Christian Faith and Life
The Christian Faith and Life Grant
Program supports research project by academics and pastors that will bring the
resources of the ethical, liturgical, and doctrinal wisdom of the Christian
faith into closer relation to the daily lives of practicing Christians, describe
more fully how the Christian faith is actually lived by contemporary Christians
of various ages, circumstances, and traditions, and make more accessible to
religious believers the themes of Christian faith in relation to the realities
of their contemporary lives.
The Christian Faith and Life Grant Program seeks to:
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Identify pastors and academics already working on these issues,
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Encourage others to develop research projects that
would advance our thinking in this area, and
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Generate a broader conversation in the American
academic and church communities about the nature of
and challenges to Christian faith and life in the contemporary world.
Eligibility
The Christian Faith and Life Grant
Program is open to both academic and pastoral leaders.
Applicants must have earned the terminal degree in their
chosen vocation (e.g. M.Div., Ph.D., Th.D.) and must
demonstrate a capacity to complete the proposed project
in a timely fashion.
The Christian Faith and Life Grant Program is concerned principally with understanding and
enriching contemporary religious life by an appreciative recovery and critical
re-appropriation of the riches of the Christian tradition. Applicants for projects of a
more historical nature should make a clear case for the contemporary implications of their
research. Conversely, applicants focusing on contemporary religious life should clearly
relate their research to the history of Christian faith.
Applicants may not submit applications to more than one
Louisville Institute grant program within the same grant year (June 1-May
31).
Application and Selection Procedure
Application
materials for the Christian Faith and Life Grant Program
may be downloaded from this web site.
Applications include:
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Applicant Information and Project Summary Form,
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Narrative statement of approximately 5-7 pages (double-spaced and typed in
a 12 point font, 2000 word limit) that succinctly describes the
proposed research project and explains its relationship to the goals of this
grant program,
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Selective bibliography (2-3 pages double-spaced),
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Detailed budget and budget narrative. A document entitled,
Guide for Budget Preparation,
including sample budgets, is available on this web site,
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Copy of your current
Curriculum Vitae or résumé (no more than 4 pages),
and
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One letter of recommendation.
(Please give the letter of recommendation form to the person writing on your
behalf; he or she should return this form to the Louisville Institute along with
the letter of recommendation.)
Please submit one copy of the complete proposal, using paper clips,
without the use of staples and mail to the office of the
Louisville Institute by the appropriate deadline. These materials, except for the
Applicant Information and Project Summary Form (if
submitted online) and the letter of recommendation, should be assembled in
the order listed above. The letter of
recommendation should be sent by the writer directly to
the Louisville Institute by the application deadline.
All materials should be postmarked no later than November 15.
Awardees will be chosen by a selection committee including at least two members of the
Board of the Louisville Institute and one other person familiar with the goals of the
Christian Faith and Life Grant Program. Applications will be judged according to the extent
to which they: 1) propose a coherent, persuasive, and intellectually promising research
project, and 2) address the goal of the Christian Faith and Life Grant Program to make more
accessible to religious believers the themes of Christian faith in relation to the
realities of their contemporary lives. Christian Faith and Life grantees
will be selected and notified in late February, and awards must be used during
the following grant year.
Duration of Award and Stipend
Research periods supported by this grant may range from
nine weeks to nine months. The grant amount requested should not exceed
$40,000. Normally, the Louisville Institute
will pay the grant directly to the institutions of those selected. The
Louisville Institute allows up to 10 percent indirect costs based on the
total direct costs of the project.
Conditions
Although the Christian Faith and Life Grant program has
no residence requirement, all grantees may be asked to participate in one
consultation at the Louisville Institute in the year of their award or the
year immediately following. Travel and lodging expenses for this meeting
will be covered by the Louisville Institute.
Academic applicants eligible for a sabbatical leave
and/or a release from all teaching responsibilities during the grant year
should indicate that fact in their proposal. Academic applicants who are not
so eligible should indicate in their proposals how they plan to devote
sufficient time to the proposed project. In many cases, for example, this
may require a course buyout or some other reduction in teaching load.
Please note that Louisville Institute
grantees may not simultaneously hold two grants from Lilly Endowment-funded
organizations that total more than $45,000.