The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant for $290,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the Grounded Knowledge Project.

The Grounded Knowledge Project will create gathering spaces both in-person and online for scholars committed to community engaged research and public humanities in religious studies and develop a series of digital resources for the ongoing development of this work. Community-based work raises distinctive questions about how to engage with local communities, integrate grounded approaches, and develop projects that are mutually beneficial. Over the course of 18 months, we will convene scholars and practitioners to explore and develop this nascent space of work.

The Grounded Knowledge Project will also develop a four-part webinar series and a multimedia website, which will identify pressing issues, highlight best practices and strategies, illuminate the contours of the nascent field of community engaged public humanities, and grow a network of practitioners. In addition, we will produce an online training certificate in community engaged research and public humanities initiatives, in partnership with ReligionAndPublicLife.org.

This initiative will be led by Dr. Tiffany Puett, Executive Director, and Dr. Elizabeth Melton, Community Engagement Director.

We are grateful for the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation, which seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.