Funders’ Dreams and Academics’ Reality: The Templeton Philanthropies and the Field of Science and Religion

The donor-directed philanthropic organizations created by Sir John Templeton have financially supported science-and-religion activities for decades. Despite their longstanding influence in what are otherwise often poorly funded areas, little sustained scholarly attention has been given to Templeton’s organizations and their interests, or to the investor turned philanthropist responsible for them. This roundtable will examine general issues relating to the philanthropic funding of academic work by focusing on several dimensions of Templeton’s organizations’ activities. Such attention — to funders’ views of progress; to their vision for society, and to the means by which their institutions serve that vision; to the ways their philanthropies shape the areas their funding supports; to the constraints philanthropies impose on scholars and their work; and to other matters — is vital for raising awareness about the nature and extent of philanthropists’ impact on both the academy and society, and for assessing the quality of that impact.