GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) — The W.E.B. Du Bois sculpture project of Great Barrington has announced a matching grant in funding for a statue to be built in front of the Mason Public Library.

Anne Fredericks and Marc Fasteau will match $7,500 in donations during the month of February to honor the Great Barrington native and civil rights scholar. He was also the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard and is the founder of the NAACP.

“How wonderful that we can celebrate Du Bois’ 155^th birthday with this generous grant from Anne and Marc,” said Julie Michaels, Chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project. “It means that all donations, up to $7,500, that are made to the Project during February will be matched and doubled.”

Funds will go toward creating a life-size bronze sculpture of Du Bois who will be seated on a marble bench in front of the Mason Public Library. To date, the DuBois Sculpture Project has raised more than $100,000 toward its $325,000 goal.