St. Mark’s, Charleston Receives $500,000 Grant

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, announced yesterday that St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Charleston has been awarded a $500,000.00 grant through the organization’s fourth annual Preserving Black Churches program. Grants were awarded to 33 historically Black churches totaling $8.5 million. The $500,000 grant to St. Mark’s will be used to support exterior and structural rehabilitation at the church, which was founded in 1865. The church building, located in the heart of the historic Radcliffeborough neighborhood of Charleston, is one of the few all-wood churches in Charleston, constructed in approximately 1867.

This latest investment follows $5 million in grants awarded by the organization on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to five churches, underscoring the Action Fund’s sustained commitment to protecting sacred places that anchor Black faith, culture, democracy, and community. Together, the MLK Day awards and this latest round of Preserving Black Churches grants represent a total investment of $13.5 million to date in 2026 for the preservation, stewardship, and long-term sustainability of historically Black churches—one of the most significant commitments in the program’s history. Read the full announcement and learn more about all of the churches awarded grants at this link.