Grants for Churches: Real Funders and the Rules That Apply

Grants for churches exist, but they fund specific purposes rather than general church operations: security improvements through the FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program, repairs to historic worship buildings through funders such as the National Fund for Sacred Places, worship, preaching, and clergy renewal projects through religious foundations, and community programs such as food pantries, youth programs, or recovery groups through community foundations and government agencies. Government money can pay only for secular services open to all, not for worship or religious instruction. The sections below cover each type with programs we confirmed in October 2026.

Security grants for houses of worship

The FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds physical security for nonprofits at risk of attack, and houses of worship are named eligible applicants. For fiscal year 2026:

• Funding: $300 million in total, split between urban-area and statewide streams.
• Award size: up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites per stream.
• What it buys: physical security improvements such as access controls, cameras, lighting, and barriers, plus related planning and training.
• Scoring: the notice gives religious organizations a scoring multiplier and gives first-time applicants extra points.
• How to apply: through your state administrative agency, which sets an internal deadline earlier than FEMA's. The 2026 round closed at FEMA on July 24, 2026.

The application centers on a vulnerability assessment of your building and an investment justification that ties each purchase to a documented threat or risk. If your church plans to apply in 2027, contact your state administrative agency early in the year, since the federal window has been short.

Grants for historic church buildings

The National Fund for Sacred Places, run by Partners for Sacred Places with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, gives capital grants of $50,000 to $500,000 and planning grants up to $20,000 for urgent repairs to historic houses of worship. Capital grants require a one-to-one cash match raised after acceptance. The building must have been built as a house of worship, be owned by an active congregation that has existed at least three years, and serve the wider community; National Register listing is not required. The 2027 cycle opens January 12, 2027 and closes March 3, 2027.

State historic preservation offices and local preservation organizations run smaller grant programs, and some require formal historic designation. Purely cosmetic or routine maintenance is rarely funded; roofs, masonry, structural repairs, and accessibility are more fundable.

Worship, preaching, and clergy renewal grants

• Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Vital Worship and Vital Preaching grants: up to $25,000 for congregations and other worshiping communities to plan and carry out projects that renew worship or preaching. The most recent deadline was October 15, 2026, for projects starting in January 2027.
• Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs: grants that let congregations fund a renewal leave for their pastor, including support for the congregation during the leave. Lilly expected to release the 2027 request for proposals in November 2026.
• Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations Initiative: funds intermediary organizations that work with congregations rather than congregations directly, and its current grants are by invitation.
• Oldham Little Church Foundation: grants for small evangelical churches, through a letter of inquiry and then a full application. Its site said it was not accepting new requests and to check back in fall 2026.

Community programs and the rules for government money

A church that runs a food pantry, after-school program, recovery group, or disaster relief effort can seek funding for that program from community foundations, local United Ways, corporate giving programs, and government agencies. The fundable unit is the program: describe the community need with local data, the people served, and measurable results. Our guides to documenting community need and writing objectives a funder can measure show how.

Federal rules allow faith-based organizations to compete for government grants on equal footing, with conditions. Under agency regulations (for example 45 CFR 87 for Health and Human Services, 24 CFR 5.109 for Housing and Urban Development, and 34 CFR 75.52 for Education):

• Direct federal funds cannot pay for explicitly religious activities such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing.
• Those activities must be separate in time or location from the funded program, and participation in them must be voluntary for the people served.
• The organization keeps its religious character, name, and governance.
• Beneficiaries must receive a written notice of their rights.

In practice, many churches run government-funded programs through separate accounts, and some through a separate nonprofit, so the funded program and its costs are easy to show. Houses of worship are also eligible for FEMA disaster assistance to repair facilities after a declared disaster, under a policy adopted in 2018, after insurance and Small Business Administration loan options are used.

Paperwork funders will ask for

Churches that meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3) are automatically tax-exempt and do not have to apply to the IRS for recognition. Many funders and government programs still ask for proof, such as an IRS determination letter, a listing under a denomination's group ruling, or other documentation, so check each funder's requirements before you apply. Most will also want a budget for the program, recent financial statements, and board or council approval. Our grant readiness guide for nonprofits lists the documents funders typically request, and our guide to finding local and denominational funders covers the search.

When your congregation has a project that fits one of these programs, we can write the application for your congregation.