Author

Nathan Kirkpatrick

Principal, Saison Consulting, LLC

Nathan Kirkpatrick is an Episcopal priest who consults with congregations and organizations. For 16 years, he was a director of numerous education programs for Duke Divinity School and from 2014 to 2021 was director of Alban at Duke Divinity. His portfolio over the years included directing the United Methodist Course of Study program, a school for hundreds of local pastors, editing the Alban Weekly and guiding the publication of four dozen Alban books through the relationship with Rowman & Littlefield. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Duke University. He has done further study in religion and psychology at Durham University in Durham, U.K. He is certified in a number of psychometric assessments and in the Center for Creative Leadership’s SkillScope 360º feedback tool.

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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