Route 66 Road Ahead Encourages Applications for Sacred Places Grant

The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is encouraging qualified sites along Route 66 to apply for a grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places. This grant helps with training, planning grants, technical assistance, capacity-building support, and capital grants up to $250,000 to congregations of all faiths for rehabilitation work on their historic facilities.

Like many faith institutions in the US, historic places of worship along the Mother Road face challenges in preserving their historic and culturally unique facilities. The National Fund for Sacred Places grant may be able to assist in funding:

• Urgent repair needs that are integral to life safety,

• Projects that improve the usability or ADA accessibility of the property, and

• Renovation projects that support important community outreach.

Submit your letter of intent by February 24, 2023, for the National Fund for Sacred Places grant that is made possible through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. The National Fund for Sacred Places is a program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Learn more at: https://www.fundforsacredplaces.org/.

“Historic places of worship helped shape the character of our communities along historic Route 66, therefore, they should be preserved to help tell the full American story.” says Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Chair, Bill Thomas. “This is one more tool Route 66 preservationists can use to help fund local projects as we approach the 100th birthday celebration in 2026.”

Chapel at Fort Reno, Oklahoma

Established in 2015, with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments' Fund, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership’s mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research and education, and economic development. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association has been a proud part of The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership since its inception.