Who is Sir John Templeton?

Sir John Templeton, born in Winchester, TN in 1912, is a renowned international investor. The first person in his family to attend college, Sir John entered Yale College in 1930. From there he attended Balliol College at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.

Beginning a Wall Street career in 1937, Templeton created some of the world's largest and most successful international investment funds. Termed “arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century” by Money Magazine (Jan. 1999), he sold his various Templeton funds in 1992 to the Franklin Group. Now a naturalized British citizen living in Nassau, the Bahamas, since 1966, Templeton was knighted Sir John by Queen Elizabeth II in 1987 for his many accomplishments. Please click here for his complete biography.

Who is John M. Templeton, Jr.?

John M. Templeton, Jr., M.D. (usually referred to as Jack) is Sir John’s oldest son and the current Chairman and President of the John Templeton Foundation. He has been actively involved with the Foundation since its inception in 1987. In 1995, after a 25-year career, he retired from his medical practice to serve full-time as president of the Foundation.

Dr. Templeton received a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and went on to earn his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

Internationally known for his medical expertise separating conjoined twins, Dr. Templeton has published numerous papers in medical and professional journals, in addition to two books, A Searcher’s Life and Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving. Please click here for his complete biography.

What is the mission of the Foundation?

Established in 1987, the Foundation’s mission is to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s biggest questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness and creativity.

Our vision is derived from John Templeton’s commitment to rigorous scientific research and related cutting-edge scholarship. The Foundation’s motto “How little we know, how eager to learn” exemplifies our support for open-minded inquiry and our hope for advancing human progress through breakthrough discoveries.

The John Templeton Foundation has been around for 20 years. What has it accomplished during that time?

In 1997, the Foundation invested over $7 million to help capitalize “A Campaign for Forgiveness Research.” At the time, we felt like philanthropic pioneers, essentially capitalizing a new scientific field. We were guided by Sir John’s profound belief that forgiving has the capacity to increase individual well-being and reduce human misery. We supported almost 50 research projects, ranging from efficacy studies, forgiveness within the context of family relationships, and reconciliation strategies among (and within) nations. Please visit www.forgiving.org to learn more about the Campaign’s wide range of activities.

In 1998, one of our grants was featured on the cover of Newsweek (“Science Finds God,” July 20, 1998). Written by Sharon Begley, who now writes on science topics for The Wall Street Journal, the article highlighted our “Science and Spiritual Quest” initiative, administered by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. The project brought together world class physicists, astronomers, and mathematicians to discuss how profoundly religious people and great scientists are both driven to understand the world. In many ways, our funding initiative sparked a conversation about the relationship between science and religion that is still quite active today.

More recently, in 2003, we provided support to a British researcher who studies the widespread but little understood phenomenon of for-profit schools for the poor, especially in Africa, India, and China. Professor James Tooley’s research was recognized in September, 2006 by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank. Please visit www.ncl.ac.uk/egwest to learn more.

There are so many worthy needs and causes in the world today. Why is the Foundation’s mission important?

When he was actively engaged as an investor, Sir John Templeton was known as a “contrarian investor.” These are people who go against what the prevailing wisdom is at that moment. If the rest of Wall Street says that blue chip stocks are bad investments, contrarians often begin to explore these stocks for unrecognized bargains. Sir John’s exemplar investment record reinforces the possibilities of the contrarian philosophy.

When the time came to start thinking about his philanthropy, naturally, Sir John’s contrarian perspective influenced his thinking: What could he do that isn’t being addressed by other major philanthropies?

In part, his answer is based on the following observation: Over the past few centuries, scientific research has been at the heart of human progress. Consider the computer and cell phones which are such a part of ordinary life today. The existence of these tools is based on deep discoveries in the heart of quantum mechanics, mathematical logic, and other highly-technical domains. Yet, the theoretical insights from such abstract thinkers as Kurt Gödel in 1931 and Alan Turing in 1936, has turned into a world-transforming technological revolution. Indeed, only one lifespan later, it is hard for people to imagine how they could function effectively without such devices.

Sir John’s contrarian thinking, therefore, recognized that progress and scientific discoveries are often sparked by world-class scholars and scientists who have the audacity to ask life’s biggest questions. Questions such as: What is the ultimate scale of the universe (finite or infinite)? What is the deep logic of quantum theory? What is time? What is freedom? What is creativity? What is the nature of divinity? These are the sorts of questions, Sir John reasoned, that are not usually supported by philanthropy.

Twenty years later the Foundation remains focused on Sir John’s contrarian strategy to invest in these big questions.

Is the Foundation interested in reconciling science and religion?

We believe it is entirely possible, and consistent, to believe in a world where both scientific and religious beliefs exist without negatively impacting each other. We support science by philanthropically investing in the “big questions” — such as the nature of the universe and the nature of love, forgiveness, and creativity. We also support philosophical and theological scholarship within our Core Themes. The Foundation welcomes open-minded explorations within and between both domains of knowing.

Does the Foundation support I.D.?

No. We do not support the political movement known as “Intelligent Design.” This is for three reasons 1) we do not believe the science underpinning the “Intelligent Design” movement is sound, 2) we do not support research or programs that deny large areas of well-documented scientific knowledge, and 3) the Foundation is a non-political entity and does not engage in, or support, political movements.

It is important to note that in the past we have given grants to scientists who have gone on to identify themselves as members of the Intelligent Design community. We understand that this could be misconstrued by some to suggest that we implicitly support the Intelligent Design movement, but, as outlined above, this was not our intention at the time nor is it today.

To read more about our position on I.D., please see our viewpoint on Intelligent Design.

Is the Foundation associated with the Christian Right?

No. The Foundation funds a wide variety of research projects and programs involving many of the world’s largest faith traditions. The Foundation also employs people who practice many of the world’s religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. Furthermore, we fund and employ non-believers. Our funding and grantmaking history clearly demonstrates that we strive to fund scholars and researchers who are dedicated to open-minded inquiry and rigorous scientific research.

Is the Foundation a religious organization?

No. We do not engage in religious advocacy. We support scientific research and related cutting-edge scholarship on life’s big questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness and creativity. Clearly, many of the world’s faith traditions have addressed many of these themes in their spiritual writings. Therefore, the Foundation welcomes proposals from researchers and theologians from all the major world religions, including non-Christian and non-Western perspectives that link with our Core Themes.

Would the Foundation consider a grant proposal from a non-believer?

Yes. And the applicant wouldn’t be the first researcher or scholar to receive funding from the Foundation either. Over the course of the Foundation’s 20-year history, we have awarded grants to religious believers and non-believers alike. The Foundation does not consider a principal investigator’s personal beliefs whatsoever when reviewing the merits of a proposal.

Is the Foundation involved in politics?

No. The federal tax code governing 501(c)3 nonprofits specifically prohibits such organizations from engaging in political activities. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-political entity. We neither endorse, nor contribute to political candidates, campaigns, or movements of any kind.

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