Author

Kate Rugani

Writer

Kate Rugani is a self-employed grant writer and project manager. Before that, she was the director of development and community relations at Farmer Foodshare, a nonprofit in Durham, N.C. She also previously served as the director of integrated marketing of leadership initiatives at Duke Divinity School. She oversaw the marketing of programs offered by Leadership Education at Duke Divinity and also served as communications director for the Duke Clergy Health Initiative, a program to improve the health and well-being of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina. 

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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