Author
Anne Mitchell Whisnant
Historian and director of Graduate Liberal Studies at Duke University
Anne Mitchell Whisnant is a native of Alabama and a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a public historian with experience working on the history of the U.S. National Parks, including the Blue Ridge Parkway. After many years in administrative and teaching roles at UNC-Chapel Hill, she is currently on the faculty at Duke, where she has directed the Graduate Liberal Studies master’s program since 2019.
Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative
The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith.
In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.
The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.
Learn More and register for information sessions