National Trust Awards $13.5 Million to Preserve Historically Black Churches
The National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded $13.5 million in 2026 through its Preserving Black Churches program, supporting 38 congregations across the country. The funding covers capital repairs, organizational capacity, and educational programming.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund awarded $13.5 million in 2026 to support historically Black churches through its Preserving Black Churches program.
The funding came in two phases. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Action Fund awarded $5 million to five churches, including the First African Baptist Church in South Carolina, Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Illinois, Second Baptist Church in California, Mother Bethel AME Church in Pennsylvania, and Brown Chapel AME Church in Alabama.
In February 2026, the fund awarded $8.5 million to 33 additional churches to address a range of preservation needs, from capital repairs to organizational capacity building and educational programming.
The Preserving Black Churches program is part of a $60 million initiative supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Grants range from $50,000 to $500,000 across five project types: capital projects, endowment and financial sustainability, organizational capacity, programming and interpretation, and project planning.
These churches have historically served as anchors for civil rights, education, and community organizing. Recipients include congregations like the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, and the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The program requires applicants to own historic properties at least 50 years old, with exceptions for sites of exceptional cultural significance.
