Historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma has won a $1 million grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund for technical expertise needed to protect the property so it can remain active for generations.
Brown Chapel is one of five historically Black churches across the country to be funded in the Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches program that is a $60 million initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. to “provide historically Black churches and their congregations with the funding and technical expertise needed to protect their historic assets and legacies through sustained stewardship planning that ensures these churches remain active, resilient institutions for generations.”
The official funding was announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but the pledge for the funds originally came during the 60th Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee in March.
Brown Chapel has been undergoing renovations for several years and the sanctuary is expected to reopen in 2026.
Leodis Strong, pastor of Brown Chapel, said in a statement that the church offers “deep and eternal gratitude to the Action Fund for the preservation of historic Black churches.”
“Their generous investment affirms that Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is not simply a church, not simply an historic relic. Brown Chapel is a living, breathing testimony to the power of faith in action,” Strong said. “As these doors open, again, we recommit ourselves to the work that began here: the work of God, the work of justice, the work of service, the work of community, the work of hope.”
Other churches getting funding through this program that is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation are the First African Baptist Church (Beaufort, SC), Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ (Chicago, IL), Second Baptist Church (Los Angeles, CA) and Mother Bethel AME Church (Philadelphia, PA).
“As we celebrate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy today, we are honored to be awarding transformational funding to five iconic, historically Black churches across the United States, from Los Angeles, California to Beaufort, South Carolina. These churches represent multifaceted legacies spanning critical moments in American history and culture," said Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and strategic adviser to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Thanks to generous funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. and our team's strategic partnership, the Action Fund is ensuring that these historic churches can continue to exist as civic spaces of faith, education, beauty, and belonging for generations to come.”
In a statement, the organization said that Historically Black Churches have played a pivotal role in shaping American history and have long been cornerstones of their communities, serving as sanctuaries of faith, centers of social change and symbols of resilience and cultural achievement. These $1 million grants are awarded as part of a multi-year partnership wherein the Action Fund will provide each church with technical expertise and consultation services for long-term asset management and stewardship planning.
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