The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organization that funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation. It was established in 1987 by the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton; the current president is his son John Templeton, Jr.
The mission of the Foundation is:
as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. We support research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will. We encourage civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians and between such experts and the public at large, for the purposes of definitional clarity and new insights. Our vision is derived from the late Sir John Templeton's optimism about the possibility of acquiring "new spiritual information" and from his commitment to rigorous scientific research and related scholarship. The Foundation's motto, "How little we know, how eager to learn," exemplifies our support for open-minded inquiry and our hope for advancing human progress through breakthrough discoveries.
According to the Foundation, it gives away about $70 million per year in research grants and programs.
The Foundation restructured its grant making process in January 2010. It is divided into five core funding areas which include:
- Science and the big questions
- Character development
- Freedom and free enterprise
- Exceptional cognitive talent and genius
- Genetics
The Foundation accepts online funding inquiries twice a year. If the initial inquiry is successful, applicants are invited to make a full proposal. Typically, grants are approved in a process that incorporates scientific peer review. The Foundation funds many high-level scientific research projects, usually by means of international competitions to which research teams from large universities apply.
In 2008, the Foundation received the National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Read more about John Templeton Foundation: The Big Questions, Prizes and Awards, Leadership, Controversies
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