National Sacred-Places Fund Awards $9 Million-Plus to Historic Congregations

The National Fund for Sacred Places has selected 30 historic congregations for more than $9 million in capital grants, pairing substantial preservation funding with technical assistance in planning, community engagement and fundraising. The 2026 recipients were chosen from 466 applicants, and individual awards can reach $500,000. Three Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations are among the new grantees: First & Franklin Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, New River Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and Ocean Avenue Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Ocean Avenue is eligible for a matching grant of up to $125,000, while First & Franklin expects approximately $480,000 toward work on its brownstone spire, described by Presbyterian News Service as Baltimore’s tallest. The national cohort includes historic sacred places from multiple traditions and communities, so the program’s importance is wider than any single denomination. Now in its eleventh year, the fund reports more than $42 million awarded to 197 community-serving congregations representing 29 denominations and traditions across 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Participants have raised nearly five additional dollars for every dollar invested by the fund. Those numbers show that preservation grants can function as catalysts rather than isolated gifts. They help congregations build a broader base of donors, clarify the public value of their buildings and organize complex projects that may otherwise remain beyond the reach of volunteer boards. The selected properties are not simply architectural artifacts. Many continue to house worship, social-service programs, childcare, public meetings and the arts, making physical repair directly relevant to ongoing ministry and neighborhood life.

For pastors, trustees and church boards, the announcement highlights a theological and practical truth: buildings are tools for mission, not the mission itself, yet neglected tools can sharply limit a congregation’s ability to serve. A leaking roof, unstable masonry, inaccessible entrance or failing mechanical system can threaten safety, consume leadership attention and displace ministries that depend on reliable space. Historic congregations face additional challenges because repairs often require specialized materials, preservation expertise and coordination with civic authorities. The National Fund’s combination of grants and coaching recognizes that a successful project needs more than construction money. It needs a credible plan, a persuasive account of community benefit, realistic fundraising and a congregation prepared to steward the renewed property after the work is complete. Churches considering a preservation campaign can learn from that approach even if they are not selected for a national grant. They can document building conditions, prioritize work by safety and ministry impact, gather stories from community partners, cultivate transparent financial practices and invite neighbors to help shape uses that are consistent with the church’s Christian identity. Leaders should also resist two opposite errors: treating a cherished sanctuary as untouchable, or treating it as a burden with no spiritual or civic value. Faithful stewardship asks how inherited space can support worship, discipleship, mercy and witness today. The 2026 awards offer tangible encouragement that historically significant Christian buildings can remain active places of service when congregations combine clear purpose with professional planning and generous partnership. The practical takeaway is not that every old church must be preserved at any cost, but that decisions about sacred property should be guided by mission, truthfulness, safety and love of neighbor.