Black Churches Receive 8.5 Million in Historic Preservation Grants
Thirty-three Black churches, including the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, received $8.5 million in preservation grants on February 25, 2026. The funding comes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
Thirty-three Black churches received $8.5 million in preservation grants on February 25, 2026. The funding is part of the fourth annual round of grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a $60 million initiative supported by Lilly Endowment.
Among the recipients are the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which received $300,000 for organizational and capacity building, and Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, which received $100,000 for programming and interpretation. Both churches hold deep significance in American civil rights history.
Other notable recipients include Iglesia San Mateo de Cangrejos in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which received $500,000 for repairs after Hurricane Maria damage, and Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ in New Haven, Connecticut, which received $400,000 for stained-glass window restoration.
Grants range from $50,000 to $500,000 and support capital projects, programming, and interpretation. The program has now supported 170 churches with nearly $34 million since its launch.
Pastor Sean Jarrett of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which received a $200,000 grant in March 2026, said Black churches are often the largest owners of Black land in America. "Preserving these churches ensures the continuation of their prophetic witness," he said.
The Episcopal News Service reported that the grants reflect a growing national effort to protect Black religious institutions, which have served as centers of faith, education, and community organizing for generations.
