Grants for Churches in Indiana (2026 Guide)

For the national picture, including federal rules on what churches can and can't fund, start with our grants for churches guide. This page covers Indiana. For programs beyond churches, see the Indiana grants guide.

Foundation Grants to Indiana Churches by the Numbers

Indiana ranks 15th among states, with 3,384 foundation grants to churches and ministries, according to Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records. That's 2.4% of the 139,417 faith-related grants in the national dataset. Those grants went to 1,361 different recipients.

The median is the number to budget with. According to the same filings, one gift of $2.5 million sits inside the $87.3 million total, and the average of about $25,800 per grant is more than five times the $5,000 median. A congregation asking a foundation for help with a roof or a youth program should plan around a few thousand dollars, with a larger ask only from a funder that has already shown it gives in that range.

Most funders don't publish a way in. Only 287 of the 1,007 Indiana foundations, 28%, list an application route on their filings. The other 720 either give to a preselected list or didn't say. That's the red flag for any plan that starts with "we'll send proposals to every foundation."

Purposes are mostly blank. Filers often write "general support," so keyword buckets undercount. Among the 3,384 Indiana grants, 274 named missions, 113 named youth, 111 named community work, and 52 named building, repair, or capital work. Nationally, 2,821 of 139,417 faith grants named building or repair, about 2%. A church shouldn't read the low building count as "foundations won't fund roofs." It mostly shows how little filers explain.

You can see how many foundations gave to churches in Indiana for free, with two named and one shown in full. The Grantsights church funder list costs $39 and covers Indiana and every other state. It names each foundation that reported church or ministry grants on its own IRS filings, with what it gave, to whom, for what, and a link to those filings. It's one payment, not a subscription, and you can get a refund within 30 days.

Where Indiana Church Grants Go

Six cities hold 1,952 of Indiana's 3,384 church grants, about 58%, according to our analysis of the same filings. Cities are recipient addresses, and suburbs of one metro can overlap.

Three details stand out. Elkhart has 325 grants, more than three times South Bend's 98. Fort Wayne's median of $10,000 is double the state's, with 301 grants from just 95 foundations, so a smaller group of funders is giving bigger gifts. And Jeffersonville's $12.0 million total comes from only 186 grants, which suggests a few very large gifts rather than a deep pool of small ones.

Other cities in the data: Evansville (171 grants, 50 foundations), Greenwood (154), Auburn (133), Columbus (132), Muncie (99), and South Bend (98). Evansville's 171 grants come from just 50 foundations, and only 12 of those name an application route. A church in southwest Indiana has fewer open doors than the grant count suggests.

Working the $39 List in Indiana

The list covers all 1,007 Indiana foundations above. Three ways to use it here:

1. Filter to the 287 that name an application route. A foundation that tells the IRS how to apply is the only kind worth a cold inquiry.
2. Stay in your metro. An Elkhart congregation has 163 local foundations to look at. An Evansville congregation has 50. Local giving patterns beat statewide ones.
3. Read the 990-PF's "preselected" box. If a foundation says it only gives to listed organizations, a proposal won't be read. A short introduction through a member who knows a trustee is the realistic route.

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

What the Indiana Constitution Says About Public Money and Churches

Indiana's Bill of Rights has two religion clauses that matter here, and one of them names the treasury directly. Grantsights read Article 1 as transcribed by the Indiana Historical Bureau (opens in a new tab) on November 2, 2026.

• Article 1, Section 4: "No preference shall be given, by law, to any creed, religious society, or mode of worship." The same section says no one can be compelled to attend, erect, or support a place of worship or maintain any ministry against his consent.
• Article 1, Section 6: "No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution."

What the Indiana Supreme Court did with it. In Meredith v. Pence (opens in a new tab), decided March 26, 2013, the court upheld the Choice Scholarship Program against a Section 6 challenge. It held that Section 6 prohibits expenditures that directly benefit a religious or theological institution, and that ancillary indirect benefits don't make an otherwise permissible expenditure improper. The school benefit there came from parents' independent choices. A direct grant to a congregation is the harder case under that test.

The federal backstop. A church that's shut out of a program open to everyone else can point to Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer (opens in a new tab) (2017), which held that a state can't exclude a church from a generally available public grant solely because it's a church. Grantsights didn't find a current Indiana case or Attorney General opinion applying that rule to church grants. Until one appears, the practical read is that Indiana runs church-relevant money through federal pass-throughs and nonprofit routes, not direct state appropriations to congregations.

Federal money that Indiana passes through, including NSGP, TEFAP, and EFSP, still bars spending on worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. Our government grants for churches guide explains those limits.

Indiana Security Grants for Churches

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security capped FY2026 NSGP-S awards at $200,000 per application, and the window has closed. According to the IDHS Nonprofit Security Grant Program page (opens in a new tab), the 2026 application period closed Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 4 p.m. ET. Grantsights didn't find a separate state-funded program for houses of worship.

Those figures come from IDHS's FY2026 NSGP-S instructions (opens in a new tab). The instructions add two points that save congregations time. A vulnerability assessment can be reused if it's under 3 years old and nothing substantive has changed, and the requested items must trace back to vulnerabilities the assessment names. Applicants need a unique entity identifier but not an active SAM registration; our SAM registration guide explains how to get one.

Nationally, the FEMA NSGP page (opens in a new tab) lists $300 million for FY2026, divided $150 million for the urban-area track and $150 million for the state track, and names places of worship among its target groups. Grantsights didn't find an IDHS notice for the next cycle on November 2, 2026.

Timing is the catch. The FY2026 window ran to a July deadline, and a church that waits for a newsletter reminder often has weeks, not months. A congregation with a current assessment and two contractor quotes can finish the five documents quickly. Our church security grants guide covers how to build that package.

Historic Preservation: Sacred Places Indiana, the State HPF, and Tax Credits

Sacred Places Indiana offers capital grants up to $500,000, which is the biggest Indiana-specific route for an old sanctuary. According to the Indiana Landmarks announcement (opens in a new tab), the program provided $2,835,950 to 25 congregations in 2025, and it offers planning grants up to $25,000.

What Indiana Landmarks' program page (opens in a new tab) says about how it works:

• Two paths. New Dollars/New Partners is for smaller congregations that need to lay groundwork before a capital campaign. The Sacred Places Indiana Fund is for historic churches with significant capital needs, judicatory support, and readiness for a campaign.
• Match. Capital grants are matching grants, and congregations must be prepared to raise matching funds through a capital campaign.
• Entry. Start with the Letter of Interest form. A staff member follows up, and an invitation to participate comes before the program application.
• Timing. The 2026 applications closed June 15, 2026. Both paths reopen in January 2027.

A common mistake is to treat the program as a roofing fund with a deadline. It's a multi-step program, and a congregation that sends the Letter of Interest in the fall is a step ahead of one that starts in January. One Indianapolis congregation, North United Methodist Church, was among the 30 awardees in the National Fund for Sacred Places' October 2026 round (opens in a new tab). For national building funders, see our church building repair grants guide.

The state Historic Preservation Fund. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources' HPF grant page (opens in a new tab) says applicants must be nonprofits, educational institutions, or local governments, and the property must be listed in the National Register and owned by an eligible organization. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab) says the U.S. Department of Justice has determined religious organizations are eligible. It lists awards of $5,000 to $50,000 for architectural and historical projects and $10,000 to $75,000 for acquisition and development, generally matched 50/50. A National Park Service transmittal memo (opens in a new tab) explains the federal basis: religious properties listed in the National Register can take part consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act.

The state wasn't accepting proposals on November 2, 2026. Public comments on the draft FY2027 criteria are due December 31, 2026, and the review board takes them up at its January 13, 2027 meeting. A church that's in the National Register has a reason to read those criteria.

Tax credits. The state's financial assistance page (opens in a new tab) lists the Residential Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit "for owners of historic homes used as their principal residence" and a federal credit for commercial properties. The National Park Service says the 20% federal credit (opens in a new tab) is available only to properties rehabilitated for income-producing purposes, with the building depreciable for at least five years. A worship space doesn't meet either test, so don't count on a tax credit unless part of the building is leased to a paying tenant.

Food: TEFAP, State Food Bank Money, and EFSP

Indiana's food programs reach churches through 11 food banks and about $2.09 million in EFSP money. The Indiana Department of Health's TEFAP page (opens in a new tab) says households must be Indiana residents with income no more than 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. Local agencies are selected by the state, food banks are usually the selected agencies, and they pass food to pantries and soup kitchens. The page doesn't describe a pantry application process, so a church pantry should start with its regional food bank.

State dollars for food banks. The Indiana State Department of Agriculture announced $2 million for fiscal year 2026 on July 23, 2025, split among 11 food banks using TEFAP fair-share percentages, according to the state announcement (opens in a new tab). Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana received the most at $635,000, and the announcement says the food banks supply pantries, soup kitchens, churches, and other distribution centers.

EFSP. Indiana's Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocation for Phase 43 (FY2025) totals $2,090,428, according to the EFSP National Board's Phase 43 allocation table (opens in a new tab).

One third of Indiana's EFSP money, $695,492, sits in the State Set-Aside, which serves counties that don't qualify on their own. That's good news for a rural church pantry and a reason not to skip the application just because the county isn't on the list. In qualifying counties, local boards choose recipients. Our church food pantry grants guide covers the records food banks and EFSP boards ask for.

Community Foundations and Denominational Funds in Indiana

Of the four funders below, two take applications on a rolling basis. Grantsights checked each on its own site on November 2, 2026.

Grantsights didn't verify the religious-organization rules of individual Indiana community foundations, and they differ from county to county. Many community foundations fund churches only for community programs that don't require religious participation. Read each foundation's exclusions before writing a request, and ask whether a church can apply directly or needs a fiscal sponsor.

What Indiana Church Grant Lists Don't Tell You

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

1. Indiana has a church-specific historic program with a multi-step entry. Sacred Places Indiana starts with a Letter of Interest, not a grant application, and the 2026 round closed June 15.
2. The federal security window is short. IDHS closed FY2026 on July 9 and wants all five documents in one email.
3. Seven in ten Indiana funders don't publish a way in. Only 287 of 1,007 name an application route.
4. The tax credits mostly don't fit sanctuaries. The state credit is for principal residences, and the federal credit needs income-producing use.
5. Elkhart punches above its size. Its 325 grants and 163 funders are a deeper local pool than South Bend's 98 grants.

A 90-Day Plan for an Indiana Church

1. Now through November: Letter of Interest. If your building is historic and you can describe a capital campaign, send the Sacred Places Indiana Letter of Interest before the January cycle opens.
2. Weeks 1 to 3: documents. Pull together IRS status evidence (a group exemption letter usually works), incorporation papers, a board list, and a financial statement. Arrange a vulnerability assessment so the next NSGP notice is a matter of filling in forms.
3. Weeks 4 to 8: foundations. Use the funder list to find the foundations in your metro that name an application route, and send short inquiry letters. If your building is in the National Register, read the draft FY2027 HPF criteria before December 31.
4. Weeks 9 to 12: food and denominational. If you run a pantry, call your regional food bank about partner agency status. If you're United Methodist, check the monthly Fresh Expressions window.

Not sure which route fits a particular project? The free eligibility checker matches an organization to open programs, and the church grant path index sorts options by project type. For small congregations, our grants for small churches guide and how to apply for church grants cover the paperwork.

Limits of This Data

Treat every foundation figure here as a floor. The counts cover only filers in the Grantsights dataset, and 990-PF filings arrive a year or more after grants are paid. Purpose lines are often vague, so the youth, missions, and building counts undercount. Name matching misses churches recorded under other names, and city counts follow recipient addresses, which can overlap for suburbs of one metro. Grantsights couldn't confirm whether Indiana has funded a state nonprofit security program, the status of an FY2027 NSGP notice, or the individual religious-organization rules of Indiana community foundations.

Related Guides

• Grants For Historic Churches

Sources Checked

All sources were checked on November 2, 2026:

• Indiana Constitution Article 1, Sections 4 and 6, as transcribed by the Indiana Historical Bureau (opens in a new tab); Meredith v. Pence (opens in a new tab), Indiana Supreme Court, March 26, 2013; Trinity Lutheran (opens in a new tab)
• Indiana Department of Homeland Security: NSGP page (opens in a new tab) and FY2026 NSGP-S instructions (opens in a new tab); FEMA NSGP page (opens in a new tab)
• Indiana Department of Natural Resources: HPF grants (opens in a new tab), HPF FAQ (opens in a new tab), financial assistance (opens in a new tab); National Park Service HPF memo (opens in a new tab) and tax credit eligibility (opens in a new tab)
• Indiana Landmarks: Sacred Places Indiana (opens in a new tab) and its January 2026 announcement (opens in a new tab); National Fund for Sacred Places 2026 awards (opens in a new tab)
• Indiana Department of Health TEFAP page (opens in a new tab); Indiana State Department of Agriculture food bank announcement (opens in a new tab); EFSP National Board Phase 43 allocations (opens in a new tab)
• Funder pages: Indiana Conference UMC Fresh Expressions (opens in a new tab), Brotherhood Mutual Foundation (opens in a new tab)
• Grantsights analysis of Form 990-PF grant records, tax years 2019 to 2025, pulled October 29, 2026