Church Repair Grants 2026: What Actually Pays

This guide is for: pastors, trustees, building committees, and church administrators who need to pay for a roof, storm repair, heating system, accessibility work, or restoration and want to know which funding routes are real in 2026.

Full answer: There's no general federal program that pays for ordinary church repairs. Money for a church building almost always comes attached to a reason: the building is historically significant, part of it is used for secular community programs, it was damaged in a declared disaster, the project is clean energy property like solar, or the work is security hardening. Much of the rest comes as a loan or a matching grant. That's not a dead end. The National Fund for Sacred Places offers $50,000 to $500,000 matching grants to historic, community-serving congregations, with the next application window running January 12 to March 3, 2027. FEMA can cover disaster damage to houses of worship after an SBA loan application. Churches can receive IRS elective pay for qualifying solar, but new solar must be placed in service by December 31, 2027. And for most routine repairs, a capital campaign backed by a denominational loan fund is still the realistic base.

Data note: Grantsights checked each route below at its official source on October 11, 2026: the National Fund for Sacred Places eligibility and Intervention Fund pages, the National Park Service Save America's Treasures page and FY2025 notice (P25AS00469), FEMA's Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (Version 5.0 Amended), 44 CFR 206.226, 24 CFR 5.109 and 570.201, the SBA disaster loan page, IRS Notice 2025-42 and the IRS elective pay FAQ, two state preservation programs, the Maine FY2026 NSGP subapplicant notice, and ADA.gov. Statuses can change after that date.

Last updated: October 11, 2026.

If you're looking for grants for church programs rather than the building itself, start with our grants for churches guide. For the wider preservation picture beyond houses of worship, see grants for historic preservation.

Church Repair Funding Routes at a Glance

Eight routes cover nearly every kind of church building project that outside money will touch. The table matches each route to the repair type it fits, using what each official source showed on October 11, 2026.

Grantsights analysis of two published totals gives a sense of scale. The National Fund reports more than $33 million awarded or pledged to 167 congregations since 2016, which works out to roughly $198,000 per congregation. The Save America's Treasures notice lists $25.5 million in estimated funding and 55 expected awards, an average near $464,000. Both are competitive national programs that fund a few dozen projects a year, so treat them as targeted applications, not a plan for every church.

Do Churches Get Money From the Government?

Three federal rules answer this question, and each one draws the line in a different place. The short version: government money can reach a church building, but never to pay for worship space as worship space, except in disaster recovery and a few preservation programs.

Disaster recovery treats churches like other nonprofits. The Stafford Act's definition of a private nonprofit facility explicitly lists houses of worship, and FEMA's Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide lists "houses of worship and faith-based organizations (e.g., churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples)" among facilities providing noncritical, essential social services. A house of worship that limits membership to people who share its faith still counts as serving the general public.

HUD money stops at the sanctuary door. According to HUD's equal participation rule at 24 CFR 5.109(j), direct federal assistance may pay to rehabilitate a structure only to the extent it's used for eligible program activities. When a building has both uses, HUD funds can't exceed the eligible share, and HUD money can't pay to rehabilitate "sanctuaries, chapels, or other rooms" used as the principal place of worship.

Preservation programs vary. The FY2025 Save America's Treasures notice lists nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status among eligible applicants and contains no exclusion for religious properties, but state programs set their own rules, and some exclude active churches from construction money entirely. The state section below shows two programs that land on opposite sides.

For the broader rules on what federally funded programs at a church can and can't include, see our guide to grants for faith-based organizations.

Historic Sanctuaries: The National Fund for Sacred Places

The National Fund for Sacred Places is the largest repair-focused grant program built specifically for houses of worship, offering matching capital grants of $50,000 to $500,000. It's run by Partners for Sacred Places with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. According to its 2026 cohort announcement, the fund has supported 167 congregations from 28 faith traditions across 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Past participants listed on its site include 16th Street Baptist Church (2018 cohort) and Alrasool Islamic Center (2023 cohort).

Who qualifies. The eligibility page requires that:

• The building was originally built as a house of worship and is owned by an active community of faith
• The applicant is a congregation at least three years old or a closely affiliated nonprofit
• The property has historical, cultural, or architectural significance (National Register listing isn't required)
• The congregation serves nonmembers and has urgent repair needs in structural parts, walls, or the roof
• The need exceeds what the congregation's usual donors can cover
• The work follows the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation

The match is real cash. Every grant requires a 1:1 cash match, a quarter of the match must be raised or pledged before any grant money is released, and pledges made before the congregation enters the program don't count. A common mistake is counting the capital campaign you already finished. Those dollars won't satisfy the match.

What it won't pay for. The list of exclusions matters for budgeting: no new construction, parking lots, landscaping, cemeteries, pew replacement, audio-visual equipment, pipe organ work, or mural and religious art restoration. ADA and functionality projects are eligible, but the fund expects urgent envelope repairs from a building conditions assessment to come first.

Timing. The application page lists a launch of January 12, 2027 and a deadline of March 3, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, with final notifications in October 2027. The fund typically accepts 30 to 40 grantees per cohort.

The Intervention Fund for Emergencies

When a historic church suffers a sudden emergency, the Intervention Fund offers up to $100,000 per congregation with no cash match. It covers extreme weather, property destruction, and sudden safety hazards, and can pay for scaffolding, safety netting, and tarps as well as planning and capital work. It's open on a rolling basis, but applications are by invitation only after staff confirm eligibility, and each congregation can receive one grant. Invited applicants get up to 30 days to submit.

State Historic Preservation Grants Through Your SHPO

Every state, DC, and the territories have a State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service says each receives annual Historic Preservation Fund money through a formula that includes a minimum 10% pass-through for local preservation projects, according to the NPS State Historic Preservation Office program page. Some states turn part of that federal money, or their own appropriations, into building grants. Whether a church can apply depends entirely on the state.

Two current examples show how far apart the rules can be:

• Maryland funds churches, with limits. The Maryland Historical Trust's Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program has $1 million in total funding, takes requests up to $100,000, and accepts religious properties under special conditions. Grants can generally fund only structural or exterior work, not interior worship spaces or elements with religious imagery, and the property owner must convey a preservation easement to the Trust. Its usual cycle opens in February with a March deadline.
• North Dakota excludes them from construction money. The State Historical Society of North Dakota's 2026 Historic Preservation Fund development grant guidelines offer up to $50,000 with at least a 50% cash match for National Register-listed properties, due October 16, 2026. But the guidelines list "Owners of religious property" among those who don't qualify. Property owned and used by religious organizations may qualify only for pre-development funds such as planning and drawings.

The honest takeaway: call your SHPO before you assume anything. Ask three questions. Are active religious properties eligible? Does the grant cover construction or only planning? Is an easement or covenant required, and for how long?

Save America's Treasures

Save America's Treasures is the federal route for nationally significant buildings, with preservation awards from $125,000 to $750,000 and a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match. According to the NPS program page, the most recent round closed June 16, 2026, and Grantsights didn't find a newer round posted as of October 11, 2026. The bar is high: the property must be individually listed in the National Register for national significance, be a National Historic Landmark, or contribute to a nationally significant district, and that status must be in place when you apply. Each resource can receive only one SAT grant ever. Awards above $50,000 also come with a recorded preservation easement of 10 to 25 years depending on the amount, a condition many congregations underestimate.

Why the Historic Tax Credit Usually Doesn't Help

The 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit is the biggest preservation incentive in the country, but it rarely reaches a church. The NPS eligibility requirements say the building must be depreciable and used in a business or other income-producing way for at least five years after rehabilitation. A worship space doesn't meet that test, and a tax-exempt congregation has no federal income tax for a credit to reduce.

Storm, Flood, and Fire Damage: FEMA Public Assistance and SBA Loans

Disaster recovery is the one place where federal money can repair a sanctuary, and FEMA's federal share is not less than 75% of eligible costs. The catch is that FEMA aid starts only after a presidential major disaster declaration that includes Public Assistance for your area. A fire or a storm that doesn't produce a declaration doesn't open this route.

The SBA-first rule applies to churches. According to FEMA's Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, a private nonprofit that doesn't provide critical services must apply for an SBA disaster loan before FEMA will consider permanent work. That's the rule in 44 CFR 206.226(c), and the guide's own worked examples apply it to churches: a church whose primary use is a house of worship "must apply for an SBA loan for repairs to the church as it provides a noncritical service." FEMA can then fund only the permanent work costs the loan won't cover.

What that means in practice:

• Debris removal and emergency protective measures (tarping, pumping, shoring) don't require an SBA application.
• Permanent repairs require an SBA loan application and a decision first.
• Declining the loan limits FEMA aid. The guide says that if a nonprofit declines an SBA loan, FEMA funding is limited to costs the loan wouldn't have covered. That applies even when the church can't meet loan terms such as collateral and SBA denies it for that reason.
• Missing the SBA deadline is fatal for permanent work. If the church misses the SBA application deadline and any extension, permanent work becomes ineligible for FEMA funding.
• Mixed-use buildings follow a primary-use test. FEMA decides eligibility by whichever use takes up more than 50% of the building's physical space.
• The clock is short. A nonprofit must submit a Request for Public Assistance through FEMA's Grants Portal within 30 days after its area is designated.

SBA loan terms. According to the SBA disaster assistance page, physical disaster loans to most private nonprofits go up to $2 million, with a fixed rate that won't exceed 4% for nonprofits that can't get credit elsewhere (8% for those that can) and terms up to 30 years. Mitigation money can add up to 20% of the verified loss to reduce future damage. FEMA and the SBA can't pay for anything insurance covers, so file the insurance claim first.

A church that isn't required to hold an IRS determination letter can still apply: the FEMA guide accepts articles, bylaws, or similar documents plus a certification of compliance with 501(c)(3) and state law requirements. For the bigger picture on how these programs fit together, see our guides to SBA disaster loans versus grants and FEMA grants.

Roofs, HVAC, Solar, and Lighting: Elective Pay and Efficiency Help

For energy projects, the most valuable federal money for churches is a tax credit paid out as cash. Under the Inflation Reduction Act's elective pay rules, the IRS says any organization described in sections 501 through 530 that meets the requirements for exemption is an eligible tax-exempt organization, and its elective pay FAQ uses a church as one of its examples. The church must complete IRS pre-filing registration before it files, and the registration number has to appear on the return it uses to make the election.

The 2025 law changed the solar math. According to IRS Notice 2025-42, Public Law 119-21 (the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act) ends the clean electricity investment credit (section 48E) and production credit (section 45Y) for wind and solar facilities placed in service after December 31, 2027, unless construction began by July 4, 2026. That begin-construction date has passed. A church starting a new solar array today needs it placed in service by December 31, 2027 to claim the credit. Construction-start rules are technical, and Notice 2025-42 itself changed the earlier IRS approach, so a church that thinks its project began earlier should get a tax professional's opinion in writing.

A roof replacement isn't an energy credit. This is a red flag in some vendor pitches: elective pay attaches to qualifying energy property such as solar panels and storage, not to the roof underneath them. If the roof needs replacement before solar goes on, the roof is a separate expense.

Efficiency help that costs nothing. The ENERGY STAR for Congregations page says an average worship facility can save up to 30% on energy through no-cost actions, strategic investment, and better operations and maintenance. It offers a free toolkit, free Portfolio Manager benchmarking, and no-cost partnership. Local utilities often run their own rebate programs for lighting, controls, and HVAC equipment; those terms come from your utility, so ask its business or nonprofit rebate team directly. For more on clean energy funding, see our renewable energy grants guide.

Space Used for Community Programs: CDBG and HUD's Worship-Space Rule

Community Development Block Grant money flows to cities, counties, and states, and those grantees must spend not less than 70% of funds over their certification period on activities that benefit low- and moderate-income people. A church doesn't apply to HUD. It applies to its city or county, usually during the local annual plan cycle, as a subrecipient.

The eligible activity is "public facilities and improvements" under 24 CFR 570.201(c), which covers rehabilitation of facilities carried out by private nonprofits and allows removal of architectural barriers for elderly and disabled people. Facilities owned by nonprofits must be open for use by the general public during normal operating hours.

For a church, the binding limit is HUD's equal participation rule. CDBG follows 24 CFR 5.109, so:

• CDBG can help rehabilitate only the share of a building used for eligible activities such as a food pantry, senior meals, or a homeless shelter.
• If a space serves both eligible and explicitly religious activities, CDBG can't exceed the eligible share, using the program's cost accounting rules.
• CDBG can't pay for the sanctuary, chapel, or any other room used as the principal place of worship.
• If the church later stops using the space for the funded purpose or sells it, federal property disposition rules apply.

Labeled hypothetical: a fellowship hall used five weekdays as a licensed childcare center and on Sunday for worship would need the city to allocate costs by eligible use, and the sanctuary next door couldn't be part of the project at all. The local CDBG office decides how that allocation works. See our CDBG guide for how local cycles run.

Security Hardening: The Nonprofit Security Grant Program

FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program had $300 million in FY2026, and houses of worship are one of the main eligible facility types. According to Maine's FY2026 NSGP subapplicant notice, a nonprofit could request up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites per funding stream, capped at $600,000 per state, and the FY2026 program had no cost share. The state's subapplicant deadline was July 16, 2026, ahead of the federal deadline of July 24.

FY2026 is closed, and FEMA announced its FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026. As of October 11, 2026, FEMA's program page didn't show an FY2027 notice. Churches apply through their State Administrative Agency, not to FEMA directly, and need a current vulnerability assessment. The Maine notice lists examples such as access control systems, security cameras, and lighting. It isn't a general repair program, so don't plan to fold a roof or boiler into a security application.

Ramps, Elevators, and Accessible Restrooms

Accessibility is the hardest church repair to fund with grants, and the reason starts with the law: according to the Justice Department's ADA Title III page, Title III "does not apply to" religious organizations. That exemption means no federal mandate pushes money toward church ramps and elevators the way it does for businesses.

What does exist:

• The National Fund for Sacred Places lists ADA-related and functionality projects as eligible, after urgent envelope repairs are addressed.
• CDBG allows barrier removal at public facilities, but only for the share of the building used for eligible community programs, never the worship space.
• Community foundations and denominational funds sometimes support accessibility as part of a broader community-use project.

Being honest about this saves time: most churches pay for accessibility work through a capital campaign, sometimes with a denominational loan, and use grants only for the parts tied to community programs.

Denominational Loan Funds, Community Foundations, and Capital Campaigns

Denominational church extension and investment funds are the most common outside capital for church buildings, and they lend rather than give. They raise money from members and church bodies and lend it back to congregations of that tradition. Two examples with current pages:

• The ELCA Mission Investment Fund makes loans for church and ministry building projects, land purchases, and refinancing for congregations and ELCA-related ministries.
• The Lutheran Church Extension Fund offers loans and other services to LCMS congregations, schools, and organizations.

If your tradition isn't Lutheran, ask your regional office or judicatory whether it has a similar fund, and whether it offers any small grant or matching program for repairs.

Community foundations in your county are often the only "near me" grant source that funds a church building, usually when the space serves the wider community. Their rules vary, so check whether the current guidelines accept religious organizations and whether they require community use of the space before applying.

Don't pay for grant lists. You don't need a subscription to find these routes. Every program in this guide publishes its rules on a free official page.

What Church Grant Lists Don't Tell You About Repair Money

Grantsights compared the official rules for these eight routes against the way church grant lists usually describe them, and five gaps come up again and again.

1. "Grants for churches" often means grants for programs. Listings mix service funding with building funding. Building money shows up only through narrow routes like the ones above, and HUD money can't touch the sanctuary.
2. Matching cash decides who wins. The National Fund, Save America's Treasures, and many state programs require 1:1 or 50% cash. A congregation that can't raise half the project shouldn't apply yet. Raise the match first.
3. State preservation rules split on churches. Maryland funds religious properties' exteriors; North Dakota's 2026 construction grants exclude religious owners. A national list can't tell you which side your state is on.
4. FEMA isn't a grant you can skip ahead to. For permanent repairs, the SBA application comes first, and declining a loan you can't afford still limits what FEMA will pay.
5. Easements and covenants last longer than the grant. Save America's Treasures awards above $50,000 require easements of 10 to 25 years, and Maryland requires an easement for any grant. Trustees should approve that commitment before the application goes in.

A Realistic Order of Operations for a Church Repair Project

A church that follows these 6 steps will know within a few weeks which routes are worth an application.

1. Get a building conditions assessment. The National Fund expects one, and every other route asks what the urgent needs are. It also keeps you from fundraising for the wrong repair.
2. Check historic status. Ask your SHPO whether the building is listed or eligible, and whether its grants accept active religious properties.
3. Separate the project into pieces. Envelope repairs, energy property, community-use rooms, security, and accessibility each have different funders. One project with five funding sources is normal.
4. Start the match now. Open the capital campaign before the January 12, 2027 National Fund launch, since pledges made before program entry won't count toward the match.
5. Prepare for disasters before one happens. Keep insurance current, document the building's condition, and keep tax-exempt documentation ready so a FEMA request can go in within 30 days of designation.
6. Search by program, not by "church grants." Use the Grantsights grant database to look up a specific program, or the eligibility checker to see which programs fit your organization type.

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on October 11, 2026:

• National Fund for Sacred Places: eligibility, apply, Intervention Fund, participants
• National Park Service: Save America's Treasures, SHPO program, tax incentive eligibility
• FEMA Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, Version 5.0 Amended (copy hosted by Montana Disaster and Emergency Services); 44 CFR 206.226
• SBA disaster assistance
• IRS Notice 2025-42 and elective pay FAQ
• HUD rules: 24 CFR 5.109 and 24 CFR 570.201
• Maine FY2026 NSGP subapplicant notice
• ADA.gov Title III, ENERGY STAR for Congregations
• Maryland Historical Trust capital grants, North Dakota 2026 HPF guidelines