The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund on Monday announced the recipients of funds from the Preserving Black Churches program.
The program will present $8.5 million to 30 churches in 19 states, contributing significantly to preserving Black churches throughout the nation.
“As the oldest institutions created and controlled by African Americans, Black Churches are a living testament to the achievements and resiliency of generations in the face of a racialized and inequitable society, the AACHAF said on a webpage dedicated to its work.
Grants range from $50,000 to $500,000, according to the National Trust. The money must be used for critical preservation work, which can include hands-on structural renovations as well as planning for renovations or other care of the structures.
Those planning activities can include programming and interpretation, capacity building, and project planning.
The grant recipients cross denominations, including Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, AME and Methodist churches. The Charlotte, N.C.-based AME Zion Church Inc. denomination is expected to use its grant money to establish an endowment to assist AME Zion churches throughout the country with preservation assistance.
This year’s grants also reach two churches with longstanding national profiles, including GLIDE Memorial Church in San Francisco, which has been one of the nation’s most left-wing churches for more than 60 years; and Atlanta’s West Hunter Street Baptist Church, once pastored by the Civil Rights hero Rev. Ralph David Abernathy.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund established the program for preserving Black churches in 2023 as an acknowledgement of the churches’ historical significance and the importance of the work they do in their communities. The program began with $60 million backed by Lilly Endowment Inc.
“Foundational to Black religious, political, economic, and social life, Black churches continue to inform and shape Black identity today. They serve as houses of worship, safe havens, social centers, and cultural laboratories, and provide vital social services that uplift their communities,” the program’s website reads.
The 2025 round is the largest in the program’s history, according to the National Trust.
In addition to it work on long-term preservation projects, the Preserving Black Churches program also provides emergency grants to address needs such as fire damage, water infiltration, natural disasters, and more.
See the complete list of recipients at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website.
