Eric Ames, associate director for advancement, exhibits and community engagement and lead grant writer, Baylor Libraries;
• Stephen Bolech, audio-visual digitization studio manager, Baylor Libraries; and
• Bethany Stewart, Ph.D., music librarian, Baylor Libraries.

On the importance of the grant’s impact on a marquee project of the BGA, Newby said, “Every great work is built upon the contributions of those who have gone on before us. The Baylor University Black Gospel Preservation Program has an amazing team that has worked diligently to bring this Lilly Endowment grant to fruition. 

“As we advance towards a bright future for our humanity flourishing, I look forward to our collaborations with current and new partnerships, taking Gospel music scholarship to the world. May God bless our words and deeds,” Newby said.

Baylor Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., added her appreciation for Lilly Endowment.

“The support of Lilly Endowment further demonstrates the great strides Baylor has made in recent years in terms of recognition for our unique approach as a faith-centered, R1 research institution,” she said. “We are thrilled that this gift will support the long-term goals of preserving and promoting Black sacred culture across the United States.”

More information about the latest grants made through the Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, including for Baylor Libraries, can be found on Lilly Endowment’s website.

ABOUT THE BAYLOR LIBRARIES’ BLACK GOSPEL ARCHIVE

The Black Gospel Archive (BGA) encompasses the Baylor Libraries’ numerous programs, projects, archival collections, and resources that identify, collect, preserve, and make accessible Black sacred materials. The BGA was born from the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program, a nationally recognized effort that, since its founding in 2005, has preserved and made publicly available thousands of Black Gospel recordings. Learn more about the BGA and its programs on the Baylor Libraries’ website. 

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.

ABOUT LILLY ENDOWMENT

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion.  A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.