The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced a three-year, $20 million commitment from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment to launch the Preserving Black Churches Project.

Awarded in support of the trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHF), the funding will provide direct support to save historic Black churches through grantmaking, technical assistance, and multiyear projects. In addition, it will bolster strategies that model and strengthen stewardship and asset management, interpretation and programming, and fundraising activities. To that end, AACHF will partner with more than 50 churches nationwide, many of which are suffering from deferred maintenance, insufficient funding, aging and decreasing congregations, and facing demolition or vacancy.

“Black churches have stood at the center of the African American experience and are a living testament to the achievements and resiliency of generations in the face of a racialized and inequitable society,” said AACHF executive director Brent Leggs. “Yet, despite the central role that these historic houses of worship play in the fabric of Black communities, they face a myriad of challenges. Their preservation—like that of all Black heritage sites—has often been overlooked and vastly underfunded. A critical piece of our work is to increase investments in the preservation, management, and interpretation of historic Black churches—so that they can continue to serve as the epicenters of Black communities and American heritage.”

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