Who is eligible to apply for a Preserving Black Churches grant, an initiative of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund?

Eligible applicants for a Preserving Black Churches grant include historic Black churches with active and non-active congregations; 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations stewarding a historic Black church with or without an active congregation; and public agencies.

Are only historic Black church buildings eligible to apply for funding?

Yes. Historic Black church buildings are eligible to receive grants in all funding categories. Historic cemeteries owned by a historic Black church are only eligible under Project Planning. Funding for capital projects for historic cemeteries is available through the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) National Grant Program.

Can we apply for Preserving Black Churches and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund National Grant Program?

Yes. Grant recipients of the AACHAF National Grant Program are eligible to apply for a grant from Preserving Black Churches. However, the existing AACHAF grantee must submit the application under a different funding category than previously awarded. For example, an AACHAF grant recipient of Capital Projects funding is not eligible to apply to Preserving Black Churches for a Capital Projects grant, and should apply through a new funding category such as Project Planning, etc.

Can we apply for Preserving Black Churches and the National Fund for Sacred Places?

Yes. Eligible applicants can apply to National Fund for Sacred Places and Preserving Black Churches. However, funding received from other National Trust programs, including the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund's Preserving Black Churches and the National Grant Program, cannot be used to match grants from National Fund for Sacred Places.

What is a historic Black church?

For the purposes of Preserving Black Churches, a historic Black church is defined as one or more of the following:

• A historic religious building built and erected by a Black congregation, continuously occupied by active Black congregations;
• A historic religious building designed and/or constructed by Black architects/builders, occupied by an active Black congregation, or repurposed for public programming;
• A historic religious building not originally built by or for a Black congregation, but continuously occupied by an active Black congregation for at least 50 years;
• Active historic Black congregations that are a part of historic religious denominations including, but not limited to, African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ), the Baptist Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME), Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Episcopal Church, Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, Catholic Church, non-denominational.

What is an active congregation?

For the purposes of Preserving Black Churches, active congregations are those which hold regular worship services and/or conduct public programming from a historic Black church building (defined above).

Does my historic Black church need to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places or designated as a local landmark to apply for a Preserving Black Churches grant?

No. It is not required for properties to be formally listed or designated as historic to apply. But a special emphasis will be placed on sites that have had a prominent physical and/or historical place in their community. If you are interested in learning whether your historic church is listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, contact your State Historic Preservation Office.

Is Preserving Black Churches open to applicants of all faith traditions?

Applications from non-Christian faiths will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For more information, contact blackchurches@savingplaces.org.

Is a match required for Preserving Black Churches grants?

Yes and no. Matching funds are not required for the following funding categories: Capital Projects, Project Planning, Programming and Interpretation, and Organizational Capacity Building and Operations. (While matching funds are not required, projects that are leveraging additional investments are strongly preferred.) Matching funds are required for the Endowment and Financial Sustainability funding category.

Can I ask for reimbursement for work that has already taken place?

No. Work that has been completed prior to receiving a grant award is not eligible for funding.

What types of projects are eligible for funding from Preserving Black Churches?

Eligible applicants can apply in the following funding categories: Capital Projects, Project Planning, Programming and Interpretation, Organizational Capacity Building and Operations, and Endowment and Financial Sustainability. Eligibility under each funding category depends on the applicant and type of project. For details on funding categories, view the Preserving Black Churches grant guidelines.

Can Preserving Black Churches grant funds be used for staffing and technology needs?

Preserving Black Churches provides funding to support organizational capacity building and operations. The grants are intended to support creation of new staff positions that directly support the preservation and stewardship of historic Black church buildings. Funding cannot be used to support clergy or religious staff. Grant funds can be used to support technological needs associated with non-religious programming and historic interpretation.

Can Preserving Black Churches grant funds be used for worship-related building elements?

No. Individual sanctuary elements intended solely to enhance the worship space or worship experience (i.e., replacement of altars, pipe organ restoration or replacement, repair, and replacement of pulpit furniture, etc.) are not eligible to receive funding. Repair and restoration of historic sanctuary features might be eligible if a part of a larger capital project and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Can you provide examples of successful Preserving Black Churches applications or projects?

Yes. Please check out our 2023 grantees.

Are ADA accessibility projects eligible for Preserving Black Churches?

Yes. Projects to improve accessibility of historic Black church buildings are eligible. Projects seeking capital funding should have completed all necessary planning (engineering and architectural) prior to the submittal of an application. If planning is not complete, applicants are encouraged to apply for project planning funding.

Are mechanical projects eligible for Preserving Black Churches?

Yes. Mechanical projects, include electrical and HVAC, are eligible under the Capital Projects and Project Planning categories.

Are stained-glass window repair projects eligible for Preserving Black Churches?

Yes. Projects repairing original architectural features are eligible under the Capital Projects and Project Planning categories.

Can I use Preserving Black Churches grant funds to repair our historic pipe organ?

Yes and no. Work solely focused on elements created to enhance the worship space or worship experience will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please email blackchurches@savingplaces.org for guidance prior to submitting an application.

Are parsonages, annexes, and education buildings eligible for Preserving Black Churches funding?

The building must be located directly adjacent to the historic Black church. Please email blackchurches@savingplaces.org for guidance prior to submitting an application.

Which projects are eligible for the Endowment and Financial Sustainability category?

Endowment and Financial Sustainability grants can only be used for increasing or creating a new preservation endowment for a historic Black church. All funding must be invested in a preservation endowment and cannot be used for fundraising or capital campaign planning or project management. If awarded, funding will not be released for investment until proof of the 1:1 match is provided. For more information on the Endowment and Financial Sustainability category, visit the Preserving Black Churches grant guidelines.

How do we apply for a Preserving Black Churches grant?

Interested applicants must submit an application through the National Trust’s online grant application system, by the deadline, or they will not be reviewed.

Can we submit applications for multiple projects for Preserving Black Churches?

Eligible applicants can submit one application under each funding category. However, if selected, only one application will be funded.

Can multiple people work on the application for Preserving Black Churches?

Yes and no. Only one email address can be linked to an application, but you can use the collaborate feature from the application to invite others to review, edit, and/or submit the application. You can learn more about that process via this tutorial.

Can I see a copy of the Preserving Black Churches application questions? How do I submit an application?

You may only submit an application through our online grants system. Applications and/or additional information submitted by email, phone, or physical letters will NOT be considered. A copy of the application questions may be viewed here.

Note that between the “Project” and “Historic Resource Information” questions, each project category has a section of specific questions. For example, if you are filling out a Capital Project application, you will see the questions under that section, but not the questions for any of the other categories when you are filling out the application within the grants system.

What is the historic resource?

The historic resource is the historic Black church building/site. All eligible projects must be connected to a historic Black church as defined above. Please include the name and location of the building or site in the “Historic Resource Information” section of the application.

Do I need to upload a budget, church financial paperwork, or project planning documents with the Preserving Black Churches application?

Yes. All required information is indicated in the application and must be included in order to submit.

Will Preserving Black Churches applicants or recipients be required to have a UEI or active SAM/CAGE registration?

No. The National Trust is a nonprofit organization, not a federal agency.

I can’t find my church’s Letter of Determination from the IRS. Can I still apply for Preserving Black Churches?

Yes, you can still apply. If you have an EIN, please list that. If you do not, we may follow up later in the process to confirm your tax status.

When I tried to set up an account in the grants system, it said the EIN I put in was already in the system. What do I do?

There could be a couple of reasons for this notification. If you have previously submitted a grant request to the National Trust, an account might exist for your entity. If this is the case, contact actionfundgrants@savingplaces.org to reset the account. Also, some denominations share one tax ID (EIN) between several churches, so that may be why this message has shown up. If this is the case, click past the message and set up a new account.