WELCOME

Welcome to the coordination page for the next round of the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. (See the Lilly Endowment's Pathways page here.) The coordination program is led by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in partnership with the In Trust Center for Theological Schools. The coordination program exists to provide resources, education, and learning spaces to help schools thrive with their Pathways grant. This page has information about the new round of Pathways funding that was announced in November 2024. Below, you'll find information about the funding opportunities, including a link to apply for an assessment and planning grant, and links to helpful resources to support schools and those who are preparing proposals. 

WHAT IS PATHWAYS FOR TOMORROW?

Lilly Endowment Inc. unveiled the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative and awarded funding to 116 ATS-accredited schools in 2021 and 2022 in an effort to help theological schools strengthen their ability to prepare pastoral leaders for Christian churches into the future. Information about that funding can be found here.

In November 2024, Lilly Endowment Inc. announced new funding for:

• INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS: 

ATS-accredited schools that did not receive a Phase 2 grant in the previous round of funding are eligible to apply to the Pathways Coordination Program for a non-competitive assessment and planning grant of up to $50,000 to help them prepare proposals for Individual School Implementation Grants. Apply for planning grants here. You can access a PDF of the planning grant application to review before submission. 

>> Applications for assessment and planning grants are due by December 19, 2024, or January 31, 2025.
 

• INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS: 

ATS-accredited schools that did not receive a Phase 2 grant in the previous round of funding are also eligible to apply to Lilly Endowment Inc. for individual grants of up to $1 million. 

>> Applications for individual school grants are due May 15, 2025.
 

• COLLABORATIVE GRANTS:

For all ATS-accredited schools, Lilly Endowment Inc. is offering grants for large-scale collaborative endeavors to help theological schools strengthen and sustain their capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian churches. These grants may be for up to $10 million. 

>> Concept papers are due by March 5, 2025. 
 

The RFPs for these grants and applications for the individual and collaborative grants can be found here.
 

INFORMATION SESSIONS

You can learn more about these new funding opportunities by attending upcoming information sessions. These sessions will take place on. Please join on these dates by registering at the links below:

• Individual School Grants:

>> Monday, December 9, 2024, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register: Individual School Grants session 1

>> Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register: Individual School Grants session 2

• Large-Scale Collaboration Grants:

>> Friday, December 13, 2024, 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register: Large-scale Collaboration Grants session 1

>> Monday, December 16, 2024, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register: Large-scale Collaboration Grants session 2

WHAT IS COORDINATION?

The Association of Theological Schools and the In Trust Center are co-hosting the Pathways for Tomorrow Coordination Program. The goal of coordination is to support the resource needs of grantees throughout the life of the initiative. Together, ATS and the In Trust Center partner to provide resources, conduct research, and create and foster learning communities to help encourage innovation and collaboration. 

Below, you'll find contacts and other information with helpful resources.