West Conshohocken, PA – Over the next five years, the John Templeton Foundation will devote a total of approximately $325 million in philanthropic funding to 12 Strategic Priorities, the Foundation announced March 12.
“With the launch of these strategic priorities we are focusing our giving in hopes of achieving greater impact, which means accelerating more discovery and inspiring more curiosity,” said Heather Templeton Dill, President of the John Templeton Foundation. “We are committed to funding innovative research into the fundamental structure of the universe, human flourishing, human character, and the nature of religious belief and practice. And we are deeply interested in disseminating the results of that research. That’s why we intend to devote more philanthropic resources in the coming years to doing that effectively.”
From 2019 through 2023, the Foundation’s investment in these priorities will account for 80 percent of its grantmaking in the Science & the Big Questions funding area. As its largest grantmaking area, Science & the Big Questions covers research and public engagement in the natural sciences, human sciences, and philosophy and theology.
“While some of these priorities are continuations of major investments previously made by the Foundation, others represent exciting new directions in our funding,” said Foundation Vice President of Programs Kimon Sargeant. “ We believe that these areas hold great potential for advancing the frontiers of knowledge and understanding.”
The targeted priorities include the following:
- Cultural Evolution
- Dynamics of Religious Change
- Health, Religion, & Spirituality
- Intellectual Humility
- Mathematics & Physical Sciences
- Programs in Islam
- Programs in Latin America
- Public Engagement
- Religious Cognition
- Science-Engaged Theology
- Science of Character Virtue
- Science of Purpose
While the majority of funding in Science & the Big Questions will be directed toward these priorities, innovative proposals that do not fit into these areas will still be accepted in the Open Funding Track.
Other funding areas such as Character Virtue Development, Individual Freedom & Free Markets, and Genetics will continue to pursue their existing priorities.
Learn more about these Strategic Priorities.
About the John Templeton Foundation
Founded in 1987, the John Templeton Foundation supports efforts to advance human well-being through rigorous scientific research and related scholarship. Its founding benefactor, the late Sir John Templeton, held the conviction that the sciences and discovery-oriented disciplines could reveal ever-deeper truths about the universe and humanity’s place within it.
With over $3.4 billion in assets and annual grants of $129 million in 2017, it ranks among the 25 largest grantmaking foundations in the United States. Headquartered outside Philadelphia, PA, the Foundation’s philanthropic activities have engaged all major faith traditions and extend to 35 countries around the world. The Foundation is dedicated to the ideals of humility, open-mindedness, and curiosity.
