Public Engagement and Character Development – Aug 15

Posted by John Templeton Foundation on July 15, 2025

John Templeton Foundation invites funding inquiries

The John Templeton Foundation aims 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.

The foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder. Funding areas define philanthropic priorities and advance the aspiration 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. Grant applications are welcome to support field-leading research and high impact public engagement programs in these areas. The foundation invests in bold ideas from contrarian thinkers—ideas that cross disciplinary boundaries and challenge conventional assumptions. Additionally, the foundation funds innovative programs that engage the public with these ideas, in an effort to open minds, deepen understanding, and inspire curiosity. Foundation funding areas include:

Individual Freedom and Free Markets: This funding area supports education, research, and outreach projects to promote individual freedom, free markets, free competition, and entrepreneurship. Grounded in the ideas of classical liberal political economy and with a commitment to the moral equality of all human beings, the foundation seeks and develops projects that aim to advance freedom, widespread prosperity, and human flourishing for all.

Religion, Science, and Society: This funding area supports the discovery of meaningful and practical insights into the religious, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of humanity. The grantmaking approach prioritizes interdisciplinary work that engages with the sciences and humanities on themes relevant to understanding how humans navigate spiritual and scientific questions in various contexts.

Mathematical and Physical Sciences: In this funding area, the foundation will support research seeking to shed light on the fundamental concepts of physical reality and will also explore the interplay between these sciences and broader human experience.

Public Engagement: This area funds a wide variety of grantees to create content, cultivate thought leadership, and develop campus programming. The Public Engagement department supports content projects that include video, audio, public events, and print media.

Character Virtue Development: This funding area seeks to advance the science and practice of character, with a focus on moral, performance, civic, and intellectual virtues such as humility, gratitude, curiosity, diligence, and honesty.

Life Sciences: This area supports research and engagement projects on the fundamental structures of the biological world, from the origin of life to synthetic biology across all the biological kingdoms. The foundation will support experimental and theoretical work on the biological mechanisms that produce life in its diverse forms.

Eligible applicants include charitable entities that operate inside and outside of the United States.

Online funding inquiries are due August 16, 2025, and selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due January 16, 2026 (or earlier for select proposals).

For complete program guidelines, application instructions, previously supported projects, and an FAQ, see the John Templeton Foundation website.

Deadline: August 15, 2025 (Online funding inquiry)