Interfaith America Receives $3.2 Million from John Templeton Foundation to Help Bridge the Faith and Health Divide

CHICAGO, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Interfaith America, a non-profit organization focused on bridge-building, received a $3.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to support efforts across the health ecosystem and to advance understanding about religion as a critical social determinant of health.

The three-year initiative is designed to promote religious pluralism across the health landscape by leveraging academic partners to implement curricular and co-curricular learning, research, and robust community partnerships.

"Despite our nation's growing religious diversity, few health professionals are equipped with the religious literacy and interfaith competencies needed to address this critical factor in wellbeing. In particular, health leaders sometimes fail to engage faith-inspired support systems as trusted allies and assets in the care cycle," said Suzanne Watts Henderson, Senior Director of Faith and Health at Interfaith America. "This project is designed to help bridge this divide."

Fifteen campuses will receive up to $60,000 in funding for two-year projects that combine curricular revision with complementary strategies such as community partnerships, academic exploration, and public scholarship. Grantees include Agnes Scott College, California State University (Bakersfield), Campbell University, Case Western University, Dominican University New York, Fayetteville State University, Fuller Theological Seminary, Missouri State University, Regis University, Santa Clara University, Texas Christian University, Trevecca Nazarene University, University of California (Davis), University of Central Florida, and University of South Florida. Smaller "pipeline" grants will support partners who implement one or more of these activities.

In addition, 15 academic and professional faith and health leaders will inform and learn from campus-based interventions. The fellowship engages key thought leaders from an array of settings in the faith and health landscape. The group will be led by Dr. Gary Gunderson, whom Jimmy Carter tapped to lead an interfaith health initiative at The Carter Center in the 1990s.

By the end of the grant period, Interfaith America and our partners will produce tangible evidence and replicable models for positively engaging religious and spiritual traditions in health settings. Along the way, academic partners and the students they teach will grow as leaders in the faith and health movement.

About the John Templeton Foundation 
Founded in 1987, the John Templeton Foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder. We are working to create a world where people are curious about the wonders of the universe, free to pursue lives of meaning and purpose, and motivated by great and selfless love. 

With an endowment of $3.4 billion and annual giving of approximately $140 million, the Foundation ranks among the 25 largest grantmaking foundations in the United States. Headquartered outside Philadelphia, philanthropic activities have engaged all major faith traditions and extended to more than 58 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.templeton.org.

About Interfaith America
Interfaith America was founded in 2002 based on the idea that religious difference should serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Since that time, Interfaith America has evolved from a small Chicago-based nonprofit to the nation's premier interfaith organization. Led by Founder and President Eboo Patel, Interfaith America inspires, equips, and connects leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America's religious diversity. Utilizing a research-backed approach, IA works across higher education, racial equity, health, workplace, bridge building, democracy, and technology. Interfaithamerica.org

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SOURCE Interfaith America