INDIANA— Fourteen congregations across Indiana have been awarded a total of $2.4 million in grants from Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places Indiana Fund. The competitive matching grants are intended to address significant capital needs at historic houses of worship, ensuring they can continue to serve as community and spiritual anchors.
This marks the third round of awards from the fund, which was established in 2023 with support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
“We continue to receive calls for help from congregations who need assistance in maintaining their historic facilities,” said David Frederick, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Sacred Places Program. “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.”
The grants will fund a wide range of preservation projects, from replacing aging roofs and repairing masonry to modernizing vital infrastructure.
Notable awards include:
- First Baptist Church, Columbus: $80,000 for roof replacement and window seal repairs at the 1965 National Historic Landmark church.
- St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Vincennes: $100,000 to restore masonry at the 1826 basilica and adjacent historic library.
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne: $66,350 to replace the roof membrane and tuckpoint the 1929 church’s bell tower and chimney.
- Centerville Christian Church, Centerville: $185,000 to complete repairs to the 1878 church’s steeple and spire.
- Diocese of Gary: $400,000 to tuckpoint masonry on all elevations of the 1950 Cathedral of the Holy Angels.
- Friends of Town Clock Church, New Albany: $100,000 to update the wheelchair lift and replace ADA-compliant doors at the 1852 Second Baptist Church.
- Our Lady of Hungary, South Bend: $100,000 to modernize heating and cooling systems and repair the radiator heat system at the 1949 church, which will help ensure preservation of historic sanctuary murals.
- Phillips Temple CME Church, Indianapolis: $300,000 to replace the roof on the 1928 church.
- St. Athanasius Byzantine Catholic Church, Indianapolis: $90,000 for critical upgrades to heating and cooling, electrical, and life safety systems at the 1894 church.
- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Olean: $100,000 to repair masonry on the bell tower and sanctuary of the 1921 church.
- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Evansville: $285,000 for total replacement of the 1928 church’s slate roof.
- St. Thomas More Academy, South Bend: $125,000 to install heating and cooling systems in the 1883 St. Hedwig Church.
- Valparaiso University, Valparaiso: $300,000 to repair the slab floor and foundation in the sanctuary of the 1959 Chapel of the Resurrection.
- Woodruff Place Baptist Church, Indianapolis: $200,000 to replace the roof membrane, repair masonry, and restore the window at the 1926 church.
Other grant recipients are addressing critical upgrades to heating, cooling, electrical, and life safety systems, such as the $90,000 awarded to the 1894 St. Athanasius Byzantine Catholic Church in Indianapolis.
The Sacred Places Indiana Fund awards matching grants in a competitive process, requiring recipients to demonstrate a strong commitment to the stewardship of their historic structures.
To be considered, congregations must demonstrate organizational health, including stable membership, strong clergy and lay leadership, clear project goals, community engagement, and financial stability. Selected congregations must also be ready to undertake and complete both a capital campaign and the construction project within two years.
For more information on the program and future application cycles, visit the Indiana Landmarks Sacred Places Indiana website.
