John Templeton Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About John Templeton Foundation
The John Templeton Foundation concentrates on funding university-led research and public-facing initiatives at the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion, with a strong emphasis on projects that study human purpose, character, and flourishing. Grants frequently support centers, fellowships, and interdisciplinary collaborations (often at elite universities) as well as public engagement programs that translate scholarly work for wider audiences.
Focus Areas
Science-and-religion research centers and interdisciplinary projects (e.g., centers, initiatives, and fellowships at universities)Psychological and developmental research on purpose, character, virtue, intellectual humility, and human flourishing (including youth/adolescent studies)Foundational physical sciences and cosmology with support for early-career fellowships and big-science collaborationsStudy and public-engagement on religion’s social dynamics and global religious futures (partnerships like Pew-Templeton)Public-facing science communication and festivals/initiatives that bridge scientists, humanists, and the general public
Who They Fund
early-career researchers and postdoctoral fellows
About John Templeton Foundation
A defining pattern in John Templeton Foundation grantmaking is its support for large, multi-year university projects that connect science with questions of purpose, belief, and human flourishing. One recent example is a $15,455,999 grant to Garden Association Inc for repurposing the Templeton Library for public use, showing that the foundation also backs public-facing infrastructure, not only academic research. In higher education, it has funded Harvard College for the Ancient DNA Atlas of Humanity and the University of Minnesota for Agency, Directionality, and Function: Foundations for a Science of Purpose. The portfolio also includes work on religious cognition, intellectual humility, health, genomics, and cosmology, with awards often large enough to sustain research centers, fellowships, and multi-phase collaborations. The foundation’s grants frequently bridge disciplines and institutions, linking laboratory science, philosophy, psychology, theology, and public engagement in a single funding strategy. Recent awards also show repeated support for ongoing projects rather than isolated one-off grants, especially when the work requires extended data collection, follow-up analysis, or training infrastructure.
What John Templeton Foundation Funds
A major thread in the foundation’s portfolio is research on purpose and flourishing. It gave $3,500,000 to the Regents of the University of Minnesota for Agency, Directionality, and Function: Foundations for a Science of Purpose, and later repeated support at the same amount in another 2023 grant entry. Another core area is religious cognition and belief. The University of California Riverside received $1,776,010 for Developing Belief: The Development and Diversity of Religious Cognition and Behavior: Phase 1, while the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago was funded for The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Cognition. The foundation also supports religion, health, and clinical integration, including a $1,619,530 grant to Interfaith America for Faith in Health Professions: Integrating Interfaith Competencies Across Programs. In science and physics, it backs projects such as Black Hole Initiative Phase 3 at Harvard and Enrico Fermi Fellowships: Cross-Training in Theoretical & Experimental Science at Centre Pour La Recherche Sur L'espace.
How John Templeton Foundation Gives
John Templeton Foundation’s grant sizes are substantial: the typical award sits at $34,750 at the 25th percentile, $207,965 at the median, and $449,955 at the 75th percentile. The recent-grants list shows both one-time awards and repeated support for the same projects across years, including multi-year phases and follow-up funding. That pattern fits a regular funder that uses targeted programmatic grants rather than a public application model. The foundation also funds individuals, as shown by the 2025 Templeton Prize award to Pumla Gobodo-madikizela. Its portfolio includes university-based projects, fellowships, and network-building grants, with several awards explicitly labeled as phases, pilots, or follow-up analyses.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$437.9M
Total Assets
$3.6B
Total Revenue
$258.7M
Total Expenses
$169.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $35K and $450K, with a median of $208K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$208K
75th Percentile
$450K
Geographic Reach
National34 states funded
About 8% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
HEATHER TEMPLETON DILL
PRESIDENT
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where John Templeton Foundation Funds
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for John Templeton Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 1,081 | $396.6M | 68.8% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 194 | $162.6M |
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