Two historic Black Churches in Birmingham receive national preservation grants

Two Birmingham churches are recipients of the 2025 African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Historic Bethel Baptist Church and St. Paul United Methodist Church are among 30 historically Black Churches across the U.S. who will receive $8.5 million in funding to support preservation work. 

This year’s round of funding by the Lily Endowment is the largest collective grant award in the program’s history.

National Trust for Historical Preservation grants

According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation grants will fund:

• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church — The development of interactive exhibits to tell the story of its role in civil rights activism in Alabama
• Historic Bethel Baptist Church — One of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the expansion of interpretation and programming using virtual and augmented reality to help visitors learn about the Civil Rights Era and Historic Bethel’s leadership role in the movement

In addition to the Birmingham churches a third grant was awarded to an Alabama Black Church, the First Congregational Church in Marion to fund critical repairs.

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