Author
Marlon F. Hall
Anthropologist
Marlon F. Hall is an anthropologist who conducts field work for organizations and businesses to help them deepen their culture and broaden their impact. Hall served as curator of human potential and pastor of the Awakenings Movement, a grassroots community of social visionaries and culture shapers in Houston, Detroit and Nairobi for 13 years. Through his pastoral/anthropological practice, Hall has led innovations such as the Eat Gallery, the only culinary art gallery in the world that featured the work of chefs who had dreams but not overhead for their own restaurants. Hall left his role as a local pastor to serve the global initiative to catalyze Christian imagination and “spirit-preneurship” in the world outside the walls of the church.
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