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Investing Across Generations

Annual Report 2025

As we reflect on the past year—and look ahead—we're reminded that investing in historic sacred places today strengthens generations of communities to come.

Who We Are

The diversity of Partners' staff and Board echo the many reasons that sacred places matter to communities across America.

25 FULL-TIME & PART-TIME STAFF
multigenerational, from a variety of backgrounds including religion, preservation, academia, and nonprofits


16 BOARD MEMBERS
from 11 states and 5 faith traditions and denominations


Like you, each of us is committed to helping historic sacred places better serve their diverse communities, nurturing transformation now and for generations to come.

Partners' staff and Board visit Historic St. George's UMC
A staff volunteer day at Broad Street Love in Philadelphia
ANDREA AND TOBIN TRACEY

Why We Support Partners

"Partners is about preservation and community, and preserving these sacred places that are landmarks to so many more people than just the congregation."

Andrea and Tobin Tracey have been married for 15 years, but their relationship with Partners for Sacred Places even predates their wedding.

Read their story here!
Why We Support Partners

Who We Serve

Partners serves stewards of older and historic sacred places in communities of every shape and size, welcoming people of all faiths.

Data from 2025
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49

U.S. STATES
& TERRITORIES

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24

DENOMINATIONS
across multiple faith traditions

From Coast . . .

Tabernacle Baptist Church, Beaufort, SC

Tabernacle Baptist Church, in Beaufort, SC, restored its steeple with support from the National Fund for Sacred Places. The congregation credits the training they received from the Fund on managing a capital campaign and articulating their mission with the church's success raising $64,000 over their required match.

Tabernacle Baptist Church, Beaufort, SC
To Coast!

Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Reconstructionist), Olympia, WA

Temple Beth Hatfiloh, located in Olympia, is the oldest Jewish community in Washington state. In addition to hosting community-serving programs, the congregation has raised approximately $250,000 for local nonprofits through Blintzapalooza, its annual community fundraiser. With support from the National Fund, the congregation will raise funds for and complete urgent repairs to the upper facade and roof of its Classical Revival building.

Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Reconstructionist), Olympia, WA

How We Help

Partners' research, training, grants, and consulting services give congregations the tools they need to adapt to changing circumstances.

*Data from 2025

And we're adapting too!

Partners' Strategic Plan is guiding our Board and staff as we build our impact, finding creative new ways to help congregations and judicatories expand their circle of supporters and activate and sustain their buildings.

Read Below for What's Next

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376

SACRED PLACES
directly served

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752

CONGREGATIONS
resourced

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28,541

VIEWS
of Partners' publications

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$9.35M

CAPITAL GRANTS
awarded

increase congregational capacity

2026 Goal #1

Over the next year, Partners will offer new forms of support to rural congregations. Two exciting initiatives taking shape in 2026 are:

The Pennsylvania Faithful Fund - This program of Partners is supported by a grant from the National Park Service and will provide over $500,000 for capital projects, as well as training and support, to rural congregations in Pennsylvania.

Holy Ground for Whole Communities - An innovative project of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes to help rural congregations in Michigan find new ways to use their land and buildings as sacred assets for the common good.

2026 Goal #1
Invest and Inspire Additional Support

2026 Goal #2

In 2026, thanks to generous gifts and grants, Partners will increase our direct investment in sacred places in the following programs:

The National Fund for Sacred Places; The Intervention Fund; The Philadelphia Fund for Black Sacred Places; Projects in the Upper Midwest and Central Appalachia; the Pennsylvania Faithful Fund

These funds are of vital importance to under-resourced congregations, but of equal or greater importance is their power to serve as catalysts for additional support. Using Partners' tools and training, congregations that have completed projects with grants from the National Fund have raised nearly $7 for every dollar granted.

2026 Goal #2
Build a Shared Understanding

2026 Goal #3

Partners has long been a thought leader and research partner, helping to build public knowledge about the value and vulnerability of older and historic sacred places.

This year we are collaborating with scholars from Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, Yale, and other universities to further our shared understanding of how sacred places contribute to their wider communities.

We also help congregations measure their own community contributions through our Public Value Tool, which was refreshed and will be shared with a wider audience in 2026.

Check out the Updated PVT
2026 Goal #3

What's the Impact?

With support from Partners, congregations are able to connect with their neighbors, raise funds from the wider community, and remain central to the communities they serve.

Each data point in our report represents a distinct congregation—with its own assets and needs—supporting a unique community.

Read their stories below!

Data from 2025
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$12M+

RAISED
by congregations

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$13.5M

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
funds

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37

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
projects

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20

HALO EFFECT
studies

sustaining communities

Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, Louisville, KY

Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, in the heart of Louisville, KY, is one the city's oldest buildings. Its community-serving programs include a day shelter for women and children, community breakfast, and housing for 15 women and children each night in January and February. A National Fund grant will support repairs to ensure the Cathedral continues to provides vital neighborhood services.

Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, Louisville, KY
finding strength after disasters

Cathedral of All Souls (Episcopal), Asheville, NC

The Intervention Fund helped a cathedral for "all sorts" rebuild after Hurricane Helene.

"This kind of event shakes up everything. We're taking this as an opportunity to retool what we have been doing for what the modern population needs. While preserving the building's beauty, we're also modernizing and making it more resilient."

- The Very Rev. Sarah Hurlbert

Read the Interview
Cathedral of All Souls (Episcopal), Asheville, NC
& learning as we grow

Plainsong Farm & Ministry, Rockford, MI

Plainsong Farm & Ministry, in Rockford, MI, is a partner in the Holy Grounds for Whole Communities Project. While Partners brings experience in how congregations can maximize use of their buildings, Plainsong has shown how land can be used to cultivate faith and build connections between people and places.

Plainsong Farm & Ministry, Rockford, MI
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The successful completion of the project reminded everyone that this historic building is not just our past—it's our future

The Rev. Randall Lucas, St. Stephen UMC, Mesquite, TX

An Investment of Generations

Read the Full 2025 Annual Report