Building Interfaith America Emerging Leader Grant is sponsored by Interfaith America. This grant supports emerging leaders who identify a need or opportunity in their community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve their goal. It provides financial support, a network of peers, training, and development.

Building Interfaith America Emerging Leader Grant - Interfaith America Grants & Leadership Awards Building Interfaith America Emerging Leaders Grants Identify a need or opportunity in your community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve your goal.

At Interfaith America, we believe that U.S. religious diversity is a strength; when we engage that diversity proactively, we can address the major challenges of our communities and our nation. Yet, engaging across deep differences is work that requires interfaith leadership skills and resources.

As this country continues to strive to realize our potential and promise – a nation in which each is invited to contribute their best and to participate in the daily work of democracy – we need everyone to contribute. Building Interfaith America Grants reopened on March 2 and accepts applications until April 3, 2026.

In his book, We Need to Build , Eboo Patel writes: We will know we have achieved Interfaith America when it is simply commonplace for cities across the country to have days of interfaith service; when there is an established scholarly field called interfaith studies that certifies tens of thousands of people every year who have the knowledge base and skill set of interfaith leadership; when companies, schools, hospitals, and civil society organizations hire interfaith leaders because they recognize the significance of proactively engaging the religious diversity within their organizations; when houses of worship regularly have partnerships across faith lines; when people across traditions can readily articulate the theology or ethic of interfaith cooperation of their own community… Most importantly, when religious diversity is understood as a powerful and visible asset that ought to be engaged positively and proactively rather than a dynamic that is either invisible or a threat.

(Patel, 21) The Building Interfaith America grants are an invitation to our network to consider your community’s strengths, identify a need or opportunity in your community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve your aspiration.

Grants are offered to the members of Interfaith America’s Emerging Leaders Network to create initiatives, events, or projects that Build Interfaith America. Grant recipients will use the funding to carry out projects that address a social need through an interfaith lens and/or to participate in activities that further develop the individual’s interfaith leadership skills.

Topics could include racial equity, environmental protection, bridgebuilding, etc. If you are not a member of the Emerging Leaders Network, you may apply to join here before applying for this grant opportunity. The Building Interfaith America Grant awards up to $1,500. Up to 50% of the total budget may be designated for self-compensation.

Grant funds should primarily be used for purposes that directly support the grant proposal. We are amenable to grantees using up to 10% of disbursed grant funds for operational costs if needed. The grantee is responsible for understanding and navigating their institutional or organizational grant processes.

Some forms of payment, such as stipends and reimbursements, may be considered taxable income by the IRS. Participants are responsible for understanding and reporting any income they receive. Those who receive funding may receive a 1099 tax form from Interfaith America at the end of the year.

This information does not constitute legal or tax advice. For questions about your specific situation, we recommend consulting a tax professional.

Grant funds may not be used for: Expenses associated with political campaign activities, including directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office; making contributions to political campaigns; or attempting to influence legislation (i.e., lobbying) Capital funds or expenses (e.g., endowments, capital campaigns, annual funds, tuition, or student fees) While not restricted, we generally don’t fund grantees to use a large portion of their funds for Interfaith America’s fee-for-service offerings, such as campus consultations or speaking engagement fees.

Grantees are required to complete a final report survey (sent by Interfaith America) within two weeks of the completion of their funded project or by June 1, 202 6 at the latest. This report should include an assessment of program impact as well as commitment to next steps in the field of interfaith cooperation. Proposal Review & Selection All applications are reviewed at the end of the application cycle .

Through its programs, Interfaith America is committed to supporting initiatives that meaningfully engage people with a range of religious, philosophical, or ideological perspectives as well as diverse racial and ethnic identities. March 2, 2026: The application period is open. April 3 , 2026 ​ : The application period is closed.

Examples include, but are not limited to: Working with community partners, religious organizations, or civic institutions on a project to address a need in the community (e.g., loneliness and mental health crisis; food insecurity; barriers to health equity) Participating in a workshop, training, or conference that increases the recipient’s ability to apply their interfaith skills in their specific context (e.g., Conference on Medicine and Religion, Storytelling training, leadership coaching, religious denomination conference to further one’s ethic of interfaith cooperation) Implementing a program on the intersections of race and religion (e.g., religious and racial literacy campaigns; film screening and discussion, Get Out the Vote efforts; service and civic engagement opportunities with religious literacy training) Building Interfaith America Grants Consider your community’s strengths, identify a need or opportunity in your community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve your aspiration.

Interfaith America’s Pluralism Framework Interfaith America’s work to unlock the potential of American religious diversity has been grounded in a steady vision for pluralism. Guide for Applying to Interfaith America Grants and Fellowships Learn what makes a strong grant proposal to Interfaith America.

Interfaith Foundations for Emerging Leaders Orientation to the vision, knowledge, and skills that we use to bring about the realization of a truly Interfaith America. Guide to Hosting Faith Friendly Events Being an interfaith leader doesn’t mean you need to know everything about every tradition, but you do need to be mindful of certain considerations when planning an inclusive event.

Announcing the 2025-2027 Sacred Journey Fellows Two Black Baptists at Methodist and Presbyterian Schools Lead Interfaith Collaboration Walking in Circles in Hyde Park/Kenwood: Making Our Little Revolutions A Jew, A Christian and a Muslim Living Together in DC: Interfaith Engagement is More Important Than Ever Building Interfaith America Grants Leveraging Interfaith Skills to Increase Civic Cooperation Please contact us with any questions about this opportunity.

Assistant Director of Emerging Leaders Network akhaleel@interfaithamerica. org