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John Templeton Foundation

Annual Giving
$126.6M
Grant Range
$5K - $15.0M
Decision Time
5mo
Success Rate
13%

John Templeton Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $126.6 million (2024)
  • Number of Grants: 401 grants annually
  • Decision Time: Up to 4.5 months
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $15 million (most grants: $15,000 - $800,000)
  • Average Grant: $450,000 - $730,000
  • Geographic Focus: International (grants awarded in 113+ countries)
  • Assets: $3.5 billion endowment

Contact Details

Address: 300 Conshohocken State Road, Suite 500, West Conshohocken, PA 19428

Phone: 610-941-2828

Fax: 610-825-1730

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.templeton.org

Application Portal: portal.templeton.org

Contact Form: Available at templeton.org/contact

Overview

Founded by Sir John Templeton, the John Templeton Foundation is one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations dedicated to supporting interdisciplinary research and catalyzing conversations that explore humanity's deepest questions. With a $3.5 billion endowment, the Foundation distributed approximately $126.6 million in grants to 401 projects in 2024. The Foundation's mission centers on advancing understanding of "the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind" through rigorous scientific inquiry combined with philosophical and theological perspectives. Under the leadership of former president Heather Templeton Dill (2015-2025), the Foundation's assets grew nearly 25% and annual giving rose to $135 million. In July 2025, Dr. Timothy Dalrymple assumed the presidency. The Foundation received the National Humanities Medal, recognizing its significant contributions to advancing knowledge and understanding.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Foundation operates a rolling application system with two grant categories:

  • Small Grants: Up to $234,800 USD
  • Large Grants: Over $234,800 USD (average $450,000-$730,000; maximum $15 million)

Projects are typically funded for up to three years, with rare extensions to five years. The Foundation accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the year, with reviews occurring at specific intervals according to their Grant Calendar.

Priority Areas

The Foundation funds bold ideas from contrarian thinkers that cross disciplinary boundaries across six core areas:

  1. Character Virtue Development: Research on moral, performance, civic, and intellectual virtues including gratitude, curiosity, intellectual humility, and human flourishing

  2. Individual Freedom & Free Markets: Education, research, and outreach projects promoting individual freedom, free markets, free competition, and entrepreneurship

  3. Mathematical & Physical Sciences: Research seeking to shed light on fundamental concepts of physical reality, including cosmology, physics, and fundamental questions about the universe

  4. Life Sciences: Research and engagement projects on fundamental structures of the biological world, evolutionary biology, consciousness, and genetics' intersection with human well-being

  5. Public Engagement: Content creation, thought leadership cultivation, and campus programming that brings complex ideas to broader audiences

  6. Religion, Science, & Society: Discovery of meaningful and practical insights into religious, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of humanity; exploring the relationship between science and religion

Recent funded projects include intellectual humility research, individual freedom initiatives, humanitarian crisis interventions, faith-health divide bridging, and religious liberty work.

What They Don't Fund

Financial/Budget Restrictions:

  • Projects with budgets exceeding 10% for travel and lodging costs for non-employees
  • First-class or business class travel expenses
  • Overhead/indirect costs exceeding 15% of total direct expenses

Types of Support Not Provided:

  • Buildings or real estate holdings (cannot be purchased with grant funds)
  • Significant building improvements
  • Endowments
  • Artistic productions or purchases
  • Equipment purchases (except when deemed vital and necessary to the project)
  • General donations or operational support
  • Ongoing program support (the Foundation funds discrete projects)

Duration & Follow-on Limits:

  • Projects exceeding 36 months duration (generally)
  • Follow-on or renewal grants to existing projects larger than $262,871 unless there is a robust plan for at least 50% co-funding

Governance and Leadership

Board Structure

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising ten members, four of whom belong to the Templeton family. The Board operates under the charter and bylaws written by Sir John Templeton, which include unique safeguards: outside auditors review foundation grants to ensure alignment with Templeton's intentions, and can require remedial action within one year or authorize trustee replacement.

Key Leadership

Leigh Cameron - Chair of the Board of Trustees

Dr. Timothy Dalrymple - President and CEO (appointed July 31, 2025). Dr. Dalrymple manages a professional staff of approximately 60 employees and oversees an annual budget exceeding $150 million.

Heather Templeton Dill - Former President and CEO (2015-2025), granddaughter of Sir John Templeton. Currently serves as Interim Director of the Templeton Prize. Under her leadership, the Foundation's assets grew nearly 25% and annual giving rose to $135 million. Previously served as trustee (1997-2003 and 2009-2015) and member of executive, finance, and strategic planning committees.

Board Members

  • Jennifer Templeton Simpson - Trustee (Templeton family member)
  • Rory Knight - Trustee & Life Member
  • Magatte Wade - Board Member (joined July 2022)
  • Lauren Templeton - Board Member (joined June 2021)

Strategic Philosophy

Foundation leaders emphasize the importance of theory of change in evaluating proposals. As stated in Foundation guidance: "How will things be different as a result of this grant, and what is the prospect for this proposal to have an enduring impact?" The Foundation seeks projects that promise to be "a catalyst for discoveries that contribute to human flourishing."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Foundation uses a mandatory two-stage application process:

Stage 1: Online Funding Inquiry (OFI)

The OFI is a brief form requesting basic information about your proposed project. You can complete and submit an OFI at any point during the year. The Foundation's program staff reviews each OFI to determine if your proposed project represents a realistic, strategic, and potentially successful opportunity to advance the Foundation's philanthropic vision and aligns with their Funding Areas.

Access the OFI through: portal.templeton.org

Stage 2: Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)

Only applicants whose OFI is approved will be invited to submit a Full Proposal. The Full Proposal webform allows detailed project description with expanded field limits and multiple file upload opportunities for budget documents, narrative descriptions, and supporting materials.

Decision Timeline

Review Process Duration: Up to 4.5 months from Full Proposal submission to final decision

Process Steps:

  1. Staff Review of Full Proposal
  2. External review (may be included)
  3. Opportunity for proposal revisions (may be offered)
  4. Presentation to President or Board of Trustees (only they have authority to approve funding)
  5. Notification via email

Review Cycles: The Foundation reviews OFIs and Full Proposals at specific times throughout the year according to their Grant Calendar. Reviews are scheduled periodically, with materials delivered to the President or Foundation Board by specified dates.

Project Start Dates: Should be at least 6 weeks after the relevant funding cycle notification date.

Success Rates

The Foundation is highly competitive. In the 2024 Funding Cycle, the Foundation received 3,037 initial requests totaling $2.16 billion in funding from applicants in 113 countries. With approximately 401 grants awarded annually, the success rate is estimated at approximately 13% of initial applications.

The Foundation receives thousands of applications each year and awards relatively few grants. Due to the large volume of submissions, the Foundation is unable to provide specific feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Reapplication Policy

The Foundation's public materials indicate that "applicants may submit more than one funding inquiry," suggesting that reapplication is permitted. However, specific policies regarding waiting periods after rejection or restrictions on resubmitting similar proposals are not publicly documented. Unsuccessful applicants should note that they will generally not receive detailed feedback on why their application was declined due to the high volume of submissions.

Application Success Factors

Theory of Change is Critical

The Foundation explicitly states it evaluates proposals by asking: "How will things be different as a result of this grant, and what is the prospect for this proposal to have an enduring impact?" Your proposal must clearly articulate measurable outcomes and lasting impact.

Demonstrate Strategic Fit and Alignment

Program staff assess whether your project "represents a realistic, strategic, and potentially successful opportunity to advance the philanthropic vision of the Foundation" and aligns with their donor's intentions. Carefully review the six Funding Areas and demonstrate explicit alignment.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration is Valued

The Foundation states it is "especially interested in research that engages substantively with the sciences, including robust interdisciplinary collaborations." Applications combining science and humanities research methodologies are particularly strong. The Foundation funds "bold ideas from contrarian thinkers that cross disciplinary boundaries."

Outcomes Must Be Specific and Measurable

Your Outcomes should be "specific and identifiable changes that you expect your Outputs will bring about within 5 years of your project's end date." These should describe what success looks like in concrete terms.

Co-Funding Strengthens Applications

The Foundation explicitly "favors projects in which a proportion of the required funding has been secured from other sources." Demonstrating financial support from other funders signals project viability and broader support.

Consider Starting with a Smaller Grant

While the average grant is $450,000-$730,000, analysis shows "40 out of 139 grants awarded in 2022 were less than $250,000." Starting with a smaller, focused project may improve success odds and establish a relationship with the Foundation.

Budget Efficiency Matters

The Foundation welcomes proposals that request overhead/indirect costs "lower than" the 15% maximum. Demonstrating cost-effectiveness and fiscal responsibility strengthens applications.

Recent Successful Projects

Recent grants provide insight into what the Foundation funds:

  • Richmont Graduate University: $372,281 for groundbreaking character virtue research
  • Interfaith America: $3.2 million to bridge the faith-health divide
  • Notre Dame Law Religious Liberty Initiative: $2.1 million
  • Harvard, University of Minnesota, University of Bristol, Baylor University: Major research projects ranging $250,000-$4.3 million

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Big Questions Focus: Frame your project around fundamental questions about human existence, purpose, flourishing, or the nature of reality. The Foundation seeks to address "the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind."

  • Demonstrate Rigor and Openness: The Foundation values "high-impact projects that tackle the most perplexing questions facing humankind with rigor and openness." Your methodology must be academically sound while remaining intellectually humble.

  • Theory of Change is Non-Negotiable: Clearly articulate how your project will create lasting change and contribute to human flourishing. This is the Foundation's primary evaluation criterion.

  • Interdisciplinary Approaches Win: Projects that substantively combine scientific inquiry with humanities, philosophical, or theological perspectives are particularly competitive. Cross-boundary thinking is explicitly valued.

  • Start with a Strong OFI: Since Full Proposals are by invitation only, invest significant effort in crafting a compelling Online Funding Inquiry. This is your gateway to the full application process.

  • Be Patient but Strategic: With a 4.5-month review process and only a 13% success rate, plan well ahead and ensure your project is an excellent fit before applying. The competition is fierce with 3,000+ applications annually.

  • Leverage Co-Funding: Secure partial funding from other sources before applying. This demonstrates viability and commitment while addressing the Foundation's stated preference for co-funded projects.

References

Accessed: December 2025

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