Higher education is dominated by cultural and pragmatic interests, even as questions regarding the meaning of life and the contours of human flourishing are displaced. Higher Pursuits Project 2.0 (HPP 2.0) will expand the success of Higher Pursuits Project 1.0 (HPP 1.0, JTF Grant ID #61953) to further leverage the Christian Study Center Movement to increase the standing of spiritual practice and religious belief at twelve of America’s leading research institutions. We will do so through an invitation-only RFP that will support twelve study centers with $825,000 in funding and a suite of activities in support of their work. Grants will range between $30,000 and $125,000 and include eleven study centers in addition to Upper House. We will support these projects with a summer 2026 leadership retreat; at least six virtual gatherings for funded study center leaders; a theologian/biblical scholar-in-residence at Upper House who is available to participating study centers; and a lead project consultant familiar with Sir John Templeton's donor intent to support the design and implementation of the funded projects.
HPP 2.0 will leverage sub-grants to host a myriad of events targeting hundreds of students, faculty, and ministry leaders, and the creation of thick networks of students, scholars, administrators, and other ministry/organizational leaders and partners. Based on the success of HPP 1.0, this project will support the launch or upscaling of cohorts, courses, and various networks that empower students and the faculty/administrators who form them to integrate faith, meaning, and intellectual virtues in their university context. The program will also produce dozens of academic and cultural goods such as podcasts, print and web articles, books, videos, and study guides, and millions of dollars invested by participating study centers in programs established by this grant.
