Sixteen congregations around the state have received grants from Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places Indiana Fund to address significant capital needs at their historic houses of worship. The awards mark the fourth round of grants since the fund was established in 2023 with support from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Sacred Places Indiana will distribute $2.5 million in grants to the following congregations:

Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church, Bloomington: $150,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants to tuckpoint masonry at the 1926 church.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, Indianapolis: $100,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants for exterior limestone and roof repairs, structural stabilization, and improved accessibility at the 1921 church.

Evangelical United Church of Christ, Tell City: $250,000 capital grant for roof replacement and masonry restoration at the 1907 church.

First Presbyterian Church, Brazil: $75,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants for HVAC upgrades and roof replacement to stop water infiltration in the 1924 church’s sanctuary.

First Presbyterian Church, Richmond: $84,000 capital and $10,000 planning grants for a full roof replacement, safeguarding the 1886 church’s interior and Tiffany stained-glass window.

First United Methodist Church, Bloomington: $300,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants for urgent tuckpointing, repair, and cleaning of the limestone exterior of the church, a 1909 landmark rebuilt in 1938 after a fire left only the exterior walls intact.

Holy Family Parish, LaPorte: $90,000 capital grant for restoration of a rose window at the 1930 St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

Irvington United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $100,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants to support HVAC replacement at the church, constructed in phases between 1909 and 1926.

Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne: $100,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants for roof replacement, drainage improvements, and accessibility improvements at the 1924 church.

Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg: $200,000 capital and $25,000 planning grants for foundation repairs at the 1890 Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, designed by architect D.A. Bohlen.

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Vincennes: $226,160 capital grant to support masonry restoration at Indiana’s oldest Catholic church, constructed in 1826. The grant expands on a previous $100,000 award after masonry consultants suggested a revised scope of work to ensure preservation best practices.

St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Whiting: $100,000 capital grant to install accessible restrooms to support social ministries at the 1920 church.

St Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Indianapolis: $100,000 capital grant for a complete roof replacement at the 1969 church designed by prominent Modernist Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen III.

Trinity English Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne: $100,000 capital grant to restore a Transfiguration stained-glass window designed by Cleveland artist R. Toland Wright at the 1925 church.

Trinity United Church of Christ, Jasper: $100,000 capital grant to support HVAC replacement at the 1956 church, which also serves as a year-round home for the Boys and Girls Club of Dubois County.

Trinity United Methodist Church, Evansville: $250,000 capital grant to complete the first phase of a HVAC replacement at the 1866 church.

“By offering this critical funding, we hope to help congregations and parishes continue to thrive as spiritual centers and use their landmark buildings in ways that support and serve their communities,” says David Frederick, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places Indiana Program.

Historic churches that have identified significant capital needs, have the support of their judicatories, and are ready to take on a capital campaign could be candidates for the Sacred Places Indiana Fund.

The fund awards matching grants in a competitive process. Selected congregations must be committed to good stewardship of their historic structures and have demonstrated signs of organizational health including established clergy and lay leadership, clearly defined project goals, stable or growing membership, community engagement, and financial strength and stability. Congregations should be ready to undertake and complete both a capital campaign and construction project within the next two years.

In September, Sacred Places Indiana also welcomed its tenth New Dollars/New Partners training cohort, made up of participants from ten Indiana congregations: Bethany Apostolic Church, Evansville; Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Indianapolis; Brook United Methodist Church, Brook; Community of Hope United Methodist Church, Muncie; First United Methodist Church, Anderson; First United Methodist Church, Ellettsville; Gateway Community Church, Fortville; Madison Reformed Church, Madison; Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Hendricks County, Danville; and Walnut Ridge Friends Meeting, Carthage.

New Dollars/New Partners training helps congregations evaluate their assets and develop strategies to identify community partners, activate underused spaces, and strengthen long-term financial sustainability. The program also prepares congregations to pursue planning grants and conduct successful capital campaigns. Many recipients of Sacred Places Indiana Fund grants have completed the training.

Applications for the next round of grants from the Sacred Places Indiana Fund and next New Dollars/New Partners training cohort will open in January 2027. Congregations interested in participating are encouraged to submit a letter of interest. To learn more about Sacred Places Indiana, including grant eligibility, the New Dollars/New Partners program, and application requirements, visit www.indianalandmarks.org/sacred-places-indiana.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACTS:

David Frederick, Director, Sacred Places Indiana, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, 317-340-9939 (direct), dfrederick@indianalandmarks.org.

Mindi Woolman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, 317-822-7904 (direct), mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org

Indiana Landmarks empowers community revitalization, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people identify, restore, and sustain historic places as catalysts for economic development, cultural identity, and community vitality. Members of the nonprofit organization receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit indianalandmarks.org