The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is awarding $8.5 million in grants to 30 historically Black Churches as a part of its third annual Preserving Black Churches (PBC) grant program. Having raised more than $150 million in total funding since its founding in 2017, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is the nation’s largest resource dedicated to preserving historic African American sites.

Historically Black Churches have long been cornerstones of their communities, serving as sanctuaries of faith, centers of social change, and symbols of resilience and cultural achievement. These sacred spaces have played a pivotal role in shaping American history, from advancing civil rights to fostering community empowerment.

“We are honored to support the ongoing legacies of these churches, which have stood at the forefront of social progress for generations,” said Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Fund. “This $8.5 million investment marks a critical step in safeguarding historically Black Churches as enduring symbols of faith, strength, and community leadership. By preserving them, we ensure that their powerful presence continues to live on in their communities and inspire future generations.”

The Preserving Black Churches program is a $60 million initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. that provides congregations with the funding and technical expertise needed to protect their historic assets and legacies. This year’s grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, will help congregations address urgent preservation challenges such as demolition threats, deferred maintenance, and structural issues, in addition to providing critical resources to help congregations strengthen their stewardship plans, enhance asset management, and grow fundraising capacity nationwide.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is expanding its efforts to preserve and sustain historically Black Churches during this third iteration of the Preserving Black Churches program. Sites selected for this year’s Preserving Black Churches grants include:

• The A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina: The African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church, a Christian denomination established in 1796, is known as “The Freedom Church” and has been a long-standing champion of abolition, civil rights, and spiritual empowerment. Its historic members include Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. Funding will help the AME Zion Church Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, NC, to establish a denomination-wide Preservation Endowment to ensure historic AME Zion churches across the country are preserved and maintained for future generations.
• Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community in Birmingham, Alabama: A National Historic Landmark, Historic Bethel Baptist Church was constructed in 1926 and is home to a congregation dating back to 1904. Under the leadership of Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Historic Bethel was instrumental to the Civil Rights Movement and is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the expansion of interpretation and programming using virtual and augmented reality to help visitors learn about the Civil Rights Era and Historic Bethel’s leadership role in the movement.
• St. Paul United AME Church in Birmingham, Alabama: Founded in 1869, St. Paul United Methodist Church was the site of the first mass meeting following the first major campaign to desegregate Birmingham’s public bus system. The church is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the development of interactive exhibits to tell the story of its role in civil rights activism in Alabama.
• Boynton Chapel Methodist Church in Houston, Texas: Boynton Chapel Methodist Church was founded in 1880 and has been a long-term fixture of Houston’s Third Ward community. The church’s current Midcentury Modern building was completed in 1958 and designed by Texas’ first licensed Black architect, John S. Chase. It was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2023. Funding will support several preservation projects to restore the church’s windows and masonry.
• First Congregational Church of Marion in Marion, Alabama: First Congregational Church of Marion was founded in 1869 by formerly enslaved people and the American Missionary Association. It is the oldest unaltered historically Black church remaining in Marion. The church was the first one led by Civil Rights Movement leader Rev. Andrew Young, who later became the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Funding will provide for critical repairs, including the stabilization of the church’s steeple, and accessibility and systems upgrades.
• New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan: Commissioned in 1961 by Rev. C.L. Franklin, father of musical icon Aretha Franklin’s father, New Bethel is a prominent site in Detroit’s civil rights history. Several significant events, including the planning of the 1963 Walk to Freedom, occurred at New Bethel. Funding will allow continued efforts to reverse the water damage the building has suffered.

See a full list of this year’s grantees below, press images are available via WeTransfer:

2025 Preserving Black Churches Grantees

Alabama

• Historic Bethel Baptist Church – Birmingham, AL
  A National Historic Landmark, Historic Bethel Baptist Church was constructed in 1926 and is home to a congregation dating back to 1904. Under the leadership of Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Historic Bethel was instrumental to the Civil Rights Movement and is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the expansion of interpretation and programming using virtual and augmented reality to help visitors learn about the Civil Rights Era and Historic Bethel’s leadership role in the movement.
• St. Paul United Methodist Church – Birmingham, AL
  Founded in 1869, St. Paul United Methodist Church was the site of the first mass meeting following the first major campaign to desegregate Birmingham’s public bus system. The church is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the development of interactive exhibits to tell the story of its role in civil rights activism in Alabama.
• First Congregational Church of Marion – Marion, AL
  First Congregational Church of Marion was founded in 1869 by formerly enslaved people and the American Missionary Association. It is the oldest unaltered historically Black church remaining in Marion. The church has been a strong advocate of freedom and justice for all, and championed equal education for Black people. The church was the first one led by Civil Rights Movement leader Rev. Andrew Young, who later became the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Funding will provide for critical repairs, including the stabilization of the church’s steeple, and accessibility and systems upgrades.

California

• GLIDE Memorial Church (GLIDE Foundation) – San Francisco, CA
  The historic GLIDE Memorial Church was founded in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district in 1929. In 1963, Rev. Cecil Williams led GLIDE from a declining church to a hub of radical change rooted in love and social justice in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Renowned leaders including Mayor London Breed, Shirley Chisholm, Angela Davis, Desmond Tutu, and Oprah Winfrey have turned to GLIDE as a platform to advocate for progress. Funding will support urgent repairs to the church's stained-glass windows, mitigating water damage, and restoring its hand-stenciled ceiling beams.

Delaware

• Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church (Friends of Zoar, Inc.) – Odessa, DE
  Used as an Underground Railroad stop for enslaved Black people seeking freedom in the North, Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1845, with its current building erected in 1881. Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, who led the historic church in 1899, became known as the "grandfather of gospel music" for the many influential hymns he composed. Funding will provide for the restoration of the church’s stained-glass windows, replacing its slate roof, and systems upgrades to ensure that the building, which shuttered in 2015, can reopen to honor its heritage through reuse as a community, historical, and cultural center.

Georgia

• West Hunter Street Baptist Church – Atlanta, GA
  Established in 1881 under the leadership of Rev. Alex Allen, the congregation of historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church purchased its current building, the formerly segregated West End Baptist Church, in 1972 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy. The church became a center of Civil Rights Movement organizing under his leadership. Rev. Abernathy was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a close friend of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who he succeeded as the organization’s leader after King was assassinated in 1968. Funding will support the hire of a preservation manager for planning and restoration projects at the historic church.
• First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Athens Inc. – Athens, GA
  The congregation of the historic First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Athens dates back to 1866, when it was first called Pierce Chapel AME Church and comprised of members who had been separated from a white-led Methodist church. The congregation purchased land and completed their present-day building in 1916, designed by Louis H. Persley, the first African American architect registered in the State of Georgia. Funding will support strategic planning for growing the church’s programming, preservation management capacity, and long-term financial stability.
• St. James AME Church – Columbus, GA
  The second oldest AME church in Georgia, historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church’s cathedral-style building was completed in 1876. Over the centuries, water damage has structurally impaired the church’s twin turrets and steeple, and its stained-glass windows and historic wooden doors, believed to have been carved by formerly enslaved craftsmen, are in need of restoration. Funding will support the completion of this critical preservation work to ensure the congregation can continue to thrive in this historic building for decades to come.

Kansas

• Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church – Lawrence, KS
  Founded in 1863, Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church’s congregation was founded by formerly enslaved Black people who came together to develop literacy programs. Its building, which dates to the late-1860’s, served as an organizing base for the local chapter of the NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement and has withstood the test of time as one of Lawrence’s two remaining historically Black churches. Funding will support the development of a Historic Structures Report to prepare for preservation and improved accessibility projects for the building.

Kentucky

• Saint John African Methodist Episcopal Church – Frankfort, KY
  The congregation of Saint John African Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1839, and its Gothic Romanesque style building was completed in 1893. Today, while the church remains active, its historic building is threatened by critical foundation issues that are threatening its structural integrity. Funding will support project planning and professional assessments to outline a path to repair and preservation.

Louisiana

• Antioch Baptist Church – Shreveport, LA
  Organized in 1866 by 73 formerly enslaved congregants, the Romanesque Revival-style Antioch Baptist Church has been an anchor in Shreveport’s “The Avenue,” a historically Black community. Funding will support the congregation’s goal to restore its building for community use through repairs to its roof, windows, plumbing, and electrical systems.

Maryland

• Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church – Frederick, MD
  Established in 1800, the historic Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church has served as an Underground Railroad safehouse, a Civil War-era hospital, a school for Black children, and a center of educational and social activism. The building was originally constructed in 1819 and has undergone several additions over 200 years. Funding will support the restoration of the building’s bell tower, constructed in 1923, which is in critical need of stabilization and repair.

Michigan

• New Bethel Baptist Church – Detroit, MI
  In 1961, Rev. C.L. Franklin commissioned local architect Nathan Johnson to convert a building into what is now New Bethel Baptist Church. The church also served a leading role in the regional Civil Rights Movement. Under the leadership of Rev. Franklin, the Detroit Council for Human Rights organized the June 1963 Walk to Freedom, at which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a precursor to his "I Have a Dream" speech. Rev. Franklin’s daughter, world-famous singer Aretha Franklin, made her first recordings for J.V.B. Records at New Bethel as a teenager. Funding will help repair significant water damage to the building, its roof, exterior wall, and HVAC systems.

Missouri

• Anna Bell Chapel A.M.E. Church (New Haven Preservation Society) – New Haven, MO
  In 1895, a Black woman named Anna Bell rode on horseback through her small town of predominately German settlers to raise funds for a new church building on land purchased by the AME Church denomination. In 1905, the historic church was renamed Anna Bell Chapel in her honor and was a center of the area’s Black community for over a century. Today, the building is in need of a complete restoration to make it safe for public use. Funding will support HVAC, electrical, and plumbing installation, lead paint abatement, and other critical projects.
• St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Catholic Church – St. Louis, MO
  The historic St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church dates from 1866 when “The Redemptorists” purchased land in St. Louis for the building’s construction. The church, also known as “Rock” due to its rough-cut stone structure was completed in 1872. In 1877, the congregation was visited by Father Augustus Tolton, the first ordained African American Roman Catholic priest in the United States. Funding will support the restoration of the building’s stained-glass windows created in Munich by the German firm Meyer & Company in the early 20th century.

New York

• AME Zion Church of Kingston – Kingston, NY
  Founded in 1848, AME Zion Church of Kingston was formed by free and formerly enslaved Black residents and was a center of abolitionist and Civil Rights Movement organizing in Ulster County, NY where it is one of the oldest continuous Black congregations in the region. After the original building was lost to a fire in 1926, the historic church was rebuilt in brick and mortar in the Gothic style in 1927. Funding will support a planning project focused on preserving the building and creating better ADA accessibility.

North Carolina

• The AME Zion Church Inc. – Charlotte, NC
  The African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church, a Christian denomination established in 1796, is known as “The Freedom Church” and has been a long-standing champion of abolition, civil rights, and spiritual empowerment. Its historic members include Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. Funding will help the AME Zion Church Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, NC, to establish a denomination-wide Preservation Endowment to ensure historic AME Zion churches across the country are preserved and maintained for future generations.
• Dickerson Chapel AME Church (Preservation Hillsborough) – Hillsborough, NC
  Dickerson Chapel AME Church’s congregation was founded in 1851 by Job Berry, an enslaved painter. In 1866, the historic church moved into its present-day building, a former courthouse that had been built in 1790 and converted to a church and school for free Black children in 1845. In partnership with Preservation Hillsborough, funding will support the congregation’s preservation and modernization efforts to repair critical termite and water damage in the building.

Ohio

• Cleveland Restoration Society – Cleveland, OH
  Cleveland is home to several historically Black churches that were central to the Civil Rights Movement and served as bases for organizing efforts led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and other leaders. Despite their role as pillars of Cleveland’s community, decades of underfunding, deferred maintenance, and structural challenges have left several of the city’s historically Black Churches in urgent need of preservation work. Funding will support the Cleveland Restoration Society’s efforts to grow the capacity of its Historic Black Church Initiative.
• St. Mark's Presbyterian Church (Famicos Foundation) – Cleveland, OH
  Built in 1911, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church is a Late Gothic Revival style church located in Cleveland's E. Blvd. Historic District. It played a central role in Civil Rights Movement activism in the area, as the congregation advocated for the desegregation of public schools and campaigned for the election of one of the country’s first Black mayors, Carl Stokes. Funding will support efforts by the Famicos Foundation to preserve the vacant structure, its history, and conduct critical repairs so it can reopen in the future as a community center

Pennsylvania

• Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church of Media – Media, PA
  Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church of Media was established in 1827 by formerly enslaved people and is one of the oldest active historically Black congregations in Delaware County, PA. The cornerstone of the historic church’s Gothic Revival-style building was laid in 1931. Currently led by Rev. Alexis Washington, funding will support a National Register nomination and planning efforts for a 2027 bicentennial campaign dedicated to the church’s long-term preservation.
• Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church – Lancaster, PA
  Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1817 in Lancaster by 50 free people of color. By 1821, the small community had saved funds to purchase the land and construct the building where the historic church still stands today. Bethel African served as a stop on the Underground Railroad and a meeting place for a Black regiment during the Civil War. Grant funding will support critical capital projects including water damage remediation, electrical repairs, accessibility upgrades, and window repairs to ensure it can remain a house of worship for future generations.

South Carolina

• Soapstone Baptist Church – Marietta, SC
  The congregation of Soapstone Baptist Church dates to 1865, established in a free Black community called Liberia in the Appalachian Mountain region of South Carolina. After the original church building was lost to arson in 1967, the congregation constructed a new masonry building in 1968. The historic church, and the one-room schoolhouse on its grounds, are the only remaining structures that serve as a testament to the Liberia community’s history. Funding will support an endowment for annual cyclical maintenance, building insurance premiums, and a preservation manager.
• New Tabernacle Fourth Baptist Church – Charleston, SC
  New Tabernacle Fourth Baptist Church (NTFBC) was established in 1875. Its Gothic Revival-style building was designed by Charleston architect Francis D. Lee. By the 1950’s, NTFBC became a center of Civil Rights Movement activism, hosting leaders including Rev. Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, a close friend of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Despite its historic status, the church building has deteriorated significantly, and its sanctuary is now closed for safety reasons. Funding will enable NTFBC to hire preservation professionals to complete a comprehensive condition survey, provide rehabilitation recommendations, and prepare for a structural assessment.
• Taveau Church (Preservation South Carolina) – Moncks Corner, SC
  Taveau Church was originally built as a Presbyterian chapel on Clermont Plantation in 1835. It became a church for Black Methodists in 1847, and a center of Gullah Geechee life and culture. The building is a rare surviving example of rural Antebellum architecture, with a plain wood frame structure and doric columns at its entry. In partnership with Preservation South Carolina, funding will support exterior restoration efforts to ensure the building can remain standing as a monument to the congregation’s history.

Tennessee

• Historic Pickett Chapel (Wilson County Black History Committee) – Lebanon, TN
  Constructed by enslaved Black people in 1827, Pickett Chapel is believed to be the oldest standing Methodist Church in Tennessee. In 1856, white congregants, who attended the church with enslaved people, outgrew the building and moved to another location. After the Civil War, freedmen bought the chapel and it became home to a thriving Black congregation for the next 117 years. During the Civil Rights Era, Pickett Chapel hosted trainings for Black activists working to promote the desegregation of public schools. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, however, decades later the church has suffered from deferred maintenance and significant structural challenges rendering it unusable. Funding will support a full restoration with plans for the Roy Bailey African American Museum and Education Center to occupy the building upon its completion.

Texas

• Dabney Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. – Snook Hill, TX
  Dabney Hill Missionary Baptist Church was established in 1887 by formerly enslaved landowner Daniel Dabney. The current church building was completed in 1905, with its congregation comprised of formerly enslaved persons. The church building recently suffered a structural collapse and will receive grant funding to support planning for a critical rehabilitation project to preserve the structure for decades to come.
• Boynton Chapel Methodist Church – Houston, TX
  Boynton Chapel Methodist Church was founded in 1880 and has been a long-term fixture of Houston’s Third Ward community. The church’s current Midcentury Modern building was completed in 1958 and designed by Texas’ first licensed Black architect, John S. Chase. It was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2023. Funding will support several preservation projects to restore the church’s windows and masonry.

Wisconsin

• Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church – Milwaukee, WI
  Established in 1952, Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church’s current Modernist building was designed in 1974 by Alonzo Robinson, Jr., Wisconsin’s first registered Black architect. For decades, the church has been a center of the community through its services and regular food drives and health fairs. Grant funding will help to remedy structural concerns with the building envelope, improve ADA accessibility, and support systems upgrades.

West Virginia

• New Salem Baptist Church (Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, Inc.) – Tams, WV
  The last vestige of a once-thriving Black American coal camp in the isolated, rural mountains of southern West Virginia, the Gothic Revival-style New Salem Baptist Church was constructed in 1921 for the local Black community. The historic church was named to the National Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Places List for 2024. Grant funding will support critical repairs to prevent water infiltration, repair its bell tower and exterior, and secure the building envelope.

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The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is deeply committed to preserving and protecting places that illuminate stories of Black activism, achievement, culture, and resilience. In partnership with the Lilly Endowment Inc., Ford, Mellon, and JPB foundations, and backed by more than $150 million in funding, the Action Fund stands as the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places.

To learn more about our mission to tell the full American story, visit us www.savingplaces.org/actionfund.