CHICAGO — The Lumen Christi Institute has been awarded $2.1 million from the John Templeton Foundation. This three-year grant will support the continuation and expansion of its previous “In Lumine” Grant, which created a national network of institutes of Catholic thought, all serving non Catholic colleges and universities. The In Lumine Network currently consists of 13 institutes at both private and public institutions of higher learning.
The prior project (Grant #62372), completed January 30, 2025, supported activities at the intersection of religion and the natural and social sciences through six institutes at Cornell University, Harvard University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and the University of Virginia. The institutes planned and organized 227 programs, resulting in 414 events which engaged 11,796 people.
The new project, “In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide” (Grant # 63614) will develop the network and extend opportunities for support to both the original six institutes, as well as the seven new member organizations, based at Duke University, Emory University, Hope College, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Williams College. The grant also will catalyze programming in the Catholic intellectual tradition on other non-Catholic campuses through an open call for proposals.
In Lumine Tuo includes requests for proposals for two distinct subgrant programs:
The In Lumine Network Grant (“in the light”) is open to institutes currently within the In Lumine Network. The request for proposals can be found here, and applications are due August 1, 2025.
The Ex Umbris Grant (“out of the shadows”) is open to organizations currently outside the In Lumine Network. The request for proposals can be found here, and pre-applications are due August 1, 2025. Proposals should advance Catholic intellectual programming in organizations at non-Catholic colleges and universities outside of the In Lumine Network. A virtual information session for organizations interested in applying to the Ex Umbris grants will be held on July 16 at 1:00 p.m. CST. Please register here.
Both programs will fund projects that advance the Catholic intellectual tradition by addressing three guiding themes:
Science as a Gateway to Wonder
Intellectual Virtues
Noble Purpose for Flourishing
“We are grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for supporting the Lumen Christi Institute’s mission to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a vital part of the secular university and the broader culture,” said Executive Director Daniel Wasserman-Soler. “The new grant will deepen the impact of Catholic thought both within the University of Chicago community and at non Catholic colleges and universities across North America.”
The Lumen Christi Institute was founded at the University of Chicago in 1997, inspired by a common vision articulated by Catholic professors and academics at the university. The Institute engages the university community in dialogue about the Catholic intellectual tradition through lectures, conferences, seminars, and non-credit courses offered by scholars from across the United States and beyond. LCI’s work has inspired the establishment of similar organizations across the country. LCI’s programming also serves the wider Chicago community through in-person events and has grown a national audience through its online programs and through the In Lumine Network.
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For more information or media inquiries:
Michael Le Chevallier, project co-director of the In Lumine Project
m.lechevallier@lumenchristi.org
773.955.5887
