Partners for Sacred Places

06/16/2026

Join Mother Bethel AME Church in celebrating !

📅 June 19th, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
🌍 Mother Bethel AME Church | 419 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia PA 19147
⭐Free for all attendees

Save the date for a powerful day of celebration, community, and culture at the Mother Bethel Annual Juneteenth Celebration. Come and honor Freedom Day and celebrate Black excellence, heritage, and progress with an exciting gathering for all ages!

06/12/2026

Did you know that beneath a bustling South Philadelphia playground lies a macabre history of 18th and 19th-century grave robbing?

The Weccacoe Playground sits on the historic Bethel Burial Ground, where the bodies of poor and Black Philadelphians were once stolen by "resurrectionists" to supply medical schools. Now, playwright Nia Akilah Robinson is bringing this haunting history to light in "The Great Privation (How to Flip Ten Cents Into a Dollar)"—a surprisingly funny, deeply moving new play running at Theatre Exile.⭐

We are proud to feature this production and its surrounding community discussions as part of our Founding Faiths project, an initiative celebrating America's 250th by exploring the diverse spiritual and historical roots that shaped our nation.

Click the 🔗 below to read more about how this powerful story bridges the gap between 1832 and today👇

Nia Akilah Robinson, who grew up in Harlem, wrote "The Great Privation," with has very real roots in this city.

06/11/2026

Full-circle moment! Last week, the Chicago team visited Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago to see the newly reinstalled 1893 Jeweled Window by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Our team was in this exact spot over a year ago when the window was being taken out for restoration, and seeing it back in its full glory is absolutely wonderful.✨🪟

We’ve loved supporting Second Presbyterian over the years—from working on their past feasibility study to celebrating their spot in the 2019 cohort of the National Fund for sacred Places.

So awesome to see these historic restoration projects cross the finish line!

06/04/2026

Step back in time and discover the living history right in our backyard! 🏛️✨

We are thrilled to partner with the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia to bring you the Rittenhouse Square Sacred Sites Tour.

Join us as we explore stunning examples of Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival religious architecture, tracing Philly’s growth west of Broad Street from the mid-19th century through the Gilded Age. But these buildings aren't just beautiful relics of the past—you’ll also learn how these vital spaces continue to serve, anchor, and inspire our communities today!

📅When: July 1, 6:00 PM

📍 Where: Meet in front of First Baptist Church (17th & Sansom Streets)

🎧 Tech Note: High-quality, sanitized audio headsets will be provided so you won't miss a word. (Feel free to bring your own wired earbuds with a standard jack!)

🎟️ A limited number of $2 tickets are available for PA ACCESS or Art-Reach ACCESS card holders.

Spaces are filling up fast! Click the 🔗 to get your ticket🎫 - https://shorturl.at/M6XQe

06/02/2026

Did you know only about 1% of the houses of worship in the U.S. today actually predate the American Revolution? As we reflect on America’s 250th milestone, these rare spaces remind us of the deep roots that anchored our earliest communities.🌅

This piece dives into four historic congregations that have managed to survive wars, societal schisms, and bitter legal battles to keep their doors open for centuries. It hits especially close to home for us—we’ve previously had the privilege of working with Trinity Church in Newport, RI, as a consultant client, and supporting the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, RI, as a National Fund for Sacred Places grantee.

Check out the full article to see how these incredible structures and communities outlasted centuries of change by clicking the 🔗 below!

(RNS) — Only about 1% of houses of worship in the U.S. today existed in 1776. Here are four that predate the revolution — and still hold services.

05/29/2026

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our amazing partners at Artcinia as they hit a massive milestone: their 200th neighborhood concert! 🎉🎵

For 5 years, we’ve collaborated with Artcinia through their "Music in YOUR Neighborhood" series, bringing the healing power of high-quality live music directly into Philadelphia’s historic sacred spaces. To mark this special occasion, they are bringing an absolute masterpiece to one of the city's most breathtaking venues.

📅 Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 PM
📍 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (1723 Race St)
🎻 Featuring: The Mazzocchi Ensemble performing Vivaldi’s beloved The Four Seasons

To celebrate this amazing milestone, Philadelphia City Councilperson Rue Landau will be there to present Artcinia with an official City Council citation honoring their incredible community impact and commitment to accessible arts. 📜👏

Artcinia’s mission has always been about making world-class music affordable for everyone, and this concert is no exception:
🎟️ Adults: $10 | Families: $15 | Students & Seniors: $5

Come celebrate the intersection of beautiful music, sacred architecture, and vibrant community. Grab your tickets at the 🔗: https://shorturl.at/XsOAi

05/27/2026

Take a peek at our trip down south two weeks ago☀️🌵

Some of our staff headed to Tyler, Texas to aid St. Clare's Episcopal Church in an Asset Mapping. St. Clare’s is a thriving, growing congregation with a massive heart for their neighborhood. They are deeply committed to being a safe space for those who need one and are actively looking to welcome new community partnerships.

We are so excited to be working with St. Clare's and are excited to see this congregation flourish!

05/21/2026

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day🌎🧑‍🦽‍➡️

First Bryan Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia, used a part of their National Fund for Sacred Places grant to make restroom accessibility upgrades. First Bryan, a 2023 National Fund for Sacred Places grantee, is a great example of how older, historic sacred places are adapting their buildings to be more accessible to people in their community.

We are lucky that we are able to work with so many sacred places that prioritize the accessibility of their buildings.🏛️



📸Ellie Isaacs

05/18/2026

We are so grateful we are able to help fund emergency restoration projects like St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral's through our Intervention Fund⭐️🏛️

05/15/2026

Come see us at the Chicago Preservation Expo on May 18th from 4PM-7PM! We hope to see you there :)

Celebrate National Preservation Month and join the free 2026 Chicago Preservation Expo from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Register to attend today: https://bit.ly/4luQP9j