The Louisville Institute offers pastoral leaders the gift of time and the resources to investigate issues related to Christian ministry and leadership, North American religious practices and institutions, or major challenges facing wider, contemporary society. The Pastoral Study Project program (PSP) enables pastoral leaders to bracket daily work routines in order to pursue a pressing and significant question for the life of faith.
Grants of up to $15,000 support independent or collaborative study projects – projects that privilege pastoral perspectives and rhythms and honor grassroots research conducted by skilled clergy. PSP grantees may use a variety of platforms to share what they learn with a wider audience, extending their leadership in ways that can benefit the broader church and society in North America.
Deadline: Sep. 1, 2020
The Pastoral Study Project program is open to Christian clergy, church staff members, chaplains, denominational staff, nuns/sisters/brothers, members of monastic communities, and others regularly employed in recognized positions of pastoral leadership, ordained and lay. It is also open to ordained ministers who are not currently employed by a religious organization. The PSP grant is restricted to pastoral leaders in the United States and Canada.
The Pastoral Study Project does not provide scholarship assistance for Doctor of Ministry or other degree programs. A pastor currently enrolled in a degree program may apply for a PSP grant, but the proposed project must be clearly distinct from degree requirements. PSP grants may be awarded for proposals to extend further a study that began as an earlier, completed degree project.
Seminary administrators and faculty members are not eligible for the PSP grant program, nor are members of the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary Board, staff, or student body — including immediate family members (parents, spouse, or children). Pastors enrolled in Ph.D. or Th.D. programs are ineligible for the PSP grant but may be eligible for a theological education fellowship.
