Interfaith Leadership and Religious Literacy Program

The Interfaith Leadership and Religious Literacy grant offered by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations supports efforts to foster understanding and cooperation across religious lines in the United States. Rooted in the values of its namesake, a Methodist minister’s son with a deep respect for faith traditions, the Foundation recognizes the essential role religion plays in American civic life. This grant initiative is part of the Foundation’s broader commitment to helping communities address complex social issues through interfaith dialogue and religious education. This program seeks to address the challenges and opportunities of living in one of the most religiously diverse nations in human history. It aims to enhance religious literacy and encourage constructive, courageous engagement across religious boundaries. To this end, the grant supports projects that create opportunities for interfaith collaborations and deepen public understanding of various religious traditions, particularly in ways that inspire service and shared community life. Funding is generally directed towards discrete projects rather than general operating support. The Foundation encourages proposals that align with three key focus areas: using digital media to enhance religious literacy, fostering collaborations between campus student groups, and promoting interfaith understanding through religious publications. Projects must advance the core mission of building pluralistic understanding and should not include capital projects or endowments. Grants typically range between $100,000 and $300,000, although larger requests may be considered. The Foundation does not fund local or community-level interfaith centers or organizations. Applicants must be public charities based in the United States. The grant process is structured as a two-stage application. Interested organizations begin by submitting a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through the AVDF portal. The Foundation does not offer pre-LOI consultations or feedback. After internal review, select applicants are invited to submit a Full Proposal. This second stage requires detailed project budgets, anticipated outcomes, and responses to specific evaluative questions. The review process for Full Proposals can take up to five months and may include external evaluations and revision requests. Final funding decisions are made by the AVDF Board of Trustees, which convenes in February and May. Applicants can expect decisions by June 1. The current LOI cycle for 2025 is closed, and the next cycle's information will be released in January 2026. As such, no new LOIs will be accepted until that announcement. This grant is offered on a recurring basis, with a typical annual review cadence. Overall, the Interfaith Leadership and Religious Literacy grant is intended for organizations that can demonstrate a strong alignment with AVDF’s goals of building religious understanding and promoting cooperative interfaith action in a diverse society.

Focus on alignment with the Foundation’s mission of religious literacy and pluralism; avoid general organizational requests—project-specific funding is prioritized.