Large Project Grants support collaborative, faculty-led projects that explore new approaches to teaching and the teaching life in higher education within theology and/or religion. These grants support experimental or strategic initiatives designed to enhance classroom practices, foster deeper reflection on pedagogy, and cultivate communities of teaching among faculty. Proposals should be framed around enhancing the teaching and teaching life of faculty, rather than focusing primarily on student outcomes or experiences

Past projects have explored:

• Innovative and best practices in pedagogy
• Digital and hybrid teaching models
• Teaching in specific theological or cultural context
• Faculty identity, vocation, and well-being

• These grants are not scholarships and may not be used for tuition or degree-related work (e.g., M.Div., D.Min.).
• Ph.D. and Th.D. students are not eligible.
• These are not research grants intended to support book writing or field-specific research.
• Applicants must have completed and submitted the final report for any previous Wabash Center grant before reapplying.

Grant funds can be spent on items and activities such as:

• Childcare, elder care, house sitting to support attendance to group gatherings
• Meals or groceries for gatherings
• Travel, meals, lodging (retreat center, hotel, conference center, rented house)
• Stipends (meager) for participation in the group
• Equipment, supplies, and materials to support group meetings and discussions
• Honorariums for guest resource persons with the group
• Entrance fees or tickets for cultural events, museums, concerts, etc.
• Germane services (e.g., coaching, gym memberships, spa, spiritual direction, workshop registrations, etc.)

The Wabash Center generally does not fund:

• Research
• International travel
• Travel for attendance to disciplinary conferences
• The preparation of textbooks
• Research focused primarily on field content and only secondarily on teaching
• Publication of conference papers or books, or production costs of other media
• Stipends for writing the grant proposal or making application for the grant
• Home utilities should group convene online
• Items designated as gifts, presents, offerings or donations
• Travel, meals, lodging expenses should family or friends accompany participant on an extended conversation

Please note that the grants of the Wabash Center are not intended for the use of underwriting the ordinary, ongoing work of the professorate, much of which is already supported by the home institution or department. The grant funds are meant to be used to support and strengthen teaching and the teaching life. The above lists are not exhaustive. All projects and budget expenditures must be aligned with the Wabash Center mission.

The Proposal Writing Resource Hub supports faculty in crafting strong, mission-aligned proposals for Wabash grants. Whether you're new to proposal writing or refining an existing idea, this hub offers practical tools, step-by-step guidance, and examples to help shape your vision into a compelling proposal. From articulating project goals to budgeting and evaluation, we’re here to help you succeed.

• 20 Key Questions to Answer Before Writing a Grant Proposal
• Budget and Expense Guidelines
• Dissemination Planning Worksheet
• Dissemination Strategies
• Examples of Wabash Center Grant Projects
• Grant FAQ

The Grant Management Resource Hub guides faculty through the effective stewardship of funded projects. This includes managing budgets, timelines, and reporting requirements with clarity and confidence. Designed to foster responsible grant leadership, the hub offers tools, templates, and best practices to ensure projects stay on track and aligned with the goals of your grant proposal.

• Dissemination Strategies
• Dissemination Planning Worksheet
• Examples of Wabash Center Grant Projects
• Faculty Transferring Institutions Instructions
• Instructions for Requesting a Grant Extension
• Sample Budget Revision Request
• Sample Letter Requesting Budget Revision
• Grant Reporting Guidelines
• Grant FAQ

We encourage you to seek grant coaching well in advance of the deadline. We recommend reaching out at least 30 days before submission. Coaching and feedback on the grant proposal are not available after an application is submitted.

To request coaching:

• Review the Grant Worksheet
• Contact Sarah Farmer at farmers@wabash.edu.

*Note: Because we receive many requests for feedback, responses may take up to four weeks for a response.

Leadership Development for Early to Mid Career Theological Librarians

Kelly Campbell, Columbia Theological Seminary

This leadership development grant is designed to help early and mid career theological librarians develop self-awareness of their leadership style, learn the importance of trust and communication, and participate in professional coaching focused on their particular context.

How We Teach: Experiences of Latina Theological Educators

Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Iliff School of Theology

This project seeks to gather together Latina theological educators to reflect on the question: What does it mean to be and teach as Latinas within theological education? Inhabiting a particular set of marginalized intersectional identities as both women and Latinas, we as educators often exist at the edges of our respective institutions both pedagogically and ontologically. The project will consist of one large conversation, held at AAR/SBL in November 2025, followed up by a smaller in-person retreat with conversation co-facilitators to engage in a review of the notes, summarizing the strengths, challenges, and opportunities named in the dinner conversation and then reflecting on the summary in order to determine future avenues for connection among Latina educators.

Fostering a Community of Practice for Leaders in Lifelong Learning

Israel Galindo, Columbia Theological Seminary

Through this project we seek to provide support for leaders in religious and theological lifelong learning for ministry through the cultivation of a community of practice. The scope of the project builds on the three-day in-person gathering to address the distinctive aspects of lifelong learning as a teaching-learning context in theological education, the competencies needed for effective leadership of these programs, and best practices for program design and development.

Roots and Horizons

Jessica Lugo, Association for Hispanic Theological Education

This grant seeks to address the urgent need to equip Hispanic emerging faculty with skills that bridge academic rigor and grassroots ministry. Despite Latinos representing nearly 30% of the U.S. population by 2050, only 8% of faculty nationwide are Hispanic, and fewer than 40% of theological educators report preparation in multicultural pedagogy. This initiative, hosted at the Justo and Catherine González Resource Center, will train two cohorts of 14 participants over three years, combining practitioner and scholarship faculty in mutual learning. Participants will gain culturally responsive teaching methods, pedagogical tools, portfolio development, and replicable models for training at least five peers each, extending impact to 60 faculty members. By integrating cultural competency, theological depth, and effective pedagogy, the project strengthens Hispanic theological education and ensures sustainable transformation in classrooms, churches, and communities.

Teaching in a Traumatizing Today

Oluwatomisin Ordein, Brite Divinity School

In a time where trauma and terror saturate the modern moment, how is one supposed to teach? The trauma-informed movement in theological education experienced a boost soon after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world.  In 2026, it has come to a fork in the road: faculty are being challenged to consider where trauma-informed pedagogical approaches fit into their overall teaching life amidst even more traumatic experiences infiltrating the public sphere at an alarming rate. Brite Divinity School’s project “Teaching in a Traumatizing Today” asserts that being educated in integrating trauma-informed paradigms and skills in the theological classroom can inspire a collective culture of communal care and attentiveness centering faculty and student wellness as a critical aspect of theological education.