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AVDF is refining its grantmaking approach in Interfaith Leadership & Religious Literacy and will not accept open-submission funding requests in this Program Area in 2026. This update does not affect existing grants or current partnerships. If submission policies change in the future, AVDF will post updates on this page. Click here to learn more.
As the son of a Methodist minister, Arthur Vining Davis held a deep respect and appreciation for the traditions that provide meaning and hope for many. Mr. Davis could see then what is equally true today: most Americans draw on religious convictions in ways that motivate their thoughts and action and inspire them to love and serve their fellow citizens.
As one of the most religiously diverse nations in human history, the United States faces the challenge of nurturing an increasingly religiously pluralistic society while also moderating religious tension. Achieving these twin goals requires Americans to embrace a deeper understanding and appreciation for religious traditions other than their own, and to cultivate opportunities for collaborations and friendships across religious divides.
The Foundations do not provide grant support to interfaith centers or organizations operating at the local or community level.
Digital media is now among the most important means for communicating information. Social media, digital video, podcasts, and similar vehicles can therefore play a critical role when it comes to improving religious literacy.
Grants in this focus area support production, distribution, and marketing of digital media products that are positioned to improve religious literacy for large audiences.
Featured Grant: Crash Course Series Aims to Improve Religion Literacy
AVDF and the Pew Charitable Trusts jointly funded the PBS Foundation to support a new religious literacy series through the popular YouTube channel Crash Course. The program includes content on major world religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The series also educates viewers on lesser-known religions such as Taoism, Confucianism, Jainism, and Native American practices. For more information about this featured grant, please click here.
Americans are becoming increasingly polarized across various lines of difference. Social media, national news outlets, and the public square all show signs of deep disagreement that often escalates into animosity. How can we repair these divides and increase not only tolerance but respect for those with whom we differ?
We know that polarization is perpetuated when we surround ourselves with voices that align only with our points of view. But there are times and places in our lives where we are immersed in communities that are highly diverse, and the college campus often serves as just such an environment.
Today’s campuses host students and faculty who represent different ages, races, nationalities, political ideologies, and religious affiliations. As a result, the college years represent an ideal opportunity to encourage students to practice learning from and engaging with others who differ from them in these respects. In order to promote this kind of learning and engagement, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations supports projects that bring students together across lines of religious difference in sustained and meaningful ways.
This initiative specifically aims to bring college students from different campus faith communities together to learn about and from each other concerning areas where they agree and where they disagree.
To create greater awareness, understanding and empathy between students from different religious traditions, as well as between students of faith and those of no-faith, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) partnered with other campus ministries to provide productive interfaith engagement on campuses across the U.S. The work, supported by a $300,000 grant from AVDF, led to 62 hosted interfaith campus events involving over 2,000 students over a two-year period. Interestingly, of the 55 partners participating in this project, only 18 had held interfaith events in the past.
The types of events varied from religious conversations over a shared meal, to featured speakers and expert panels, to recreational events. The groups that partnered with FOCUS included nationally recognized student groups such as Hillel, the Muslim Student Association, InterVarsity and Cru. Impressively, FOCUS also partnered with student groups that do not traditionally engage with other groups, such as Latter-Day Saints, Lutheran student groups, and the Secular Student Alliance. These activities enabled FOCUS campus directors and student members to engage productively with Jews, Muslims, Latter-Day Saints, Evangelical and mainline Protestants, and non-religious students and staff on dozens of campuses.
For more information about this featured grant, please click here.
Members of religious communities often turn to specific publications that are produced and consumed primarily by that community. These trusted sources have the potential to provide an accurate, realistic, and compelling understanding of other traditions to their readers.
Grants in this focus area support outlets, especially online and print magazines, to produce, distribute, and market text-based content that helps readers to better understand and appreciate religious communities outside of their own.
The CT Global initiative expands Christianity Today’s savvy, theologically informed journalism and commentary. Cultivated articles and translations help Christian readers better understand not only other Christians in other parts of the planet, but also people of other faiths such as Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. For more information about this featured grant, please click here.
