The Summer Stipend Program offers grants to academics and pastors engaged in summer research projects pertaining to American Christianity, especially those related to the priorities of  the Louisville Institute.

Eligibility

Applicants must have earned the terminal degree in their chosen vocation (e.g. M.Div., Ph.D., Th.D.) and must demonstrate a capacity to complete the proposed project in a timely fashion. Questions about eligibility may be sent to info@louisville-institute.org. 

The Summer Stipend is intended to support ten weeks of research and writing. Preference will be given to those proposals that address the current program priorities of the Louisville Institute: Christian faith and life, religious institutions, and pastoral leadership. Proposals on other topics are also welcome. Proposed projects may employ a variety of methodological perspectives, including, but not limited to, history, ethics, the social sciences, biblical studies, and historical, systematic, and practical theology. They may also be interdisciplinary in nature.

Applicants may not submit applications to more than one Louisville Institute grant program within the same grant year (June 1-May 31).

Application and Selection Procedure

Application materials for the Summer Stipend program may be requested from the Louisville Institute or downloaded from this web site. All materials must be postmarked no later than October 15, each year. All applicants will be notified of the selection committee's decisions by late January, and the awards must be used during the following summer. Applications include:

• Applicant Information and Project Summary Form,

• 5-7 page (double-spaced and typed in a 12 point font) narrative description of your project, 

• Selective bibliography (2-3 pages double-spaced),

• Copy of your current Curriculum Vitae or résumé (no more than 4 pages).

Please submit one copy of the complete proposal, using paper clips, without the use of staples and mail to the office of the Louisville Institute by the appropriate deadline. These materials, except for the Applicant Information and Project Summary Form (if submitted online)  should be assembled in the order listed above.  

Duration of Award and Stipend

Stipends of $9,000 each will be awarded.  Summer Stipend awards are not renewable. Grant checks will be issued in mid-May. The Institute will pay the grant award directly to the recipient.

Conditions

Grantees may not accept other awards that  provide a stipend during the tenure of this award. The Summer Stipend program has no residence requirement. In the year of their award, however, all grantees are expected to participate in the Louisville Institute's two-day Winter Seminar. Travel and lodging expenses for the Seminar will be covered by the Louisville Institute.