Interior of the Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles, which received an Intervention Fund grant after its stained-glass windows were damaged by police fireworks. Vivian Chan.

After a Disaster: Program Aids Congregations in Need of Emergency Repairs

By Lily Hamilton, Associate Director of the National Fund for Sacred Places 

Congregations stewarding historic houses of worship are often planning for the next once-in-a-generation building project. Whether a roof replacement, electrical system upgrade, or the restoration of exterior masonry, most projects require a large investment of time to plan and raise funds. Grant programs such as the National Fund for Sacred Places—a project of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation—support major, critical building repairs that are usually beyond a congregation’s capacity to finance. But what happens when congregations face an unforeseen emergency?

The Intervention Fund, a small, invitation-only grant program under the National Fund for Sacred Places umbrella, is designed to support congregations facing this situation—unanticipated, emergency expenses due to circumstances beyond their control. When houses of worship face damage from a wind storm, electrical fire, failing boiler in the middle of winter, or even hate-motivated vandalism, the Intervention Fund may be able to cover planning and capital expenses up to $50,000. Furthermore, the Intervention Fund can act more quickly than the main National Fund, providing help to approved projects in 60 to 90 days.

Responsive, quick-moving capital funding resources such as the Intervention Fund are becoming increasingly more necessary in the historic preservation field. One major reason: climate change. Communities across the United States are confronting natural disasters at a higher frequency. The fires that ravaged the hills of Los Angeles earlier this year are just the latest evidence of this trend. So-called once-in-a-generation storms are now occurring annually, especially in the Southeast; regions of the country once considered “climate havens” have been hit harder than ever before by disasters, as was the case in western North Carolina last fall. The National Centers for Environmental Information have found that climate events exceeding $1 billion in damages are increasing in prevalence year after year. Many parts of the country are unprepared for the impacts of worsening climate disasters, and these challenges are magnified—and come with a steeper price tag—when caring for an older, historic property.   

After Vermont experienced record-breaking flooding in 2023, staff at the National Fund jumped into action to provide targeted outreach to affected sacred places. Intervention Fund grants were made to three congregations: First Presbyterian Church of Barre, the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, and Trinity United Methodist Church of Montpelier. All three are vital anchors to their surrounding communities, providing essential meeting space and services to people outside of the congregations. The flooding impacted each church differently, but all had significant recovery needs, from replacing important building systems to rehabilitating spaces that were devastated by moisture, mold, and floodwater contamination. 

Not all Intervention Fund grants are made in the wake of natural disasters. In the summer of 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department detonated illegal fireworks in the heart of a residential neighborhood. They misjudged the size of the explosion, causing numerous injuries and damage to property. Seventeen people were injured by the blast, and numerous homes and vehicles were destroyed or damaged. The Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles, a prominent African American congregation located in the heart of South LA, sustained significant cracking of multiple original stained-glass windows. Further, as the windows awaited repairs, vandals added to the damage. Despite a $21 million settlement paid to the community’s victims, Second Baptist only received $5,000. Given that repair costs were far greater, the Intervention Fund granted the church $46,700 to restore the windows.

As the first African American Baptist congregation in Southern California, Second Baptist’s long history as a community pillar dates to 1885. The current Mediterranean Revival building, designed by African American architects Paul Revere Williams and Norman Marsh, was completed in 1926 by an all-Black construction company. Under Pastors J. Raymond Henderson and Thomas Kilgore, Second Baptist was known for its contributions to the civil rights movement. The congregation has since carried on its legacy of advancing racial justice and economic opportunity. The members continue to serve their neighborhood through community programming and space sharing. 

When asked about the grant’s impact, leaders at Second Baptist reported that “the congregation and community immediately noticed the difference, as these windows had been covered with cardboard for the last few years…. Everyone is truly pleased.”

Restored stained-glass windows at the Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Vivian Chan.