We are
BRICKS & Mortals
Neighborhoods change. Communities grow. Needs evolve. Bricks & Mortals helps you make informed, mission-aligned choices that support your congregation’s future.
Our Mission
We connect congregations to trusted real estate experts in New York City.
Bricks & Mortals helps congregations make informed decisions about faith-owned property in New York City.
Whether you need a plan, a partner, or a path forward — we are a trusted network designed to support NYC’s vibrant faith community.
Who We Serve
We work with congregations and houses of worship, of any faith and size, in New York City to find sustainable solutions for their space, facilities, and programs. We help faith-based organizations understand their properties’ potential and work with partners committed to mission-driven development.
We help our development partners identify attorneys, architects, private and government financing entities, planners, and others to navigate faith-based organizations. We use the considerable available financial, technical, and legal tools and gifts to help congregations fulfill their mission.
We invite community supporters to support faith-based spaces as vital community infrastructure. Together, we promote policies and partnerships that advance equitable development, preserve cultural heritage, and strengthen neighborhoods.
The Latest
The intersection of faith, community, and real estate
Accelerating Towards Affordable Housing: A Partnership with the Brooklyn Borough President
Seminary Curriculum
Maintenance Checklist 101 for Faith-Based Organizations
Voices of impact
Real Stories. Real Progress.
Hear from our members about the impact we’ve made together.
When Grace Congregational Church of Harlem was in dire straits with a complex development project. Donna Schaper and Kate Toth from Bricks & Mortals not only took my call but then assembled the help needed on the legal and political front. As a Pastor for 15 years I had no one else to turn to for help. So thankfully the knowledge and expertise in handling the survival of places of worship is at Brick and Mortals - I am forever grateful!
Rev. Dr. Nigel Pearce, Senior Pastor
Grace Congregational Church of Harlem, UCC
New York City has 5,645 properties owned by faith based organizations. These properties and these organizations provide spiritual guidance and support but also education, meals and shelter. Sadly, all too often, economic pressures, building age, changing demographics, and unsupportive policies are forcing the sale of these properties and the loss of these organizations. Bricks and Mortals is the first and only organization of which I am aware that puts the faith based organization and its real property at the center of its mission and in the driver seat. By creating a network of members from faith based organizations, the real estate industry and academia, Bricks and Mortals creates an institution and community that shares best practices and lessons learned, creates connections, and shines a light on the value of and pressures faced by faith based organizations and their physical spaces in New York City. I have nothing but appreciation for Bricks and Mortals, I just wish we had it 10 years ago!
Goldstein Hall Attorneys at Law
The Muslim Community Network (MCN) has been engaged with Bricks and Mortals from the very beginning, trying to get Muslim houses of worship to join the meetings, as there are over 200 mosques in New York City. Many of these mosques have trouble sustaining themselves due to a lack of funding and an inability to understand how to utilize their space.
Bricks and Mortals has been instrumental in providing critical and often esoteric information which is difficult for the diverse Muslim community to understand in how to sustain our houses of worship. Their expertise in New York City tax laws surrounding houses of worship and guidance as to how to make these houses of worship community-friendly - in order to help sustain their work - is absolutely essential. We've worked with Bricks and Mortals to facilitate a couple of meetings with Arabic and Urdu translations, and the feedback from the community has been very positive. Bricks and Mortals is providing a service that no one else is doing. They truly understand that houses of worship are important gathering spaces for the community and Bricks and Mortals is helping save many of these institutions with their team of experts.
Muslim Community Network
Membership
Get access to exclusive benefits as a member
Become a Bricks & Mortals member to join a growing network of congregations, real estate experts, and policy advocates working to preserve faith-based property in New York City.
Newsworthy Examples
Bricks & Mortals Case Studies
In the field examples of why this work matters