Higher Education

Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant

Helping higher education professionals make pluralism a lived leadership practice that creates a lasting impact with $10,000 in funding.

Applications open August 9

Grant Overview

The Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant offers something unique to mid and senior level student facing professionals — support for both themselves and their transformational work.

These leaders, who sit at the intersection of strategy and implementation, are uniquely positioned to drive structural change and, at the same time, strengthen student pluralism, interfaith leadership, capacity building, and pluralism literacy across campus.

Participants in this cohort face a singular challenge, simultaneously working upward with executive leadership, laterally with peers, and directly with students. This initiative supports them in embodying pluralism as both a leadership practice and a systems change strategy, ensuring that pluralism is not only taught but lived within institutional culture.

Grant Details

Eligibility

The Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant is open to any middle- to senior-level student-facing professional whose campus had at least one educator who attended the 2026 Interfaith Leadership Summit.

Applicants must hold one of the following titles or equivalent senior student-facing leadership roles:

Senior or Executive Director
Assistant or Associate Dean
University Chaplain
Department Head
Assistant or Associate Vice President

Educators can apply for an Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant by completing our online application. The online application will ask you to provide:

Demographic information
Project description, including goals, timelines, assessment metrics, and agreement to administer an IA-provided survey.
A letter of support from each applicant’s direct supervisor.
A preliminary budget for your grant proposal. The figures you provide here are approximations.

Funding

The institution can receive the grant of funds of $10,000 and will assign $1,000 per grantee for professional development use focused on mindfulness and/or somatic practices (IA approved). The remaining funds will be used to produce a creative video project.

Deliverables

Grantees in the Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant commit to a set of deliverables designed to strengthen their leadership practice, deepen institutional pluralism capacity, and ensure shared learning across the cohort.

“Connecting Across Difference” (CAD) Creative Video Project

Each grantee pair will collaborate with at least three student leaders from across campus to design, pilot, and refine a shareable, institutionally branded video resource that supports pluralism through mindfulness, somatic grounding, and relational presence practices. All video assets must follow institutional branding guidelines and receive the necessary campus approvals before final submission.
The CAD project is intended to help participants apply pluralism practices in ways that strengthen leadership across differences and contribute to a sustainable, campus‑wide culture of pluralism.
Grantee pairs will submit both the final, institutionally branded video resource and evidence of how it was implemented, tested, or refined during the grant period. This may include pilot feedback, usage examples, or student leader reflections.

Cohort Participation

Virtual cohort sessions — grantees will attend two 90-minute facilitated cohort sessions per semester and two peer-led “Think Tank” sessions (90 minutes each) per semester. These gatherings create a structured space for shared learning, cross-campus collaboration, and the integration of Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant practices into real leadership challenges.

Reflective Practice

Monthly reflection journals — Participants will maintain a monthly reflection journal throughout the initiative (submitted on the last day of each month, except December). This practice supports deeper self awareness, helps track leadership growth over time, and provides Interfaith America facilitators insight into emerging themes, needs, and opportunities across the cohort.

Timeline

August 9, 2026: The application period opens.
September 11, 2026: The application period closes.
October 1, 2026: Selection decisions are communicated to applicants.
October 15, 2026: Grant implementation period begins.
February 12, 2027: Grantees provide an IA-provided progress report on their projects.
April 1, 2027: Campus programs and creative projects are completed.
June 18, 2027: Grantees submit an IA-provided final project report; the grant implementation period concludes.

Request for Proposals

Helping higher education professionals make pluralism a lived leadership practice that creates a lasting impact with $10,000 in funding.

Related Resources

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