Louisville Institute: Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant

The Louisville Institute's Postdoctoral Fellowship offers early career theological educators a unique opportunity for vocational and professional growth through a two-year placement at ATS-accredited institutions in the U.S. and Canada. With a stipend of $30,000 annually, housing, and insurance benefits, fellows engage in a structured formation program, attend three annual gatherings in Louisville, KY, and receive peer mentorship, enhancing their journey towards becoming effective theological educators.

NOTE:

• The Pre-Proposal deadline represents when the Application is due.The Full Proposal deadline represents when the Letters of Recommendation are due.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship
• What are Postdoctoral Fellowships?

The Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship provides early career theological educators with vocational and professional formation through a two-year job placement, usually as a visiting professor at ATS-accredited theological schools or a college or university in the United States and Canada. Applicants are typically scholars studying Christian faith and life, the practice of ministry, religious trends and movements, Christian and other faith-based institutions, and religion and social issues. As part of the Louisville Institute’s Vocation of the Theological Educator Initiative (VTE), Postdoctoral Fellows participate in intentional, focused, professional formation as they explore a calling to be a theological educator.
The Louisville Institute understands theological education broadly, encompassing the academic study and teaching of religion and its practices, as well as formation for ministry, leadership, social justice and public service, nonprofit and other agency work, etc. Preference for fellowships is given to doctoral students or recent graduates who demonstrate an interest in theological education as a vocation, who express an understanding of the current challenges and opportunities of theological education, and who articulate connections between their doctoral work and these trends and dynamics.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship provides a stipend of US$30,000 each of the two years of the placement, as well as insurance, housing, and moving benefits (note: postdoctoral placements often require relocation). Postdoctoral Fellows receive ongoing peer mentorship in their placement sites, and join with a peer cohort of other fellows for three formational gatherings each year (October, February, and May) as part of the Vocation of the Theological Educator Initiative (VTE). All expenses for participants in the VTE gatherings, which are held in Louisville, KY, are covered by the Louisville Institute.
What are VTE Gatherings?
Three times a year (October, February, & May), LI Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows gather in Louisville, KY, for vocational and professional formation, relationship building, and mutual support as part of the Vocation of the Theological Educator Initiative (VTE). With their cohorts, fellows engage vocational questions about theological education, discernment, leadership, pedagogy, mentoring, research and writing, employment and tenure, public theology, guild participation, and other relevant issues. Through peer learning and in conversation with mentor-facilitators and invited resource persons, fellows together create space for dialogue, imagination, collegiality, and growth within and across the academy and the church. All expenses for participation in the VTE gatherings are covered by the Louisville Institute.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants:are scholars based in the United States and Canada who will complete all Ph.D./Th.D. work, defend their dissertations, and receive their degrees no later than June 30, 2025demonstrate appreciation for the Christian church and a commitment to theological education, and are able to articulate how their doctoral work and other experiences have prepared them to be a theological educator
come from diverse fields such as history, systematic and practical theology, pastoral studies, social sciences, ethics, or biblical studies, or bring interdisciplinary approaches to their scholarship
are aware that postdoctoral placements often require relocation in order to match fellows with appropriate schools/departments
Additional Eligibility Information For All Grants & Fellowships:You are welcome to apply again for any of our grants or fellowships – in fact, it’s very common! However, you may only apply for one grant or fellowship between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025.Any previous fellowships or grants from the Louisville Institute must be completed and final report submitted before applying for another LI fellowship or grant.
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$55,000. Please contact us if you have any questions about this stipulation: fellowships@louisville-institute.org. Individual grants are those held by the same project

Ineligibility

The Louisville Institute is housed at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, members of the seminary’s Board, staff, or student body or their immediate family members (parents, spouse, or children) are not eligible for LI grants or fellowships. Applicants may not submit applications to more than one Louisville Institute grant or fellowship program within the same grant year