Teagle Foundation: Knowledge for Freedom Grant

The Teagle Foundation's Knowledge for Freedom initiative aims to empower underserved high school students through transformative experiences in the humanities. Grants ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 over 36 months support programs that foster civic responsibility and personal purpose. Colleges can also apply for planning grants of $10,000 to $25,000 to develop tailored programs. The initiative emphasizes intensive summer seminars led by faculty, with continued support for college applications and civic engagement.

Knowledge for Freedom Initiative
The Knowledge for Freedom initiative supports programs that invite underserved high school students to college to study humanity’s deepest questions about leading lives of purpose and civic responsibility. Grants of varying amounts, ranging from $100,000-$300,000 over a 36-month period, will be made to each funded project participating in this initiative. The size of the grant will be based on the scope of the project. Colleges and universities interested in launching Knowledge for Freedom programs are encouraged to apply for planning grants, ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 over a 6-12 month period.
Criteria for Project Proposals
The Knowledge for Freedom initiative is designed to be adaptable enough to reflect the assets and needs of each institution and coherent enough to create a community of shared practice among programs across the nation.
All Knowledge for Freedom programs reflect certain common features:
All programs bring low-income high school students onto a college campus for an intensive summer seminar in the humanities taught by college faculty and supported by undergraduate teaching assistants.All syllabi include transformative texts in the humanities connected by ideas or questions about the nature of government, freedom, and democracy. We define transformative texts as works whether ancient or recent—that have transformed the world and that continue to transform individual lives by the power of their ideas and expression.During the following academic year, all programs offer formalized assistance with college applications and direct students in a civic engagement or public service project.All programs engage with their alumni by sponsoring events, facilitating mentorships, or by connecting them with opportunities to continue their civic engagement.
Required Attributes
The Syllabus:Proposals should include a draft and explanation of the summer seminar syllabus.Faculty and Institutional Leadership:Proposals should include the names of the faculty director or co-directors who will run the program and potential partners who will help with high school student recruitment.Sustainability Plan:Successful applicants will clearly articulate how proposed programs are aligned with institutional priorities and will be sustained beyond the life of the grant. Grants from the Teagle Foundation are made in the expectation that once the formal grant period ends, should the piloted efforts be successful, the costs associated with supporting the work will be absorbed by the participating institution.
Applying for a Planning Grant
The majority of Knowledge for Freedom programs begin with a planning grant. All Knowledge for Freedom programs require intensive planning, significant time commitment, and serious support from outside experts on such topics as syllabus planning, the social dynamics of high school students, college readiness support, and writing coaching. Recognizing the value of variation across programs, the Teagle Foundation appreciates that each college or university will require a 6-12 month planning process to create a program that responds to its local culture—to its particular resources, curricular traditions, and surrounding cultural and political institutions. The Foundation will expect an implementation proposal at the close of the planning process.
We encourage interested institutions to submit a 3-5 page concept paper that outlines the timeline for establishing the necessary ingredients to launch a program.
Implementation Grant
We encourage interested institutions to submit a 3-5 page concept paper that names the lead faculty who will serve as the director or co-director on the project, the departmental home for the program, and lists all of the institutional partners necessary for launching a Knowledge for Freedom program.

Colleges and universities. Concept papers are due December 1, March 1 and August 1; a limited number of applicants are then invited to submit full proposals.