Character Virtue Development
Forecasted
Character Virtue Development supports researchers and organizations studying virtues and delivering research-informed character development programs to cultivate good habits and advance human flourishing.
Funder: John Templeton Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Online Funding Inquiry deadline)
Funding Amounts: Historical Character Through Community competition: $15 million allocated; just over $20 million awarded across 23 grants
Summary: Supports research on virtues and research-informed character development programs that advance human flourishing.
Key Information: General camp operations and routine program expansion are outside the scope of the Designing for Growth call.
Description
The John Templeton Foundation’s Character Virtue Development funding area supports work that deepens understanding of character and improves the cultivation of moral, performance, civic, and intellectual virtues. Examples include humility, gratitude, curiosity, diligence, and honesty. Its goal is to equip individuals and societies with capacities that sustain human flourishing.
Support encompasses research-informed character development programs and interdisciplinary studies of the nature and development of virtues. Programs emphasize clear character goals, caring adults, and opportunities for young people to practice good habits. Research aims to generate discoveries that can inform future programs. The 2026 priorities explore how diverse forms of intelligence affect virtue formation, how agency and institutions shape character in free societies, and how formative experiences produce lasting character growth.
