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Religion and Theology Program is a grantmaking initiative from Lilly Endowment Inc. that funds efforts to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by supporting the vitality and leadership of Christian congregations.
Priority areas include excellent pastoral leadership development, support for theological seminaries and university programs in religion, and initiatives that strengthen congregational health across diverse Christian traditions and communities. Awards often exceed $100,000 and may extend to multi-year grants for significant institutional initiatives.
Funding is primarily made through invitation or prior relationships with universities, theological seminaries, and occasional research organizations.
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Religion | Lilly Endowment Inc. A primary 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 a broad range of Christian communities and traditions and endeavor to support their efforts to carry forward their missions in a wide variety of contexts.
We believe that the long-term health of congregations depends on excellent pastoral leadership, and we seek to ensure that all types of congregations have leaders who are prepared to meet the needs of diverse communities across the nation. 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.
Strengthening Pastoral Leadership Enhancing Congregational Vitality Strengthening Religious Institutions and Networks Improving the Public Understanding of Religion 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. Grants will help strengthen the capacity of faith-based organizations to... Lilly Endowment has approved 30 grants to help faith-based organizations enhance their efforts to provide aid to those affected by disasters in communities throughout the United States.
New initiative seeks to encourage individuals to explore Christian practices Lilly Endowment is inviting faith-based organizations to enhance and multiply the opportunities they offer individuals to learn about and engage in Christian practices that can help them explore spiritual questions and interests, cultivate experiences of awe and wonder, build community and grow in faith.
Notre Dame receives $50 million grant from Lilly Endowment for the DELTA... This grant will fund the further development of a shared, faith-based ethical framework that scholars, religious leaders, tech leaders, teachers, journalists, young people and the broader public can draw upon to discern appropriate uses of artificial intelligence, or AI. Grants will help strengthen regional denominational organizations and church...
Lilly Endowment approved 37 grants to help strengthen the capacities of regional denominational organizations and church networks in Indiana to help their congregations thrive and contribute to quality of life in the local communities they serve. Lilly Endowment grants to theological schools will fund major collaborations...
Lilly Endowment has approved a new round of grants to help theological schools in the United States and Canada work collaboratively with other schools and church-related organizations to strengthen their preparation and support of ordained and lay pastoral leaders for congregational leadership now and in the future. Grants support efforts to collect and share compelling stories about...
Lilly Endowment has approved 48 grants to help a wide variety of organizations engage in projects to share stories that illuminate the vitality of Christian faith and life in congregations and communities throughout the country. The American Revolution explores the country's founding in six-part... The series, which has been in production for nearly a decade, was directed and produced by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.
It examines how thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence and established a new form of government. Lilly Endowment continues support for theological schools through its...
Lilly Endowment has approved grants to 58 theological schools in the United States and Canada as they work to strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations now and into the future. Grants will support efforts to strengthen congregations in small towns and...
Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded grants to 20 organizations across the United States to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them. Grants will support efforts nationwide to engage youth and young adults in...
Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded grants to 12 organizations across the United States to help them nurture and deepen the faith of Christian young people. Funding will support storytelling about the vibrancy and hope of Christian...
The Endowment's National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life invites faith-based agencies, denominations, educational institutions, congregations, publishers, and media groups to identify, produce and share stories that portray the vitality and hope that many Christians experience through their faith. Lilly Endowment elects John Witvliet to its board of directors Lilly Endowment has elected Dr. John D.
Witvliet to serve on its board of directors. He is the founding director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and professor of worship, theology and congregational and ministry studies at Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary.
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Universities, theological seminaries, and occasional consortia or research organizations focused on Christian congregational life; invitation or prior relationship typically required. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Varies, often $100,000+ Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
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Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
Small Shipyard Grant Program is a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) that funds capital improvements and related upgrades to qualified small shipyard facilities to foster efficiency, competitive operations, and quality ship construction, repair, and reconfiguration. The program aims to strengthen the domestic shipbuilding and ship repair industry by supporting facilities that would otherwise lack resources for modernization. MARAD notes that applications far exceed available funds and only a small percentage of applicants are funded each year. Eligible applicants are the operating companies of small shipyards with a single facility and no more than 1,200 production employees. Approximately $8,750,000 was available for FY 2025. The FY 2025 deadline of May 15, 2025 has passed; applicants should monitor Grants.gov for the FY 2026 announcement.
Digital Humanities Advancement Grants is sponsored by National Endowment for the Humanities. The Digital Humanities Advancement Grants (DHAG) program supports innovative, experimental, and computationally challenging digital projects that enhance scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. This includes work that contributes to critical infrastructure and emphasizes extensibility, reuse, replicability, and accessibility. Projects can be in any area of the humanities.