Who We Are
Since the establishment of the John Templeton Foundation in 1987 with a three-person office located on the second floor of a garage outside of suburban Philadelphia, our mission has been 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.
More than twenty years later, the Foundation continues to support rigorous scientific research and related cutting-edge scholarship on a wide spectrum of Core Themes.
The Foundation has been a family philanthropy from its inception (the garage where the Foundation began was next to the home of Sir John Templeton’s oldest son, pediatric surgeon Jack Templeton). The Foundation is currently led by a 12-member Board of Trustees, several of whom are family members. The Trustees are guided by a Charter and By-Laws written by Sir John Templeton. Dr. Jack Templeton currently serves as the Foundation’s Chairman and President.
The Foundation has roughly $1.5 billion in assets. In 2007, we gave out approximately $70 million in grant awards. Our suburban offices are in West Conshohocken, outside of Philadelphia.
The Foundation was established by Sir John to exist in perpetuity. Indeed, as Sir John has written in his Charter: “[I am aware] that the purposes of the Foundation could be difficult to achieve and will require decades or centuries of work.”
Recognizing our audacious challenge to catalyze new discoveries and breakthroughs, the Foundation’s current staff will continue to uphold the principles that have guided us since the Foundation’s inception. These are:
- We are a family foundation driven by the philanthropic vision of Sir John Templeton.
- We take seriously Sir John’s contrarian spirit. We look for ways to avoid the popular trend or the status-quo, recognizing that those who seldom make mistakes seldom make discoveries.
- Our role is as funders. The scientists and scholars we support are those best qualified to conduct rigorous research in fields related to our Core Themes.
- We seek advice from those individuals who serve on our Board of Advisors, each of whom possesses knowledge and expertise in fields related to our core themes.
- We are responsible stewards. Conserving our resources is a core strategy for our long-term success.
- We believe that humility opens the door to true progress. We are guided by the motto Sir John established for his Foundation: “How little we know, how eager to learn.”