PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, April 10, 2024 — Partners for Sacred Places and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia announced that the Philadelphia Fund for Black Sacred Places (PFBSP) is awarding $1 million in grants to eight Black-led churches in Philadelphia.  The grants for capital projects – plus support to more open their spaces to the public – will assist the churches in preserving their historic architecture while expanding their capacity to serve their neighborhoods.

In addition to preservation, the grants will facilitate property assessments by architects to address needs beyond immediate repairs, ensuring the buildings can continue to meet community needs. Churches will undergo a process that will allow them to receive planning and capital funding to cover various expenses from structural renovations to program development.

“Black churches anchor their communities,” said Rev. Betsy Ivey, Director of PFBSP. “They are a stabilizing presence that deserve this recognition and assistance to bring their communities back together. This funding will assist these churches with renovations, training, and technical assistance while enabling them to open their doors even wider to the public.”

Grant Recipients

  • Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
  • Abiding Truth Ministries
  • Camphor United Methodist
  • George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate
  • First Corinthian Baptist
  • Holy Apostles and the Mediator Episcopal
  • New River Presbyterian
  • Tindley Temple United Methodist

This significant financial support underscores these historic institutions’ vital role in their communities. To be eligible to apply, congregations had to be Black-led in Philadelphia and have an active faith community. They also had to have a purpose-built religious property with historic, cultural, or architectural value and ensure that a welcoming, inclusive community space would be freely accessible to the public.

“Supporting these cornerstone institutions underscores our commitment to cultural preservation and community enrichment,” said Bob Jaeger, President of Partners for Sacred Places. “By reinforcing these churches’ architectural and social fabric, we’re investing in the future resilience and vibrancy of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.”

This three-year project spearheaded by Partners for Sacred Places and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia aims to expand equitable access to quality public spaces in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and support Black congregations’ efforts to maintain their properties, cultural centers, and neighborhood landmarks for future generations.

PFBSP is guided by an advisory committee of Black religious, academic, architectural  and community leaders. Funding is provided through the William Penn Foundation’s Creative Communities program, which “… supports programs and initiatives that ensure people across Philadelphia and the region benefit from inclusive, diverse, and high-quality public spaces and arts and culture experiences.”

Learn more at sacredplaces.org/pfbsp.

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About Partners for Sacred Places
Partners for Sacred Places is the only nonsectarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and active community use of older sacred places across America. Partners provides a variety of fundraising, building stewardship,  space-sharing, and community engagement services through grant-funded programs  and consulting so that sacred places can live into the vital roles they play as community  assets in their neighborhoods and our wider society. To learn more, visit  www.sacredplaces.org.

About the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia actively promotes the appreciation, protection, and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities, and landscapes. A 501c3 non-profit membership organization, the Alliance leads in  setting the agenda for preservation issues of regional importance and advocates strong public preservation policies. It was formed in 1996 from the merger of the Philadelphia  Historic Preservation Corporation (1979), a nonprofit corporation formed to guide investment dollars into historic renovation projects through tax and other financial  incentives; and the Preservation Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (1982), dedicated to preservation advocacy. Visit www.preservationalliance.com.