Core Funding Areas
In the charter establishing his Foundation, the late Sir John Templeton set out his philanthropic intentions under several broad headings. These Core Funding Areas continue to guide our grantmaking as we work to find world-class researchers and project leaders to share in our pursuit of Sir John’s dynamic, contrarian, forward-looking vision.
Our Core Funding Areas cover the full range of the Foundation’s activities and grantmaking. Science & the Big Questions is the largest of these Core Funding Areas and is further divided into several subfields. The descriptions and illustrative grants attached to the Core Funding Areas are not meant to be exhaustive, but they should give potential applicants a general understanding of the sorts of activities that the Foundation does and does not fund.
A number of topics—including creativity, freedom, gratitude, love, and purpose—can be found under more than one Core Funding Area. The Foundation welcomes proposals that bring together these overlapping elements, especially by combining the tools and approaches of different disciplines.
For a PDF with an overview of our Core Funding Areas, click here.
Core Funding Areas:
Science & the Big Questions
Character Development
Freedom & Free Enterprise
Exceptional Cognitive Talent & Genius
Genetics
