Photo courtesy of Praise 9993.com

MIAMI – Thirty historically Black churches nationwide will receive $8.5 million in grants from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to fund preservation of historic sites, according to a press release.

As part of the third annual Preserving Black Churches (PBC) grant program, 30 churches will be added to a $60 million initiative that gives church leadership and its congregation funding to protect their legacies and historic context with financial and technical expertise.

With the 2025 grants ranging between $50,000 and $500,000, named these worship spaces will be able to address crucial preservation issues like threats of demolition, needed maintenance that may have been pushed aside, and more, in addition to giving resources to heighten stewardship plans, enhance asset management, and increase fundraising

The Preserving Black Churches program will support 30 churches’ projects including The A.M.E. Zion Church, Inc. in Charlotte, NC (for endowment & financial sustainability) to establish a denomination-wide Preservation Endowment to ensure historic A.M.E. Zion Churches across the country is preserved and maintained for future generations.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church received $500,000.

Its members have included abolitionists Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

For project planning, the A.M.E. Zion Church of Kingston (New York) will receive funds to support a planning project focused on preserving the building and creating better ADA accessibility.