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Are seminaries and divinity schools from all denominations and religious traditions eligible?
Yes. Qualified seminaries must also be fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and located in the United States.
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Can religious organizations and institutions that are not ATS accredited apply for grants?
No. With very rare exceptions, our religion grants are limited to ATS member schools as described above.
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What do you mean when you say you fund a top priority of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)? Are certain areas of more interest to your Trustees?
Our Trustees are interested, literally, in funding a top educational priority of the CEO from the theological school seeking support. Recognizing that those in the top leadership position are in the best position to know the needs of the institution, we have no preferences for the nature of the request, but are open to any project that directly benefits overall academic quality.
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How do you define the CEO?
This may be president, dean, or rector depending on the organizational and/or ecclesial structure of the institution.
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Do you fund endowments or capital projects?
Yes, when the criteria described above are met, including a grant purpose that will have a significant educational impact.
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If you have no particular preferences for funding, how will our proposal be evaluated in competition with others?
Our Trustees are interested in supporting leading institutions that are recognized for academic excellence. Their intent is to strengthen theological education over the long term by supporting top tier institutions that focus primarily on preparing ministers for churches. This “100-year” view is designed to “make good schools even better” by placing faith in the leadership of theological schools with proven and sustained quality. The review process takes into consideration the overall quality and reputation of an institution, as well as the educational impact of the request. Each grant request is assessed in competition with other requests under review.
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What should be included in the initial letter requesting a grant?
The CEO’s letter should specify a grant amount (not to exceed $200,000), the purpose of the grant and how it will strengthen the institution, and an explanation of why it is a priority. Please download a copy of our Institutional Information form and submit it with the proposal. Upon receipt of a qualified proposal, the Foundations’ staff will evaluate the institution in relation to others seeking grants at the same time. Those determined not to meet our criteria will be declined after this initial review. Many fine institutions are screened out at this stage. Our intent is to preserve the time of the requesting institutions because of the extensive work involved in the next steps.
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If we receive a grant in religion how long should we wait before applying for a new grant?
Because the Foundations religion program is highly competitive, past grantees are eligible to reapply no earlier than four years from the date of notification approving their last grant. Institutions that have been declined may submit proposals at any time but may wish to wait until financial and other quality factors have improved, making the seminary more competitive.
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May we apply for a grant during a leadership transition?
Due to our emphasis on leadership, Trustees do not award grants during a leadership transition. A CEO should be in office for at least a year before applying for a grant. For example, if the top leader takes office on July 1, eligibility for a grant begins the following July 1. Past grantees that have met the four-year waiting period but are in a leadership transition must delay until they meet this requirement.
This rule also applies to grants that are in progress. For example, should a CEO announce his/her resignation at any time during the grant review process, then the proposal will no longer be eligible for Foundations’ support. This applies even to long-tenured leaders.