Recent Wilson & Sacred Sites Grants awarded
Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church, Astoria
St. Mary’s Church-in-the-Highlands, Cold Spring
First Presbyterian Church of Wyoming, Wyoming
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Katonah
Saint Paul’s Church, Salem
First Presbyterian Church, Schenectady
Saint Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Middleburgh
Temple Sinai, Saratoga Springs
Church of The Resurrection, Kew Gardens
Zion Episcopal Church, Morris
Chapin Memorial, Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta, Oneonta
First United Methodist Church, Newburgh
St. James Episcopal Church, Skaneateles
Sacred Heart Basilica, Syracuse
Grace Episcopal Church, Syracuse
University Parish of St. Joseph’s, New York
Church For All Nations, New York
Community Church of East Williston, East Williston
Our Lady of Victory / St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Rochester
Christ Temple Church, Rochester
Asbury First United Methodist Church, Rochester
Forest Presbyterian Church, Lyons Falls
First Presbyterian Church, Cazenovia
Church of the Ascension, Brooklyn
Trinity Episcopal Church, Middleville
United Methodist Church of Durham-Oak Hill, Oak Hill
Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo
The Reformed Dutch Church of Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie
Hamilton Monthly Meeting, Hamilton
Episcopal Church of Saints Peter and John, Auburn
Grace Episcopal Church, Bronx
First Baptist Church, Cuba
Trinity Church, Rensselaerville
Cathedral of All Saints, Albany
St. Brigid’s Demolition Halted
St. Brigids Church
Historic Catholic Churches in Crisis
Constructed in 1907, St. Thomas the Apostle Church was designed by the renowned ecclesiastical architect Thomas H. Poole and is one of many historic Roman Catholic churches facing demolition. Its detailed spire has already been removed.
St. Saviour’s Saved
St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church, Maspeth, Queens
West-Park Presbyterian Church - Manhattan
Neighbors presented this preliminary design that incorporates the historic structure while expanding program space.
Greater New Hope Church of God in Christ - Buffalo
The Greater New Hope Church of God in Christ is housed in a Moorish Revival building, which is capped by a large dome and was designed as a synagogue in 1903.
Congregation Tifereth Israel - Corona, Queens
Congregation Tifereth Israel serves the the growing Bukharian Jewish population of the Corona section of Queens.Grants Applications Download
Sacred Sites and Consulting Application
Wilson Application
Historic Synagogue Fund Grant Application
The Conservancy’s award-winning Sacred Sites Program was established in 1986; it is the oldest and largest statewide grant program to help landmark religious properties. It has awarded more than 1,000 grants throughout New York State, totaling $6.5 million, and provided invaluable hands-on technical advice and outreach to countless congregations. Common Bond, our journal of technical advice for religious properties, reaches 6,000 subscribers nationally. Regular workshops help congregations with everything from energy conservation to fundraising. The program has served over the years as a model for regional programs from Denver to Philadelphia to Eastern Europe.
Grants for Sacred Sites
The Sacred Sites Program assists religious organizations with two statewide matching grant programs: Sacred Sites Grants and Robert W. Wilson Sacred Sites Challenge grants. Only congregations located in New York City are additionally eligible for our third grant program: Consulting Grants. Finally, our fourth newly-launched grant program is available for historic synagogues: Historic Synagogue Fund Grants.
Conservancy Receives Major Gift to Help Launch New Historic Synagogue Initiative
The David Berg Foundation has awarded a two-year, $100,000 grant to help establish a new Historic Synagogue Fund. The Historic Synagogue Fund will, for the first time, allow the Conservancy to make Challenge Grants of between $25,000 and $50,000 to assist major repair and restoration projects in New York City. Click here to learn more.
The Conservancy is pleased to announce our first-ever Historic Synagogue Fund award: a challenge grant of $40,000 to the Free Synagogue of Flushing, the oldest Reform synagogue in Queens, for the restoration of its monumental stained glass windows and wood sash. Click here to learn more.
Robert W. Wilson Challenge Grant Program Extended Five Years
Thanks to the generosity of Robert W. Wilson, the Conservancy is pleased to announce that the Challenge grant program will continue in 2010. For major restoration projects in New York State, we will have $300,000 in annual Challenge grant funding for at least the next five years.
Our largest Wilson Challenge Grant to date is a $70,000 pledge to Rugged Cross Baptist Church in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, which helped support the replacement of a severely deteriorated roof over the belltower and sanctuary.
Both the Challenge Grants and Sacred Sites Grants programs offer two rounds per year. (Click on the links below for more information.) In 2009, we awarded $400,000 in Robert W. Wilson Challenge grants, $91,000 in Sacred Sites Grant pledges and $46,500 in Consulting Grants.
Our typical Sacred Sites Grant award is between $3,000 and $6,000. In the past five years, the Sacred Sites Committee has pledged over 40 Challenge grants, with an average pledge of $30,000.
Program Staff
- , Director
- , Grants Manager
Grants and Grant Criteria
Sacred Sites Grant Requirements
Robert W. Wilson Challenge Grant Requirements
Historic Synagogue Fund Grant Requirements
Consulting Grant Requirements (New York City only)
Application Process
Recent Projects
Recent Wilson & Sacred Sites Grants awarded
Flushing Monthly Meeting, Flushing
St. Mary’s Church-in-the-Highlands, Cold Spring
St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn
Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn
Union Theological Seminary, New York
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, New York
First Presbyterian Church of Wyoming, Wyoming
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Katonah
Saint Paul’s Church, Salem
First Presbyterian Church, Schenectady
Saint Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Middleburgh
Temple Sinai, Saratoga Springs
Trinity Lutheran Church, Long Island City
Church of The Resurrection, Kew Gardens
Zion Episcopal Church, Morris
Chapin Memorial, Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta, Oneonta
First United Methodist Church, Newburgh
St. James Episcopal Church, Skaneateles
Sacred Heart Basilica, Syracuse
Grace Episcopal Church, Syracuse
University Parish of St. Joseph’s, New York
German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul, New York
Church For All Nations, New York
Community Church of East Williston, East Williston
Our Lady of Victory / St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Rochester
Christ Temple Church, Rochester
Asbury First United Methodist Church, Rochester
Forest Presbyterian Church, Lyons Falls
First Presbyterian Church, Cazenovia
Rugged Cross Baptist Church, Brooklyn
Church of the Ascension, Brooklyn
Trinity Episcopal Church, Middleville
United Methodist Church of Durham-Oak Hill, Oak Hill
Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo
The Reformed Dutch Church of Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie
Hamilton Monthly Meeting, Hamilton
Episcopal Church of Saints Peter and John, Auburn
Tremont Baptist Church, Bronx
Grace Episcopal Church, Bronx
First Baptist Church, Cuba
Trinity Church, Rensselaerville
Cathedral of All Saints, Albany
St. Brigid’s Demolition Halted
Historic Catholic Churches in Crisis
St. Saviour’s Saved
West-Park Presbyterian Church - Manhattan
Greater New Hope Church of God in Christ - Buffalo
Chapel of the Good Shepherd - Roosevelt Island
Congregation Tifereth Israel - Corona, Queens
Advocating for Historic Roman Catholic Churches
