The W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation (WEBDBMF) has announced a four-year, $5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the restoration of the final home and resting place of W.E.B. Du Bois in Accra, Ghana, and the preservation of his library.

The grant provides leadership funds in phase one of the museum’s restoration and to develop plans for an expanded museum and academic research center. Projects include the restoration of the bungalow where Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, lived, and the preservation of academic gowns, textiles, artifacts, and the 1,500 books and papers that Du Bois brought to Ghana as part of his work to complete the Encyclopedia Africana.

“The W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation is gratified to have the faith, confidence, and partnership of the Mellon Foundation,” said WEBDBMF executive director Japhet Aryiku. “With this award, WEBDBMF-Ghana will undertake and complete the first phase of our work in Accra in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism Art and Culture to ensure that Du Bois’s home, resting place, and library are preserved to inspire future generations.”

(Photo credit: Flickr/GPA Photo Archive)