Grants for Churches in Alabama (2026 Guide)

The grants for churches guide lays out the national rules; this page applies them to Alabama. Programs that aren't church-specific are in the Alabama grants guide. Neighboring routes are in our Tennessee church grants guide, South Carolina church grants guide, Georgia church grants guide, and Florida church grants guide.

Foundation Grants to Alabama Churches by the Numbers

Alabama churches and ministries received 2,543 foundation grants from 727 foundations, according to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records. Those grants went to 1,041 different recipients, about 2.4 grants per recipient across the seven tax years in the data.

Alabama's totals are even. According to the same filings, unlike Kentucky, no single gift dominates: the largest grant is $2.5 million, about 4% of the $57.9 million total, and the $22,773 average sits below the national $24,700. Alabama's median matches the national $5,000. A congregation budgeting a first request can plan on the median without much distortion.

Alabama has the highest share of funders that take requests in this series. According to the 990-PF filings, 216 of the 727 foundations, about 30%, filed a 990-PF that names an application route, compared with 22% in Kentucky. That's still fewer than one funder in three, and the other 511 mostly give to organizations their trustees already know. Sending a proposal to a preselected-only funder is a common mistake.

Purpose lines are thin. Filers rarely describe what a church gift paid for, so keyword counts run low. Among Alabama grants, 165 mention missions, 73 mention community, 60 mention building or repair, 44 mention youth, and 19 mention schools. A church shouldn't read the building count as "foundations won't fund roofs." It mostly reflects filers who wrote "general support."

You can see how many foundations gave to churches in Alabama for free, with two named and one shown in full. The Grantsights church funder list costs $39 once, covers Alabama and every other state, and carries no subscription. Each entry names a foundation that reported church or ministry grants on its own IRS Form 990-PF filings, shows what it gave, to whom, and for what, and links to the filings. A refund is available within 30 days if it doesn't help.

Where Alabama Church Grants Go

Birmingham alone holds 727 of Alabama's 2,543 church grants, about 29%. According to our analysis of the same filings, seven cities account for 1,563 grants, about 61% of the state.

Three details stand out. Fairhope, a small Baldwin County city, drew 151 grants, almost as many as the state capital's 156, so Gulf Coast congregations aren't short of local family giving. Montgomery's median of $3,000 is the lowest in the table, so its gifts run small. And Auburn's $8,000 median is the highest, though only 21 of its 70 funders name an application route. Huntsville, one of the state's largest metros, shows only 90 grants, so a Huntsville congregation should look to the denominational funds and statewide programs below more than to local foundations.

A church in the Black Belt or the Wiregrass is far from every pool in this table. Its best bets are the statewide programs, which don't depend on a nearby family foundation.

Working the $39 List in Alabama

The list includes all 727 Alabama foundations above. Three ways to use it here:

1. Start with the 216 that take requests. They're 30% of the list. Birmingham has 77 of them, and Mobile and Fairhope have 33 each.
2. Match your city, then your region. A Mobile-area funder with several local church gifts is a better fit for a Mobile church than a Birmingham funder with one. Congregations in smaller towns should check the nearest metro on the table.
3. Read the preselected line before writing. If a 990-PF says the foundation only gives to organizations it has chosen, don't send a proposal. A short introduction through a member who knows a trustee is the only realistic approach.

Our guide to foundations that give grants to churches shows how to read a 990-PF and includes a sample inquiry letter.

What the Alabama Constitution Says About Public Money and Churches

Alabama's Constitution has a no-preference clause, a school-money clause, and a supermajority rule for some private appropriations. Grantsights read the text of the recompiled Constitution of Alabama of 2022 in the Alabama Legislature's published statewide provisions (opens in a new tab) on November 2, 2026. Article I, Section 3, "Religious freedom," says:

"That no religion shall be established by law; that no preference shall be given by law to any religious sect, society, denomination, or mode of worship; that no one shall be compelled by law to attend any place of worship; nor to pay any tithes, taxes, or other rate for building or repairing any place of worship, or for maintaining any minister or ministry."

Two more provisions bear on money. Section 263 says "No money raised for the support of the public schools shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any sectarian or denominational school." Section 73 says no appropriation can be made to any charitable or educational institution not under the state's absolute control, other than normal schools, except by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house. In practice, a state budget line for a private nonprofit needs a supermajority. Section 3.01, the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment, adds that government may burden a person's religious freedom only to further a compelling governmental interest by the least restrictive means.

What's happening in court. The live Alabama case concerns church property, not public money. On March 6, 2026, the Alabama Supreme Court voted 5 to 2 in Ex parte Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc. to grant writs of mandamus in 15 cases between breakaway congregations and the conference, according to the Religion Clause blog. The court ordered trial courts to vacate their dismissals of the conference's counterclaims, reasoning that the Book of Discipline's trust provisions don't turn these disputes into ecclesiastical ones. A United Methodist church thinking about leaving should read that ruling before accepting any conference grant that carries repayment terms. Grantsights didn't find an Alabama decision applying Article I, Section 3 to a state grant to a church.

What the federal ruling adds. Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (opens in a new tab), decided June 26, 2017, held that a state can't exclude a church from a generally available public benefit solely because it's a church. Federal money that Alabama agencies pass through, including NSGP, TEFAP, and EFSP, still can't pay for worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. According to USDA's rule at 7 CFR 16.3 (opens in a new tab), a faith-based organization can retain its religious name, art, and governance in a USDA program, but can't use USDA direct assistance for worship, religious instruction, or proselytization. Our government grants for churches guide explains the limits.

Alabama Security Grants for Churches

Alabama churches apply for the federal security grant through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, whose FY2026 window ran from June 1 to July 15, 2026. According to ALEA's NSGP page (opens in a new tab), applications were due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, through the online portal at grants.alabama.gov, and subaward funding depends on a federal award from FEMA.

The window is about six weeks. A congregation that hears about the program in late June has little time to commission a vulnerability assessment and collect contractor quotes. Churches that underestimate that prep time miss the cycle, and the next one will likely open in a similar early-summer slot.

Show the risk, not just the need. ALEA's page says an applicant must demonstrate that it's at high risk of attack because of its mission or beliefs. A church that wants cameras because of break-ins, rather than a threat tied to its faith, is a bad fit, and our church security grants guide explains how to frame the assessment honestly. According to FEMA's NSGP page (opens in a new tab), the national FY2026 total is $300 million.

Grantsights found no state-funded houses of worship security grant on the pages it checked. Tennessee pays for contracted guards from its own budget, so a church near the state line shouldn't assume Alabama does the same.

Historic Preservation: The Alabama Tax Credit and the Historical Commission

Alabama's historic tax credit is 25% of qualified rehabilitation costs for certified historic structures, and it's refundable. According to the Alabama Department of Revenue's 2017 Alabama Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit page (opens in a new tab), the program is capped at $20 million in credits per calendar year, covers 2018 through 2027, can be transferred once with a $1,000 fee per transferee, and nonprofit entities can be awarded it.

Rules that matter for a church:

• The Alabama Historical Commission approves the completed project and issues a certificate. Then the credit must be pre-certified with the Department of Revenue.
• The credit is refundable, which matters for a tax-exempt owner, and it can't be carried forward.
• A nonprofit awarded the credit must file an Alabama income tax return for the year the project is placed in service.
• Transfer is one route: the credit can move to another taxpayer once, with the department's approval.
• The program ends with calendar year 2027, so a church with a historic building and a large repair should start the application now.

Alabama's page doesn't address churches by name. Ask the Commission whether a house of worship qualifies as a "certified historic structure" in your situation.

Grants. The Alabama Historical Commission's 2026 Historic Sites Grant Program offered $3.6 million, opened to applications on February 11, 2026, according to the Commission's February 10, 2026 release (opens in a new tab). Awards are capped at $75,000 and must be spent within two years. Eligible applicants are "public or nonprofit entities that own monuments commemorating historical events or places, or that operate sites with a mission centered on historical education." Priority goes to National Register properties built before 1840 that are publicly owned and accessible, properties built in or before 1943 that are listed or eligible, and properties built after 1943 that contributed to the civil rights movement. The release names roof replacements, window restoration, and exterior painting as last year's projects. It doesn't mention churches or a deadline, so a congregation that operates a historic site, or owns a civil rights landmark, should call the Commission's grants team before assuming it's eligible.

National funders. A case in point is Temple Beth El in Birmingham: the National Fund for Sacred Places funded it in its October 2026 round (opens in a new tab) of 30 grants, from 466 applicants, with awards up to $500,000. The National Trust's Preserving Black Churches program funded Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in its 2026 round of 33 churches and $8.5 million, for a development director, an endowment, and a fundraising campaign. Our church building repair grants guide covers the other national routes.

Food: TEFAP, Four Food Banks, and EFSP

Alabama's TEFAP runs through the State Department of Education and four food banks, with a household income limit of 185% of the federal poverty level, according to the department's TEFAP state plan (opens in a new tab). The four are Heart of Alabama Food Bank in Montgomery, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in Birmingham, the Food Bank of North Alabama in Huntsville, and Feeding the Gulf Coast. Soup kitchens, pantries, and smaller food banks must sign a USDA Foods agreement with one of the four and pay a shared maintenance fee on the food they pull. A church pantry should budget for that fee.

EFSP. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program's Phase 43 (FY2025) table shows a sharp shift toward the State Set-Aside, according to the EFSP National Board's Phase 43 allocation table (opens in a new tab).

The Set-Aside rose 139%, while Birmingham fell 18%, Mobile 24%, and Montgomery 22%. The Set-Aside serves counties that don't qualify on their own, so a pantry in a smaller Alabama county has more to compete for. In qualifying counties, local boards, usually convened by the United Way, pick the recipients. The National Board's latest news page (opens in a new tab) showed only closeout notices for earlier phases on November 2, 2026, so confirm your local board's schedule directly.

Our church food pantry grants guide covers the records food banks and EFSP boards ask for.

Denominational and Community Funds in Alabama

Three Alabama funders below have published guidelines, and none has a window open today. Grantsights checked each on its own site on November 2, 2026.

The Birmingham foundation's wording is the useful one for most congregations. A church-run food pantry or tutoring program open to the neighborhood fits it, while a worship renovation doesn't. The Renfro grant is the opposite kind: it pays for building work, but only for small United Methodist churches. Grantsights found no grant information for the North Alabama Conference.

What Alabama Church Grant Lists Don't Tell You

Most Alabama church grant lists stop at national foundations. Five things they miss:

1. Alabama's refundable tax credit is a real route. A 25% credit that nonprofits can be awarded, and that can be transferred once, may fund work on a historic sanctuary, and it ends with 2027.
2. The security window is six weeks. FY2026 ran June 1 to July 15, and Alabama has no state-funded alternative.
3. Fairhope nearly matches Montgomery. Its 151 grants against Montgomery's 156 show that money follows family foundations, not the capital.
4. The Set-Aside jumped 139%. Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery boards all fell, which favors pantries in smaller counties.
5. The big Alabama court fight is property, not money. The 5-2 ruling in March 2026 concerns who owns a disaffiliating church's building.

A 90-Day Plan for an Alabama Church

The next 90 days run in four blocks.

1. Weeks 1 to 3: paperwork. Collect proof of IRS status (a group exemption letter usually works), your charter, a board roster, and a financial statement, then request a UEI through SAM.gov; our SAM.gov registration guide explains it.
2. Weeks 4 to 6: tax credit check. If your building is historic, call the Alabama Historical Commission about whether it qualifies as a certified historic structure, and get a contractor estimate, because the credit sunsets after 2027.
3. Weeks 7 to 9: security prep. Complete the free CISA houses of worship self-assessment (opens in a new tab), write down the specific threat that ties your congregation to the risk standard, and collect two quotes.
4. Weeks 10 to 12: foundations and food. Send short inquiry letters to funders on the $39 list that take requests in your metro, ask the Birmingham foundation about its 2027 spring dates if you're in its four counties, and call your regional food bank or EFSP board.

To see which programs might fit, try the free eligibility checker, or use the church grant path index to choose by project type. Smaller congregations can also use our grants for small churches guide and the how to apply for church grants walkthrough.

Limits of This Data

Alabama's counts draw on seven tax years of 990-PF filings from foundations in the Grantsights dataset. Since a 990-PF arrives a year or more after grants are paid, the newest filings are for 2023 and 2024. Purpose lines are often vague, so the missions, community, and building counts undercount. Name matching misses churches recorded under other names. The data sheet lists Fairfield and Bessemer with identical counts, so Grantsights left both out of the city table. The Constitution text comes from the Legislature's published recompiled document, and Grantsights didn't compare it against the current official code. ALEA's page doesn't state a maximum award, the Alabama Historical Commission's release doesn't say whether churches qualify or give a deadline, and Grantsights couldn't verify a 2027 date for the Birmingham foundation's cycles or any North Alabama Conference grant.

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on November 2, 2026:

• Alabama Legislature, statewide provisions of the recompiled Constitution of 2022 (opens in a new tab): Article I, Sections 3, 3.01, and 3.02; Sections 73 and 263; Religion Clause blog report on the March 6, 2026 ruling
• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency NSGP page (opens in a new tab); FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program page (opens in a new tab); Missouri DPS FY2026 NSGP notice (opens in a new tab)
• Alabama Department of Revenue historic rehabilitation tax credit page (opens in a new tab); Alabama Historical Commission 2026 Historic Sites Grant release (opens in a new tab); National Fund for Sacred Places 2026 grantees (opens in a new tab); National Trust Preserving Black Churches 2026 grant list
• Alabama State Department of Education TEFAP state plan (opens in a new tab); 7 CFR 16.3 (opens in a new tab)
• EFSP National Board: Phase 43 allocations (opens in a new tab), Phase 42 allocations (opens in a new tab), and latest news (opens in a new tab)
• Funder pages: Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Alabama-West Florida Conference (Renfro Grants), Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
• Trinity Lutheran (opens in a new tab), U.S. Supreme Court, June 26, 2017
• Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, tax years 2019 to 2025, pulled October 29, 2026