At Interfaith America, we believe that U.S. religious diversity is a strength; when we engage that diversity proactively, we can address the major challenges of our communities and our nation. Yet, engaging across deep differences is work that requires interfaith leadership skills and resources. As this nation continues to strive to realize our foundational aspiration – a true diverse democracy – we need everyone to contribute.
In his new book, We Need to Build, Eboo Patel writes,
“We will know we have achieved Interfaith America when it is simply commonplace for cities across the country to have days of interfaith service; when there is an established scholarly field called interfaith studies that certifies tens of thousands of people every year who have the knowledge base and skill set of interfaith leadership; when companies, schools, hospitals, and civil society organizations hire interfaith leaders because they recognize the significance of proactively engaging the religious diversity within their organizations; when houses of worship regularly have partnerships across faith lines; when people across traditions can readily articulate the theology or ethic of interfaith cooperation of their own community; when organizations across sectors view it as standard operating procedure to have interfaith strategic plans; when teaching the history of religious diversity in the United States is a robust part of every high school American history course. Most importantly, when religious diversity is understood as a powerful and visible asset that ought to be engaged positively and proactively rather than a dynamic that is either invisible or a threat.” (Patel, 21)
The Building Interfaith America grants are an invitation to our network to identify a need or opportunity in your community, propose a project to address it, and leverage the strength of interfaith cooperation to achieve your project.
Application Timeline
March 2, 2026: The application period is open.
April 3, 2026: The application period is closed.
April 17, 2026: Selection decisions communicated to applicants.
June 1, 2026 or within two weeks of project completion: Grantees will provide a final report on their projects; grant implementation period concludes.
If you have a professional development opportunity or project that needs immediate review, please contact Ali Khaleel (akhaleel[at]interfaithamerica[dot]org) before applying.
Application Requirements
All applicants must complete an online application including the following information:
- A description of your project idea or the activity you want participate in
- The intended audience and/or how you plan to identify or address a community need
- A timeline of your planning and implementation
- Past experience with interfaith cooperation and how your personal goals align with this grant
- Evaluation of project's impact
- A budget for how your award funds would be used
Your application should be robust, offering a minimum of 3-4 sentences per question unless otherwise instructed. Applications that do not meet this requirement may be deemed incomplete by the selection committee.
Use of Award Funds
The grants are up to $1,500. For interfaith cooperation projects, up to 50% of the awarded funds may be used to compensate the grantee for their time. For professional development proposals, the entirety of the awarded funds may be used to cover the costs of the development opportunity. A portion of grants will be held to prioritize applications representing and serving minority and marginalized communities.
Eligibility
Please note, this award is limited to Interfaith America's Emerging Leaders Network (formerly known as the IFYC Alumni Network). Grants cannot be awarded to current undergraduate students.
For faculty and staff of higher education institutions who are also in the Emerging Leaders Network, please note that proposed initiatives should be for your individual implementation; these grants may not be awarded to a college or university. Interfaith America offers many other opportunities in the field of higher education - find out more here.
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