Higher Education
Interfaith America inspires and equips college students to become interfaith leaders and bridgebuilders in their communities and on campuses nationwide.
At a time when deep mistrust and divisiveness are escalating across the nation, Interfaith America offers college students an alternative path to approach the differences that often divide us. We believe that the antidote to conflict and tension is neither to fight in anger nor flee in fear, rather to engage intentionally with one another by fostering mutual respect, forming meaningful relationships, and pursuing cooperation for the collective good of our society. Through fellowships, grants, summer learning opportunities, and various online resources, we promote an ethos of humanizing one another, engaging across differences, appreciating other cultures and traditions, and working collaboratively to address real-world problems.
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.
The BRAID (Bridgebuilders Relating Across Interfaith Differences) Fellowship is an Interfaith America (IA) initiative designed in response to increasing prejudice and polarization, both of which have especially impacted institutions of higher education in recent years. In alignment with IA’s commitment to promote religious and civic pluralism as foundational principles for achieving “the common good,” the BRAID Fellowship seeks to develop a national network of undergraduate student leaders who will foster an ethos of respect, relationship building, and cooperation across difference in the U.S. BRAID student fellows are equipped with the vital skills, training, education, and experience they need to become interfaith bridgebuilders on their campuses and in their communities. A defining program feature of the BRAID Fellowship is that student fellows learn in community (through specialized training and education), from community (through interpersonal dialogue and engagement), and with community (through collaborative program development and facilitation).
Applications Open Soon – Early Interest Form
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Please contact us with questions about our student programming.
Carr Harkrader
Interim Director of Student and Educator Programs
Interfaith America
Gain skills, inspiration, and connections to bridge divides and build a more united society. Join us August 7-9 in Chicago, IL!
