In Person
Join us August 7-9, 2026 for the nation’s largest gathering of college students and educators committed to American civic pluralism—where you’ll gain skills, inspiration, and lasting connections to bridge divides and build a more united society.
August 7-9, 2026
Chicago, IL
The Interfaith Leadership Summit (the Summit) is the nation’s largest gathering of college students and educators committed to American civic pluralism. Join the hundreds of people who care about the future of our religiously diverse society as they learn to bridge divides and forge friendships across lines of religious and worldview differences. You’ll gain skills, inspiration, and lasting connections to bridge divides and build a more united society.
Any undergraduate student or educator at a U.S. undergraduate college or university is eligible to attend the Summit. Graduate students are also welcome and should register as Summit educators.
The 2026 Interfaith Leadership Summit will be held on August 7-9, 2026 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk in Chicago, IL. Early bird registration runs through May 29th, 2026! Registration then remains open until July 10th or until seats are sold out.
We’re excited to present the theme for the 2026 Interfaith Leadership Summit: A Road Forward. This year’s Summit takes us on a road trip to explore the rich diversity of our country and imagine the possibilities of our nation’s future. Why a road trip, you might be asking? A road trip is a beautiful way to see, learn, and experience our surroundings while teaching us how to navigate the bumps, potholes, and unexpected detours. We invite you to map out not only your own interfaith journey but also to help curate a road forward for our country and communities.
Summit participants will learn new skills, build relationships across difference, and be inspired by speakers envisioning the promise of pluralism.
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Registration & Check in
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch & Opening Plenary
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Connection & Reflection
1:45 PM – 3:30 PM Training Session 1
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Break
3:45 PM – 5:30 PM Training Session 2
5:45 PM – 7:30 PM Dinner & Program
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Connection & Reflection
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM Connection & Reflection
7:30 AM – 8:45 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Saturday Symposia
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Break
11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Training Session 3
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Training Session 4
3:30 PM Free Time & Dinner Independently
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Ice Cream Social
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM Connection & Reflection
7:30 AM – 9:15 AM Breakfast
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Training Session 5
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Break
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch & Closing Plenary
Our college and university educator tracks are a 3-day training experience in which participants stay in the same cohort for the entire summit. Take this short quiz to learn what track might be best suited for you!
(Registration for this track is limited to senior institutional leaders and approval will be required.)
As polarization intensifies across the U.S., college campuses have a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead with pluralism. But what does this actually mean and how does it actually help to mitigate the intense and diverse pressures faced by institutional leaders? This track will focus on moving forward institutional strategies for pluralism and the needs of those navigating competing priorities of various constituencies including trustees, the President’s office, staff, faculty, and students. Participants leave with concrete strategies for building on existing assets and supporting educators actively engaged in pluralism work, identifying key levers for change, and making the case for sustained pluralism building strategies with key stakeholders.
(This track is strongly recommended for faculty or those with formal teaching roles on campus.)
How do we create classroom experiences and curricula that support learning across difference? In this track, faculty will explore pedagogies and concrete practices to constructively engage a diversity of worldviews and experiences. Using case studies, peer expertise, and Interfaith America’s deep experience building genuine relationships across meaningful differences, we’ll consider how faculty can shape classroom experiences — and broader campus learning climates — that establish diversity as a gift and everyone as a contributor.
From the president’s office to the dorm hallways, pluralism comes to life when everyone has an opportunity to lead. Designed for educators who work directly with students, this track will explore specific ways to equip and activate students as campus leaders to build a respect, relate, and cooperate culture, even across deep difference. Participants will engage their current assets and challenges, their peers’ expertise, and IA’s curricular resources to advance students’ ability to be bridgebuilding and interfaith leaders on campus.
A campus’s culture is shaped by the daily, lived expressions of that culture across its ecosystem. This track will equip student-facing professionals to name the implicit pluralism happening around them, approach challenges with an interfaith leadership framework of respect, relationships, and cooperation, and locate themselves in the story of pluralistic approaches to diversity and how their work empowers their campus to deepen community understanding across lines of difference.
Our undergraduate student tracks are a 3-day training experience in which participants stay in the same cohort for the entire summit. Take this short quiz to learn what track might be best suited for you!
(Registrants for this track should be attending the Interfaith Leadership Summit for the first time.)
This introductory track will develop students’ understanding of interfaith leadership and its role on campus and beyond. Learners will explore the six skills of interfaith leadership and draft strategies for bringing those skills back to their campuses.
For students who already understand the basics of interfaith leadership, this track will explore the essential skill of storytelling to further pluralism and interfaith cooperation. Effective stories build relationships, define one’s leadership, and invite others into cooperation. In this track, students will hone their skills for telling personal stories, inviting others’ stories, and creating narratives that positively bind communities together. Students will leave with a deeper understanding of what draws them to interfaith leadership, the key features of a compelling story, and the value of storytelling for building genuine connections across difference.
For students who understand the basics of interfaith leadership, this track goes deeper on the skill of creating interfaith activities. Participants in this track will explore how to design and lead engaging activities that not only bring together people from different religious, spiritual, and secular traditions, but that also help build relationships across broader ideological divides. Learners will consider their contexts, goals, and communities to develop actionable plans for bringing people together.
Registration for the 2026 Summit is open. Register here to join us in Chicago this August 7–9!
No, we do not offer on-site registration. Early Bird registration will close May 29th, 2026 and regular registration will close July 10th, 2026.
Registration includes a Summit t-shirt and covers your training for the weekend and the following meals: Friday lunch & dinner, Saturday breakfast & lunch, and Sunday breakfast & lunch. Lodging and travel costs are not included.
Registration fees:
Early bird registration opens April 6th, 2026 and runs through May 29th, 2026, reducing the cost of attendance to $199 for students and $299 for educators. Registration then remains open until July 10th at $299 for students and $399 for educators until seats are sold out.
Check your inbox and spam folder for your registration confirmation, which is automatically emailed from summit@interfaithamerica.org once the registration form is completed.
Interfaith America recognizes that, due to various circumstances, the cost of attending the Summit may not be feasible for everyone who wishes to attend. Because we do not want cost to be a hindrance to engaging with interfaith leadership, IA has limited lodging scholarships available for student and educators. Here is the link to the application!
We will be offering no more than two rooms per school (rooms may be shared by two attendees) and will be prioritizing applicants who can articulate a strong desire to be a leader on interfaith work on their campuses.
Completing the application does not guarantee that you will receive the scholarship. For any questions about the scholarship process, please reach out to summit@interfaithamerica.org.
If your campus has not attended the Summit (formerly the ILI) within the past 5 years, you are eligible to receive 2 free registrations! Email summit@interfaithamerica.org to see if you are eligible and receive your discount code.
Our system does have group registration capabilities, which allows you to register more than one person under a single transaction. On the main registration page, you will have the option to select group registration. Once purchased, you will be able to transfer tickets to individual attendees to fill out their registration information, as well as fill out your own registration information. Our registration does include personal questions ranging from demographic information to dietary restrictions to accessibility needs so we ask that you do not fill out registrations on behalf of other attendees.
You will be able to pay by card directly through the registration website. If you need to pay for your group via check or direct deposit, please select “pay by invoice”.
If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to summit@interfaithamerica.org.
Friday, August 7th – Sunday, August 9th, 2026
Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk
301 E North Water St
Chicago, IL 60611
Rooms are available at a discounted rate of $279/night plus tax and fees for the nights of August 6 – 9 at the host venue of the Summit, the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. Rooms will be available for reservation until July 13th or until they sell out. Please use this link to book.
You can modify or cancel your reservation on the Sheraton website until three days before the group arrival. Please contact the hotel at +1 312-464-1000 for changes within five days of arrival.
Both Chicago airports, O’Hare International Airport (19 miles from the hotel) and Midway International Airport (15 miles from the hotel), are roughly equidistant from downtown Chicago and have taxis, rideshares, and public transportation available. We highly recommend taking the Blue or Orange line trains from the airport to downtown as they are easy to access and often quicker than a ride share option.
Public Transit Resources:
The Amtrak Station is located at Union Station in Chicago, located at South Canal Street, Chicago, IL 60606. The train station is approximately 1.8 miles from the hotel. Taxis are available and CTA buses run between Union Station and the Sheraton. If you’re interested in taking public transportation from Union Station, please use the CTA trip planner.
Parking at the Sheraton Grand is $75 per night. Prepaying for a parking spot in a nearby garage using apps like SpotHero can often be cheaper.
In our efforts to foster an environment that meets the religious observance needs of all attendees, the Interfaith Leadership Summit plans to provide halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free meal options throughout the weekend. The below outlines what you can expect during mealtimes at the Summit.
You can find the descriptions for the tracks above! Take this short quiz to learn what track might be best suited for you!
Due to the great diversity of traditions and practices represented, we do not directly provide organized services or observances at the Summit. Instead, we offer the following resources to attendees to support participants with their religious observance needs.
At the Summit, we provide an Interfaith Room for prayer, reflection, meditation and other religious and non-religious observances. The room is equipped with various tools for religious observance such as prayer rugs, kosher grape juice and challah rolls, meditation pillows, and various religious texts. We encourage participants to use the space to organize their own DIY reflections and observances along with individual observances.
The Interfaith Support Team will be available throughout the weekend to assist participants with their religious, spiritual, and philosophical needs. This includes the organization of various rituals in advance of our gathering in Chicago. Recognizing the diverse identities of our Summit community, the Support Team acknowledges that it will not be possible to meet all such needs directly. Participants are, therefore, encouraged to self-organize if they wish to hold a particular service or observance not on the schedule, and the Support Team will be available to assist with these efforts.
More information will be provided in the lead up to the Summit, but if you have any outstanding questions, please contact the Summit team at summit@interfaithamerica.org.
Most of what you will need for the Summit will be provided at registration and in your training rooms, though you may want to bring something to write in. There may be few opportunities during the weekend where it might be useful to have spending money. If you have any further questions about what you should bring to the Summit, please reach out at summit@interfaithamerica.org.
Please come dressed in what makes you feel comfortable. Remember that hotels tend to pump air conditioning into the conference spaces all day, so even though it is summer in Chicago it will be wise to wear warmer clothes and maybe even bring a sweater. On Sunday, we hope everyone will wear their conference t-shirts to commemorate the interfaith leadership skills they have developed over the weekend.
Take Foundations of Interfaith Leadership online and at your own pace before you arrive in Chicago. This course provides essential pre-requisite information for the training you’ll receive at the Summit. After taking a couple hours to complete it, you’ll be a step ahead in your training sessions, AND you’ll be eligible for a Certificate in Interfaith Leadership. Sign up here and use code InterfaithFoundations100 to receive free access to the course.
Questions? Contact rhufford@interfaithamerica.org
interfaith Leadership Summit
Gain skills, inspiration, and lasting connections to bridge divides and build a more united society!
Please contact us with any questions about the Summit.
Noa Nakao
Manager of Student Experience
Interfaith America
Gain skills, inspiration, and connections to bridge divides and build a more united society. Join us August 7-9 in Chicago, IL!
