Grant

Religion and Health Curriculum Grant

Create religious diversity curriculum for courses in health fields.

Applications Closed

Background

Research shows that engaging religious identity in health care settings improves health outcomes and decreases the margins of health inequities. However, health field students and faculty alike report feeling underprepared and undereducated when it comes to religious diversity. While religion is often named as one element that may shape a patient’s identity, it is rarely discussed with the depth or breadth required to prepare students for the ever-increasing religious diversity they will inevitably encounter in their professions.

Opportunity

Interfaith America has seen a growing interest from health field faculty in preparing their health students with basic religious literacy, skills to engage across lines of religious difference, and practice discussing religion with patients and colleagues. In response to this need, fruitful relationships have developed between religion departments and health programs. In seeking to grow these partnerships, Interfaith America is excited to offer $4,000 grants to teams of health and religion faculty to create religious diversity curriculum for courses in health fields.

Program Overview

We invite pairs of educators, one from a health field and one from a religious studies field, to apply for a $4,000 grant to design or significantly revise a health field course(s) that engages religious identity and diversity. The course must be offered in the 2023-24 academic year. The funds will be split between the educators and are intended as support for their time and energy.

Eligibility

This funding is reserved for educators at 2- and 4-year colleges and universities. Educators include faculty (tenured, contingent, adjunct, contract, and part-time) and staff or administrators who teach courses for academic credit.

The course must be offered in the 2023-24 academic year.

We will prioritize applications that demonstrate strong collaboration between religion and health departments, show promise of sustainable curricular interventions, create curriculum that impacts a high percentage of students, teaches the skills of interfaith engagement, embeds religious diversity in pre-health curricula, and prepares students to engage religious diversity in deep and nuanced ways.

Grant Requirements

Use at least three resources from Interfaith America. These can include our health field case studies, interfaith leadership training, audio or video programming related to faith and health, relevant articles featured on Interfaith America Magazine, or other resources.

Attend one two-hour virtual workshop led by Interfaith America on Interfaith Studies and Health at the launch of the grant period (dates and times TBA).

Participate in a mid-grant phone call with IA staff about the project progress.

Attend two cohort calls with other grantees (fall and spring semesters AY 23/24).

Submit a final report that includes the curricular materials developed through the grant and the deliverables detailed below.

Deliverables

In conjunction with the final report outlining learnings and impact, each campus team of grantees will submit BOTH the syllabus/curriculum created AND two of the following materials:

Annotated bibliography of resources used in the course or its preparation
Submission to Interfaith America Magazine that highlights a story related to the grant experience
Materials related to submission and/or acceptance of a conference presentation/poster or peer-reviewed article
Three case studies created by grantee or students for use on the Interfaith America faith and health resource hub
Any other resource created in conjunction with the grant and approved by IA staff Funding Information

Funding

The $4,000 grant will be split between the two educators. Each educator will receive the first $1,000 after attending the initial workshop in spring 2023 and the second $1,000 after submitting the final report and deliverables in summer 2024. The grant is intended as support for the grantees’ time and energy. It is not intended to be spent on costs related to the project. The grantee is responsible for understanding and navigating their institutional or organizational grant processes. Additionally, those who receive funding may receive a 1099 tax form at the end of the year.  

Religion and Health Curriculum GranT

Applications Closed

Applications were due March 31, 2023.

Contact Us

For further information, please contact Carolyn Roncolato.

Carolyn Roncolato

Director of Academic Initiatives

Interfaith America