National Program Provides Significant Financial Support to 16 Sacred Spaces to Help Strengthen Local Communities, Protect Civic Assets, Increase Outreach Initiatives, and Support Congregations

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The National Fund for Sacred Places, a program managed by Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, selected 16 vital congregations across the United States to receive funding and technical assistance. All of the 2020 awardees will receive generous preservation grants up to $250,0000, along with pro bono support services, to ensure their projects are well planned and successful. The congregations selected to receive awards from the Fund represent some of the country's most significant and community-minded sacred places. In addition to their beauty and historical legacy, these congregations also provide invaluable resources, sustenance, and support to their respective communities.

"All of our grant recipients are excellent examples of sacred places with local, regional, and sometimes national significance," said Bob Jaeger, President of Partners for Sacred Places. "The Fund's advisory committee helped choose this year's awardees for their ongoing commitment to service, civic value, and their ability to thrive and grow in the years to come. For more than 30 years, Partners for Sacred Places has worked to help preserve and uplift civic assets that enrich our nation's communities. The team at Partners for Sacred Places looks forward to working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and each awardee to restore their buildings and make the most of them so they can deliver more robust service offerings and extend their ministry in the future."

The National Fund for Sacred Places, now in its fifth year, is managed by Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through Lilly Endowment's generosity and desire to enhance the congregations' vitality, the Fund will work together to increase America's awareness of the value, resiliency, and vital contributions congregations offer every day. 

"With Partners for Sacred Places, we are very proud to announce the National Fund for Sacred Places' 2020 grant recipients. From an Art Deco gem in Asheville to a Modern sanctuary in New York City, this year's grant recipients represent an inspirational range of styles, locations, and communities," said Paul Edmondson, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been protecting important historic places since 1949. Seventy-one years later, there are no better examples of the transcendent value of historic preservation than these 16 historic religious landmarks and the dedicated congregations that care for them, as they sustain and enrich their communities while lifting the diverse narratives of our country."

The National Fund awardees for the 2020-21 program year are:

• 134 Collaborative/Mathewson Street Church (United Methodist) - Providence, RI
• Basilica of St. Lawrence (Roman Catholic)/ Basilica Preservation Fund - Asheville, NC
• Central Presbyterian Church - Summit, NJ
• Church of the Covenant (UCC/Presbyterian) - Boston, MA
• First Baptist Church of Asheville - Asheville, NC
• First United Methodist Church of Lawrence, KS
• First Covenant Church (Swedish Covenant) - Minneapolis, MN
• Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church- Brooklyn, NY
• Our Lady of Victory (Roman Catholic) - Lackawanna, NY
• Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - Indianapolis, IN
• Saint Peter's Lutheran Church - New York, NY
• St. Francis Xavier Mission (Roman Catholic) - St Xavier, MT
• St. Joseph Oratory (Roman Catholic) - Detroit, MI
• Third, Scots and Mariners "Old Pine Presbyterian" - Philadelphia, PA
• Touro Synagogue - New Orleans, LA
• Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church – Tulsa, OK

To learn more about the program, award winners, and the value of sacred places in communities across the country, please visit the National Fund for Sacred Places.

National Fund for Sacred Places 
The National Fund for Sacred Places is a Philadelphia-based grant-making program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. www.fundforsacredplaces.org

About Partners for Sacred Places
Partners for Sacred Places helps congregations and others with a stake in older religious properties make the most of them as civic assets that serve the broader community. www.sacredplaces.org/

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, protects significant places representing our diverse cultural experience by taking direct action and inspiring broad public support. www.savingplaces.org

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a national private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. In keeping with the founders' wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. www.lillyendowment.org

Contact: Pamela M. Green
Phone: 215-567-3234 ext. 15
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Partners for Sacred Places

Related Links

http://www.sacredplaces.org/