Public Engagement
Forecasted
Public Engagement supports creators, thought leaders, and universities through media, events, and lasting programming that inspire awe and wonder and help people live lives of meaning and purpose.
Funder: John Templeton Foundation
Due Dates: 2026 OFI deadline passed | 2027 (New OFI guidance)
Funding Amounts: Over $60 million across six Intelligence Venture funding areas over three years; project terms generally 33–36 months
Summary: Supports public-facing media, events, thought-leader development, and university programming that inspire awe, wonder, meaning, and purpose.
Key Information: Charitable organizations worldwide may apply; individuals and for-profit companies require a staff invitation.
Description
The John Templeton Foundation’s Public Engagement funding area supports projects that catalyze conversations, inspire awe and wonder, and help people live lives of meaning and purpose. It funds content delivered through video, audio, public events, and print media, alongside projects that develop the next generation of thought leaders or create durable courses and programming at leading universities.
For the 2026 cycle, content proposals should align with the Foundation’s Intelligence Venture and engage broad public audiences with foundational questions about intelligence’s nature, purpose, and future. Priorities include intelligence across biological and artificial systems, what distinguishes human intelligence, how intelligence functions collectively, and how people might design a future of flourishing amid rapidly advancing technologies.
