Applications open for the National Fund for Sacred Places Grant Program to preserve historic sacred spaces as community assets; therefore, project components meant only to enhance worship are not eligible for funding (i.e. altars, organs, sound equipment, etc.).
Donor Name: National Fund for Sacred Places
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/07/2022
Grant Size: $50,000 to $250,000
Details:
The National Fund for Sacred Places program provides much more than financial support. The program is designed to help congregations successfully navigate the capital project process through training, technical assistance, planning support, and matching capital grants.
- Community-Serving Congregations
- They are looking for congregations that are engaged in their communities and that are serving others. Engaged congregations operate and host programming that serves vulnerable, at-risk, and diverse populations; share space with non-affiliated groups and organizations (often at subsidized rates); work with other congregations, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and/or municipalities; and have a widespread reputation for being a welcoming center of community life.
- Project Scope and Need
- They fund historic preservation projects addressing urgent repair needs and/or life safety. They also fund projects that increase congregations’ ability to open their buildings to new populations or to serve greater numbers of people. All projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which is a universally accepted framework for doing work to older and historic properties.
- They prioritize congregations/projects where there is a demonstrated need (meaning that the congregation cannot raise the funds alone) or where it is clear that their grant will have a catalytic effect (meaning that their grant is likely to lead to additional monies being contributed to the project).
- Readiness
- Once-in-a-generation capital projects require a great deal of planning. They are looking for applicants that understand their buildings’ needs and that are ready to undertake a capital campaign. National Fund congregations typically have a history of successful capital campaigns, which demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds and complete a project.
- Successful congregations come to us with a realistic fundraising goal, which has been generated with the help of qualified preservation professionals and is not too far beyond the congregation’s fundraising capacity.
- Healthy Congregations
- The National Fund prioritizes healthy, stable congregations so that their investment is truly impactful and lasting. They look for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list of characteristics that indicate healthy congregations: tenured, well-respected clergy; capable lay leadership; stable or growing membership; financial strength and stability; support of the judicatory or governing body, if applicable; and a history of weathering any congregational conflict or trauma with resilience.
Funding Information
The National Fund for Sacred Places provides matching grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to congregations undertaking significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, along with wraparound services including training, technical assistance, and planning support.
Eligibility Criteria
- The property must be located within the United States or its territories.
- The property must have been originally built to be a house of worship, and must be owned by an active community of faith.
- The congregation must be at least 3 years old.
- The applicant must be a religious congregation or closely affiliated nonprofit organization.
- The property must possess historical, cultural, or architectural value and/or be listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
- The property must be occupied by a congregation that is community-minded and that serves nonmembers.
- The property must have urgent repair needs related to structural components, walls, roofs, and/or other elements of the building envelope that are integral to life safety.
- Anticipated capital projects must respect the property’s historic character and materials, and must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
- The applicant must exhibit several signs of positive organizational health, including, but not limited to:
- The congregation must work with Partners for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation prior to disbursement of the capital grant to ensure that all program requirements have been met.
For more information, visit National Fund for Sacred Places.
