Savannah Church Wins $500,000 Historic Grant
First Baptist Church must match the award dollar-for-dollar to fund structural repairs at its 1833 Chippewa Square building.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Christianity
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First Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, was awarded $500,000 by the National Fund for Sacred Places to address structural issues at its historic facility. The church must provide a dollar-for-dollar match for the grant.
Why it matters
The award targets pressing repairs to a building completed in 1833 on Chippewa Square, a downtown Savannah landmark. It also reflects broader support for historic congregations through a program that has distributed funds to 197 congregations.
The grant is one of 30 historic congregation awards totaling more than $9 million announced in October. The church will use the funds and match for waterproofing, window and roof improvements, and basement flooding repairs, though the completion timeline was not specified.
The players
First Baptist Church
A historic Savannah congregation whose 1833 building on Chippewa Square is debt-free and whose attendance is growing.
National Fund for Sacred Places
A program of Partners for Sacred Places that funds capital repairs for historic houses of worship across the United States.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
A nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1949 that works to save America's historic places.
Lilly Endowment
A private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis that supports religious, educational, and community organizations.
The details
The grant was awarded through the National Fund for Sacred Places, a program of Partners for Sacred Places, in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. First Baptist's facilities study from 2020-2021 identified the repairs, and the church's roof includes more than 1,000 Italian classical tiles.
Timeline
2020-2021: Church completed a facilities study identifying needed repairs.
October 2026: National Fund for Sacred Places announced $9 million in grants to 30 congregations.
Early 2027: The church's budget pledging drive for matching funds begins in the new year.
Faith Preservation
The award continues the National Fund for Sacred Places' work since its 11-year distribution program began, which has funded 197 congregations across 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It places First Baptist among historic houses of worship that rely on matched capital grants to maintain aging structures.
Savannah residents who attend or pass by First Baptist Church may see waterproofing, window, and roof work once repairs begin. The matching fund campaign also offers congregants a direct role in helping secure the building's future.
The takeaway
Historic congregations can access matched capital grants for structural repairs, so churches with aging buildings may consider the matching requirements early. Community members interested in preserving local landmarks can support these pledge drives directly.
What happens next
The church's budget pledging drive for matching funds begins in the new year, 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Christianity coverage tied to Savannah congregations and historic church preservation efforts.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Baptist News Global.
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