National Trust for Historic Preservation: Return to home page

The 100,000+ historic houses of worship across America play a crucial role in shaping the character of our communities. They are valuable parts of communities, and many are works of art whose beauty and history make them irreplaceable elements of our national cultural heritage. Yet though the structures are considered icons of stability, today congregations of every faith face challenges in stewarding their historic houses of worship.

To ensure that America’s sacred places continue to serve their communities’ material and spiritual needs, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has joined Partners for Sacred Places and the Lilly Endowment to establish the National Fund for Sacred Places.

This collaboration builds on decades of work by Partners for Sacred Places helping congregations use their facilities to strengthen, serve, and celebrate their communities for the common good. As the nation’s leading preservation organization, the National Trust lends 60 years of advocacy and grant-making experience to preserve America’s diverse history.

Through the National Fund, Partners for Sacred Places provides planning grants, technical assistance, and capacity-building support, while the National Trust provides preservation expertise and capital grants up to $250,000 to help congregations restore and preserve historic places of worship.

With renewed funding by Lilly, by 2023 the National Trust and Partners for Sacred Places will have provided $20 million in capital grants to about 100 recipients, with another $7 million in planning grants and direct support provided by Partners for Sacred Places. This grantmaking has resulted in more than $2 leveraged for every grant dollar invested in participating congregations.

Historic houses of worship, from prairie churches to urban synagogues, are the bedrocks that continue to sustain us as a people, uniting us in service and celebration. Together, we can protect them for generations to come. Learn more, apply for funding, or sign up for the e-newsletter at the National Fund for Sacred Places website.