The John Templeton Foundation was established in 1987 by the late philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The current president of the foundation is the son of the founder, John Templeton Jr. The John Templeton Foundation has various grants and funds research into science and religion and the Big Questions of ultimate reality and the purpose of humans. The mission of the John Templeton Foundation working as a philanthropic organization includes funding research:

“for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. We support research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will. We encourage civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians and between such experts and the public at large, for the purposes of definitional clarity and new insights. Our vision is derived from the late Sir John Templeton’s optimism about the possibility of acquiring “new spiritual information” and from his commitment to rigorous scientific research and related scholarship. The Foundation’s motto, “How little we know, how eager to learn,” exemplifies our support for open-minded inquiry and our hope for advancing human progress through breakthrough discoveries.”

Core funding areas

The John Templeton Foundation provides funding for research grants and programs in the following core funding areas. The annual grants and funding exceeds $70 million each year.

1. Science and the big questions
2. Character development
3. Freedom and free enterprise
4. Exceptional cognitive talent and genius
5. Genetics

What are the Big Questions?

The Big Questions as coined by the John Templeton Foundation are empirical questions that are broad in their scope. The Foundation also runs a campaign in collaboration with Milton Glaser (designer) known as the Big Questions conversations. Until now, the Big Questions that have been posed by the Foundation to the world include:

• Does the Universe have a purpose?
• Will money solve Africa’s development problems?
• Does the free market corrode moral character?
• Does evolution explain human nature?
• Does moral action depend on reasoning?

A veritable glitterati from the academia and learned world have provided their takes on these questions. Contributors include people like Bernard-Henry Levy, Christopher Hitchens, Robert Reich, He Qinglian, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Rebecca Goldstein, Jonah Lehrer and others.

Prizes of the John Templeton Foundation

The Foundation has many prizes and grants. Of these, the most well-known is the Templeton Prize awarded to a ‘living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.’

Recipients of the Templeton Prize include celebrities like Mother Teresa, Roger Schutz, Billy Graham, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Baba Amte.

Besides the Templeton Prize, other well-known prizes and grants of the Foundation includes the Epiphany Prize for ‘inspiring movies and TV.’ Winners include films like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Passion of Christ.

The Purpose Prize provides five awards of $100,000 to people over the age of 60 who take on ‘society’s biggest challenges.’

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