The Atlanta-based National Center for Civil and Human Rights has announced a $1.5 million grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

The grant will support construction of the center's 42,000-square-foot facility, which is scheduled to open a year from now, on Memorial Day. In recognition of the grant, which brings to $2.5 million the total awarded by the Blank family in support of the project, the Civil Rights Gallery in the center, which will present the actions that individuals of all races took to secure the rights of African Americans, will be named after the foundation.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the center has raised enough money to complete the initial phase of construction. Other supporters of the project include the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, which recently was identified as the source of a $5.5 million grant; the Coca-Cola Foundation, which donated land for the center valued at between $8 million and $11 million and an additional $500,000 in cash; and several local businesses and organizations, including the Women's Solidarity Society, which pledged to raise $1 million in donations for the project.

"The Center for Civil and Human Rights will be one of Atlanta's premier attractions," Arthur Blank, founder and chairman of the Blank Family Foundation, told the Business Chronicle. "Through compelling, hands-on exhibitions, it will introduce future generations to the struggle for equal rights in the South, throughout the United States, and around the world. The Civil Rights Gallery exemplifies the spirit of Atlanta and embodies my family's values. We are honored to be a part of this legacy project."