Local nonprofits work every day to meet our community’s needs and make the Savannah area a better place to live. This page is devoted to promoting those efforts. Organizations are invited to send information concerning local volunteer needs, fundraising campaigns, events and more. Email info to eric.curl@savannahagenda.com.
Featured photo caption: Historic Savannah Foundation recently awarded a $10,000 HSF Revolving Fund grant to Friends of Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, Inc. in Savannah, Ga. to conduct a Conditions Assessment Report in order to rehabilitate and preserve an 1870 praise house and an 1890 sanctuary on-site. Photo credit: Paul Meacham, Abandoned Coastal Georgia
Submitted by Historic Savannah Foundation
Oct. 29, 2026 — Historic Savannah Foundation recently awarded a $10,000 Revolving Fund grant to Friends of Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church Inc. to fund a conditions assessment report as part of efforts to rehabilitate the church’s original 1870 praise house and 1890 sanctuary.
The report will evaluate the condition of the two structures and help identify preservation priorities at Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, located at 13319 Old Coffee Bluff Road in Savannah.
Considered a historic property at risk, Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church was named to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2025 Places in Peril program and Historic Savannah Foundation’s 2025 Endangered Places List.
The church buildings are among the few remaining intact examples of late 19th-century rural Southern church architecture in Georgia. Exposure to the elements and a lack of funding for critical maintenance have contributed to their ongoing deterioration.
“We’re thrilled to award Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church a $10,000 Revolving Fund grant for a Conditions Assessment Report to support the ongoing preservation of their historic meeting house and sanctuary,” said Historic Savannah Foundation President and CEO Collier Neeley. “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the solution and to help Friends of Historic Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, Inc. preserve this iconic church with strong ties to coastal Georgia’s historic Gullah-Geechee community.”
Originally established in 1850 on St. Catherines Island as Nickersonville Baptist Church, the congregation moved to Savannah after approximately 200 formerly enslaved people migrated to the mainland in 1868. The congregation constructed its first praise house in 1870, followed by a second sanctuary in 1890.
The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Georgia Historical Society recognized its importance to the local community with a historical marker in 1979.
“This Historic Savannah Foundation Revolving Fund grant is a major contribution that will help us take the first vital step to rehabilitate both historic buildings by conducting a Conditions Assessment Report,” said Kathy Thomas, executive director of Friends of Historical Nicholsonboro Baptist Church, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. “HSF has been an amazing partner, and we are extremely grateful for their support.”
Since its inception in the 1950s, Historic Savannah Foundation’s Revolving Fund has become one of the most respected programs of its kind in the United States. The fund has helped save more than 420 endangered, blighted historic properties throughout the Savannah area.
ABOUT HISTORIC SAVANNAH FOUNDATION:
Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF), a leading nonprofit cultural institution, saves the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future. Founded in 1955 when seven brave women banded together to save the Isaiah Davenport House, Historic Savannah Foundation spearheaded the preservation movement in Savannah. The organization continues to preserve and operate The Davenport House Museum, sharing its important story with the community, and operates a Revolving Fund to save endangered historic properties, now totaling over 420 buildings throughout several of Savannah’s historic districts. Now in its 71st year, HSF continues to lead preservation efforts throughout the Savannah community. More info: myhsf.org.
MORE NONPROFIT NEWS
- Historic Savannah Foundation awards $10,000 grant for Nicholsonboro Baptist Church assessment
- Off the Wall: Fall Supporter Exhibition at ARTS Southeast
- Starlandia launches Community Credit program to support local nonprofits and schools
- Forsyth Farmers’ Market to host Fall Harvest Picnic at Daffin Park on Oct. 11
- Davenport House Museum Fall Arts Festival to offer free family fun, live music