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Aprimary aim in religion is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, principally by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations. We value the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavor to support them in a wide variety of contexts. We seek to ensure that all types of congregations have a steady stream of wise, faithful, diverse and well-prepared leaders. We work to strengthen theological schools as well as religious institutions and networks that nurture pastors and support the ministries of congregations. We support efforts that help Christians draw on the wisdom of their theological traditions as they strive to understand and respond to contemporary challenges and live their faith more fully. We are especially interested in efforts that nurture the religious lives of children, youth and young adults and share the beauty and vibrancy of Christian faith with a new generation.

We also work to foster public understanding about religion. While we seek to lift up the contributions that people of all religious faiths make to our greater civic well-being, we also encourage fair and accurate portrayals of both the negative and positive effects of religion on the world.

Thirty-five historic Black churches across the United States received grants in January 2023 to help them not only protect and preserve their buildings, but also tell their stories of resiliency and hope and carry their missions into the future.
In 2022, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation launched the Preserving Black Churches project to celebrate Black churches for their contributions in American life, culture and history by providing grants and other support for their physical spaces and their future sustainability. The January 2023 grants were just the first round of grants.
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