The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has granted $8.5 million to 30 historically Black churches nationwide—Houston’s Boynton United Methodist Church is among the recipients. Backed by Lilly Endowment Inc., this initiative is part of a broader $60 million effort to safeguard Black churches that have long served as community cornerstones. Since its launch in 2017, the Action Fund has raised over $150 million to preserve African American historic sites.
Boynton United Methodist Church, established in 1880 in Houston’s Third Ward and recently designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, will use the funds to restore significant architectural features like its windows and masonry. Its midcentury modern structure, completed in 1958 and designed by Texas’ first licensed Black architect, John S. Chase, remains a cultural and spiritual landmark.
Executive Director Brent Leggs highlighted that this investment is crucial for preserving these historic institutions as lasting symbols of faith, strength, and community leadership. The grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, help address structural challenges, deferred maintenance, and demolition threats, while also boosting asset management, fundraising, and stewardship planning. Other churches benefiting from the program include the A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, Historic Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, and New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.