The First Book Grant for Scholars of Color (FBG) provides grants up to $40,000 to assist early career, pre-tenured religion scholars of color to complete a major research project about Christian faith and life, the practice of ministry, religious trends and movements, Christian and other faith-based institutions, and religion and social issues. Projects may be rooted in fields such as history, systematic and practical theology, social science, ethics, biblical studies, etc., or may be interdisciplinary in nature. Of particular interest to the Louisville Institute are projects that bridge academic scholarship and the life of the church in North America.

Applicants should be pre-tenured faculty members working in full-time, tenure-track or renewable contract/continual academic positions at accredited institutions of higher education (seminary, theological school, or college/university) in the United States or Canada. The FBG typically buys a second term or semester of academic release that enables scholars to spend a full school year devoted to the research project free from teaching and administrative responsibilities. Grants awarded in the 2024 cycle will fund sabbaticals taking place during the 2024-2025 academic year, or during the 2025 calendar year.

First Book grantees also attend Winter Seminar, a three-day gathering in Louisville, KY, in which award recipients from four different Louisville Institute programs gather to share their projects and engage in valuable collaboration together. Winter Seminar for this grant cycle will take place January 22–24, 2025, and all related expenses for participants are paid by the Louisville Institute. Attending this event is a requirement for receiving a First Book Grant.

Read more about previous First Book grantees and their projects on our website.

Apply at https://louisville-institute.org/programs-grants-and-fellowships/grants/first-book-grant-for-scholars-of-color/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2023-24-applications&utm_content=fbg1

• are self-identified persons of color
• have earned a terminal research degree, typically a Ph.D. or Th.D.
• are pre-tenured faculty members working in full-time, tenure-track or renewable contract/continual academic positions at accredited institutions of higher education (seminary, theological school, or college/university) in the United States or Canada
• are engaged in a scholarly research project leading to publication of their first book, or a second book if necessary for tenure at their institution
• can negotiate release time of up to a full academic year free from teaching and administrative responsibilities in order to carry out their project
• may work in various fields such as history, systematic and practical theology, social science, ethics, biblical studies, etc., or be interdisciplinary.

Additional Eligibility Information:

• Doctoral students are not eligible for a First Book Grant but may be eligible for one of our fellowship programs.
• Any previous fellowships or grants from the Louisville Institute must be completed and final reports submitted before applying for another LI fellowship or grant. Additionally, you may only apply for one LI grant or fellowship between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024.
• Members of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary staff, faculty, Board of Trustees, or student body or their immediate family members (parents, spouses, or children) are ineligible for Louisville Institute grants or fellowships. Members of the Louisville Institute Advisory Board and their immediate family members are also ineligible.
• Louisville Institute grantees may not simultaneously hold two individual grants from Lilly Endowment-funded organizations that together total more than US$45,000. 
• For questions regarding your project and its eligibility, please email grants@louisville-institute.org.

• FBG funds typically buy release time from academic duties, usually to support a second term or semester of academic release to supplement an existing semester/term sabbatical. If you work at an institution that does not grant sabbaticals and/or if you are in a full-time, permanent teaching position that does not include sabbatical leave, you must contact us to discuss your eligibility before applying for this grant: grants@louisville-institute.org
• It is common for the total amount of an FBG budget to be designated for salary/benefit replacement.
• If you are requesting sabbatical funds for research materials or assistance, travel, or other resources, you will need to prepare a line-item and narrative budgets).

• Visit our website for more information
• Download the 2024 First Book Application Guide for all the details.
• Learn more about previous First Book Grant projects
• Applications are due by January 15, 2024 (11:59 p.m. EST)