The Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) has awarded interreligious capacity-building grants to four organizations to help them expand their ability to offer chaplaincy and spiritual care services.
The grants of up to $1,000 each are designed to specifically address the interreligious needs of volunteer chaplains and those serving in organizations that sometimes lack access to sufficient resources.
“The organizations receiving this year’s micro-grants are offering vital spiritual care to communities that are too often forgotten,” said Alisha Wimbush, ICJS Program Director for Religious Leaders. “With this support, they’ll be able to expand their reach and strengthen their support of these underserved communities.”
The grants are part of ICJS’ ongoing commitment to supporting a vibrant, inclusive spiritual care infrastructure that reflects the religious diversity of the public it serves.
The four awardees are:
- Rivers of Life AME Church, a community-focused African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenbelt, MD. This grant will fund professional development for chaplains working in interreligious settings and enable the purchase of spiritual resources to support diverse religious practices. Items may include Muslim prayer mats, Christian hymnals, Jewish prayer books, candles, and other materials for worship and reflection.
- Saint Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric hospital that offers accredited training programs for providers in Washington, D.C. The funds will support the creation of mobile carts stocked with essential spiritual care materials for both paid and volunteer chaplains. These resources will aid in providing inclusive and meaningful care to patients with extended stays—ranging from 30 days to 30 years—at the psychiatric hospital.
- Sibley Memorial Hospital, a hospital in Washington, D.C. With this grant, Sibley Memorial will expand its ability to meet the spiritual needs of its patients through the development of printed prayer booklets tailored to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions. These inclusive resources will help patients engage in spiritual practices during their hospital stay.
- University of Maryland Medical System Foundation, a foundation that raises funds for the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore, MD. The grant will allow the Midtown Campus to build its own collection of spiritual resources such as large-print Bibles, Qur’ans, prayer mats, and journals, particularly for patients who are not affiliated with a specific religious tradition but seek spiritual reflection and support.
“The work of chaplains is an essential part of what we at ICJS are most committed to—building a multireligious democracy,” Heather Miller Rubens said. “We are pleased to invest in these diverse organizations’ important work of meeting people’s spiritual needs.”
The Interreligious Capacity-Building Grants were made possible through the generous support of The Bunting Family Foundation.
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To disarm religious bias and bigotry, the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) builds learning communities where religious difference becomes a powerful force for good. ICJS envisions an interreligious society in which dialogue replaces division, friendship overcomes fear, and education eradicates ignorance. Through educational programming, public-facing scholarship, and relationship-centered fellowships and workshops, ICJS models a new conversation in the public square that affirms religious diversity in the United States. ICJS is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. More information is at www.icjs.org.