John Templeton Foundation: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|PhilanthropicAmerican philanthropic organization}}

| headquarters = [[Conshohocken, Pennsylvania|West Conshohocken]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States|U.S.]]

| fields = {{hlist|Scientific research<br>|Religious studies}}

| revenue = $30,232,853.2 million<ref name="Ratings">{{cite web | url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201733059349100703_public.xml?_ga=2.172144547.1277348753.1553048283-524418911.1552927313 | title=John Templeton Foundation | website=ProPublica | access-date=19 March 2018 | archive-date=8 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808233458/https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201733059349100703_public.xml?_ga=2.172144547.1277348753.1553048283-524418911.1552927313 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

| expenses = $182,280,915.2 million<ref name="Ratings" />

The '''John Templeton Foundation''' ('''Templeton Foundation''') is a [[Philanthropy|philanthropic]] organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, [[John Templeton]],. whoTempleton became wealthy via a career as a [[Contrarian investing|contrarian investor]], and wanted to support progress in religious and spiritual knowledge, especially at the [[Relationship between religion and science|intersection of religion and science]].<ref name="Bailey">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/19/john-templeton-jr-president-of-foundation-invested-in-science-and-religion-has-died/ | title=John Templeton Jr., president of multi-billion dollar foundation invested in science and religion, has died | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Sarah Pulliam|last=Bailey|date=May 19, 2015}}</ref> He also sought to fund research on methods to promote and develop [[moral character]], intelligence, and creativity in people, and to promote free markets.<ref name="Nature2011"/> In 2008, the foundation was awarded the [[National Humanities Medal]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2008-11-17 |title=President Bush Awards 2008 National Humanities Medals | publisher = National Endowment for the Humanities |date= November 17, 2008}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Inside Philanthropy]]'' called it "the oddest—or most interesting—big foundation around."<ref name="Oddest">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Tate |title=Templeton Remains the Oddest—or Most Interesting—Big Foundation Around |url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016/4/5/templeton-remains-the-oddestor-most-interestingbig-foundatio.html |work=Inside Philanthropy |date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>

Templeton founded the organization in 1987 and headed it as chairman until hishe deathdied in 2008. Templeton's son, [[John Templeton Jr.]], served as its president from its founding until his death in 2015, at which point Templeton Jr.'s daughter, Heather Templeton Dill, became president. The foundation administers the annual [[Templeton Prize]] for achievements in the field of spirituality, including those at the intersection of science and religion. It has an extensive grant-funding program (around $150 million per year as of 2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621322826/201733059349100703/IRS990PF|title=John Templeton Foundation, Full text of "Form 990PF" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2016; Line 25|publisher=[[Pro Publica Inc.]]|date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> aimed at supporting research in physics, biology, psychology, and the social sciences as well as philosophy and theology. It also supports programs related to genetics, "exceptional cognitive talent and genius" and "individual freedom and free markets".<ref name="Nature2011"/> The foundation has receivedreceives both praise and criticism for its awards, regarding both the breadth of theirits coverage, and ideological perspectives asserted to be associated with them.

<blockquote>Like many of his generation, Templeton was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative, and the power of human imagination — not to mention the free-enterprise system that allowed him, a middle-class boy from Winchester, Tennessee, to earn billions of dollars on Wall Street. ... Unlike most of his peers, however, Templeton thought that the principles of progress should also apply to religion. He described himself as "an enthusiastic Christian" — but was also open to learning from Hinduism, Islam and other religious traditions. Why, he wondered, couldn't religious ideas be open to the type of constructive competition that had produced so many advances in science and the free market?<ref name="Nature2011">{{cite journal |last1=Waldrop |first1=M. Mitchell |title=Religion: Faith in science |journal=Nature |date=17 February 2011 |volume=470 |issue=7334 |pages=323–325 |doi=10.1038/470323a|pmid=21331019 |bibcode=2011Natur.470..323W |doi-access=free }} {{open access}}</ref></blockquote>

These were the values he sought to promote first through the [[Templeton Prize]] which he started in 1972 and then through the foundation, which he founded in 1987 and ran until hishe deathdied in 2008.<ref name="Nature2011"/>

[[John Templeton Jr.]] was president of the foundation from its inception in 1987 and worked as a pediatric surgeon; he was chief of pediatric surgery at [[Children's Hospital of Philadelphia]] in 1995, when he stopped practicing medicine to join the foundation.<ref name="Bailey"/> He took over as chairman when his father died. He was an [[evangelical Christian]] and supported various [[American conservatism|American conservative]] causes.<ref name=NYT2015>{{cite news |title=John M. Templeton Jr., Who Led Foundation, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/us/john-m-templeton-jr-who-led-foundation-dies-at-75.html |work=Associated Press via the New York Times |date=May 19, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="philly.com">{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|title=$1 million for their own two cents Bryn Mawr couple are largest individual donors in efforts to ban gay marriage in California.|work=Philadelphia Inquirer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216130758/http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-28/news/25263219_1_ban-gay-marriage-heterosexual-marriages-proposition|archive-date=December 16, 2013 |first=David |last=O'Reilly|date=October 28, 2008}}</ref> He always maintained that he tried to run the foundation according to his father's wishes instead of his own wishes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olasky |first1=Marvin |title=Jack Templeton dies at age 75 |url=https://world.wng.org/2015/05/jack_templeton_dies_at_age_75? |work=World Magazine |date=19 May 2015 |language=en}}</ref> He died in 2015.<ref name=NYT2015/>

Templeton bequeathed around $500 million to the foundation when he died in 2008.<ref name="Nature2011"/> {{As of|2015}} the foundation's total endowment had grown to $3.34 billion.<ref name="Bailey"/> The foundation reports that it has issued over 3,300 grants, with over 2,800 of those going to recipients in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/about/vision-mission-impact|title=John Templeton Foundation: Our Impact|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref> In 2016, the foundation disbursed over $151,000,000 in grants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621322826/201733059349100703/IRS990PF|title=John Templeton Foundation: Full text of "Form 990PF" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2016|website=ProPublica.com|date=9 May 2013|access-date=March 21, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:LowResMarcelo-Gleiser.jpg|thumb|[[Marcelo Gleiser]] iswon the most recent Templeton Prize recipient, having won in 2019.]]

The early prizes were given solely to people who had made great achievements in the field of religion; [[Mother Teresa]] received the inaugural award in 1973,<ref name="Nature2011"/> with other early winners including Sir [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]] (1975),<ref name=indy>{{Cite web | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/philosopher-wins-163800000-award-for-spiritual-focus-440262.html| work=The Independent|access-date=2 July 2009 | date= 15 March 2007|first=Arifa|last=Akbar|title=Philosopher wins £800,000 award for spiritual focus}}</ref> [[Chiara Lubich]] (1977),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350399/Chiara-Lubich|title = Lubich, Chiara – Italian Roman Catholic lay leader | access-date=2 July 2009|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> and [[Nikkyō Niwano]] (1979).<ref name=humble>{{Cite book | title = The Humble Approach: Scientists Discover God |first=John|last=Templeton|isbn=1-890151-17-3 |publisher=Templeton Foundation Press|pages=170–172|date=1998-05-10}}</ref> In the 1980s, John Templeton began considering the intersection of science and religion, and after he appointed two scientists to the judging panel, scientists who worked at the intersection began receiving it; [[Alister Hardy]] was the first, in 1987.<ref name="Nature2011"/> More recent winners of the Templeton Prize have included the [[Dalai Lama]] in 2012,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0329/Dalai-Lama-wins-Templeton-Prize-as-more-than-simple-Buddhist-monk|title=Dalai Lama wins Templeton Prize as more than 'simple Buddhist monk'|newspaper=[[Christian Science Monitor]]|first=Ron|last=Scherer|date=March 29, 2012}}</ref> [[King Abdullah II of Jordan]] in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://religionnews.com/2018/06/27/templeton-prize/|title=King of Jordan wins Templeton Prize for fostering Muslim cooperation|publisher=Religion News Service|first=Chris|last=Herlinger|date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> Brazilian Jewish physicist and astronomer [[Marcelo Gleiser]] in 2019,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/jewish-physicist-becomes-first-latin-american-to-win-templeton-prize|title=Jewish physicist becomes first Latin American to win Templeton Prize|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|first=Marcus M.|last=Gilban|date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> and [[Primatology|primatologist]] [[Jane Goodall]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/20/naturalist-jane-goodall-wins-2021-templeton-prize-for-lifes-work |title=Naturalist Jane Goodall wins 2021 Templeton prize for life's work|first1=Harriet|last1=Sherwood|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=20 May 2021}}</ref>

Templeton "was a great believer in progress, learning, initiative and the power of human imagination—not to mention the free-enterprise system".<ref name="Nature2011"/> While most of its funding goes to topics in science, philosophy, and religion, around 40 percent of its annual grants go to character development, genius, freedom and, free enterprise, and fields associated with [[classical liberalism]]. Grants are given to people across all religions, since Templeton believed progress in the field of spirituality could come from anywhere.<ref name="Nature2011"/> The field of grants was broadened in the 1980s to include scientific fields like neuroscience, psychology, and cosmology, that could be seen as being ataligned with the intersection of science and religionmission.<ref name="Nature2011"/>

Some research programs supported by the foundation have included the development of [[positive psychology]] by [[Martin Seligman]], [[Angela Duckworth]] and others;<ref name="UPenn">{{cite web|url=https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-s-positive-psychology-center-awards-29-million-research-intersecting-neuroscience-and-posi|title=Penn's Positive Psychology Center Awards $2.9 Million for Research|publisher=University of Pennsylvania|date=August 4, 2010}}</ref> the [[Black Hole Initiative]] at [[Harvard University]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/templeton-awards-7.2-million-for-black-hole-initiative|title=Templeton Awards $7.2 Million for Black Hole Initiative|first=Foundation|last=Center|website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/5/11/black-hole-initiative-receives-funding/|title=Black Hole Initiative Receives $7.2 Million in Funding - News - The Harvard Crimson|website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref> the [[Gen2Gen Encore Prize]]; the [[World Science Festival]];<ref name="WSF">{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/sponsors/|title=Sponsors and Partners – World Science Festival – June 1–5, 2016 – New York City|website=World Science Festival – June 1–5, 2016 – New York City | access-date= June 20, 2016}}</ref> Pew religious demographics surveys;<ref name="Pew Forum">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2018/06/13/the-age-gap-in-religion-around-the-world/|title=The Age Gap in Religion Around the World - Pew Research Center|date=13 June 2018}}</ref> and programs that engage with Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, including support for dialogue with scientists in synagogues,<ref name="Rubin">{{cite web|url=https://forward.com/culture/369476/why-these-jewish-scientists-will-be-marching-on-saturday/|title=Why These Jewish Scientists Will Be Marching On Saturday|publisher=[[The Forward]]|first=Bonnie|last=Rubin|date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in [[madrasa]]s.<ref name="Fallon">{{cite web|url=https://news.nd.edu/news/professor-launches-project-to-advance-scientific-and-theological-literacy-among-madrasa-graduates-in-india/|title=Professor launches project to advance scientific and theological literacy among madrasa graduates in India|publisher=Notre Dame News|first=Joan|last=Fallon|date=April 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Khan">{{cite web|url=http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/imparting-basic-scientific-literacy-in-madrasas-is-critical/d/117082|title=Imparting Basic Scientific Literacy in Madrasas Is Critical, Islamic Society, Aysha Khan, New Age Islam|website=www.newageislam.com|first=Aysha|last=Khan|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Madrasa">{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/advancing-scientific-and-theological-literacy-in-madrasa-discourses-in-india|title=Advancing Scientific and Theological Literacy in Madrasa Discourses in India|website=John Templeton Foundation}}</ref>

{{As of|2015}}, the foundation has awarded nearly a billion dollars in grants and charitable contributions, and was the 55th largest grantor among American foundations.<ref name="Bailey"/>

The top ten largest grants as of 2018 were:<ref name="Grants 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.templeton.org/grants/grant-database|title=Grant Database|website=John Templeton Foundation |year=2018}}</ref>

|+ class="nowrap" | For theThe ten largest grants from 2012 through 2017,<ref name="Grants 2018"/> click here:

|+ class="nowrap" | For theThe ten largest grants up to 2011,<ref name="Nature2011"/> click here:

In 2016, the foundation granted over seven million dollars to the [[Black Hole Initiative]] (BHI), an interdisciplinary program at [[Harvard University]] that includes the fields of [[Astronomy]], [[Physics]] and [[Philosophy]], and is said to be the first center in the world to focus on the study of [[black holes]].<ref name="BHI-2016">{{cite web |author=Staff |title=Black Hole Initiative – Harvard University |url=https://bhi.fas.harvard.edu/ |date=2017 |work=[[Harvard University]] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name="THC-2016">{{cite web |last=Grigorian |first=Alec J. |title=Black Hole Initiative Receives $7.2 Million in Funding |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/5/11/black-hole-initiative-receives-funding/ |date=11 May 2016 |work=[[The Harvard Crimson]] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name="JTF-2016">{{cite web |author=Staff |title=The Black Hole Initiative: Towards A Center For Interdisciplinary Research |url=https://www.templeton.org/grant/the-black-hole-initiative-towards-a-center-for-interdisciplinary-research |date=2016 |work=John Templeton Foundation |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref> Notable principal participants include Sheperd Doeleman, [[Peter Galison]], [[Avi Loeb]], [[Ramesh Narayan]], [[Andrew Strominger]], and [[Shing-Tung Yau]].<ref name="BHI-2016" /> The BHI Inauguration was held on 18 April 2016 and was attended by [[Stephen Hawking]];<ref name="Hawking-2016">{{cite news |last=Reuell |first=Peter |title=Hawking at Harvard – At packed Sanders Theatre, theoretical physicist and cosmologist tackles the contradictory qualities of black holes |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/hawking-at-harvard/ |date=18 April 2016 |work=[[Harvard University]] |access-date=18 November 2017 }}</ref> related workshop events were held on 19 April 2016.<ref name="BHI-2016" />

In 2016, the foundation awarded $5.4 million to the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) in order to study the origin of life on Earth, particularly investigating questions of how early [[RNA]] interacted with water, which is necessary for life but also degrades RNA, and how the introduction of energy to organic materials yielded life rather than turning it into tar.<ref name="Oddest"/> The project is headed by molecular biophysicist and chemist [[Steven A. Benner]].<ref name="Oddest"/> The foundation also awarded an $8 million grant to a program examining a theory in evolutionary biology called [[extended evolutionary synthesis]].<ref name="Oddest"/> This project is headed by evolutionary biologist [[Kevin Laland]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/scientists-seek-to-update-evolution-20161122/ |title=Scientists Seek to Update Evolution |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |date=2016-11-22 |website=Quanta Magazine |access-date=2018-10-10}}</ref>

Several grants have specifically supported inquiry into various aspects of human evolution. A 2014 grant of $4.9 million supports an effort at [[Arizona State University]] by [[Paleoanthropology|paleoanthropologist]] [[Donald Johanson]] to explore how we became human, and a $3.2 million grant to [[Indiana University]] and the [[Stone Age Institute]] supports the study of "what factors led human ancestors to develop skills like making tools, developing language, and seeking out information".<ref name="Oddest"/>

A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by [[Tyler VanderWeele]] of [[Harvard University]]. VanderVanderWeele is the [[John L. Loeb]] and [[Frances Lehman Loeb]] Professor of [[Epidemiology]] in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the [[Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health]], and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of [[causal inference]] to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between [[religion and health]].<ref name="VanderWeele">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/tyler-vanderweele/ |title=Tyler VanderWeele |website=[[Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health]] |language=en-us |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref><ref name="Ducharme">{{Cite webmagazine |url=httphttps://time.com/5159848/do-religious-people-live-longer/ |title=You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer? |last=Ducharme |first=Jamie |date=2018-02-15 |websitemagazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref><ref name="Storrs">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/health/religion-lifespan-health/index.html |title=Going to church could help you live longer |last=Storrs |first=Carina |date=2016-05-16 |website=[[CNN]] |access-date=2019-01-17}}</ref>

In June 2019, the foundation awarded one of its largest grants to the Blavatnik Institute at [[Harvard Medical School]] for its [[Ancient DNA]] Atlas project that seeks to sequence the DNA of ancient human remains in order to tell the story of human migration and development through the addition of DNA sequences of 10,000 individuals spanning 50,000 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/looking-back-future|title=Looking Back to the Future {{!}} Harvard Medical School|website=hms.harvard.edu|date=26 June 2019 |access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref> The funding was used to solve a riddle that had puzzled historians, classicists, linguists, anthropologists and archaeologists for 200 years - whether the bulk of the [[Western culture|European civilization]] had arrived from [[Anatolia]] or the [[Pontic–Caspian steppe|Pontic Steppes]] of [[Central Asia]], and how [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] languages [[Indo-European migrations|spread]] over an enormous geographical area from [[Great Britain|Britain]] to [[India]], becoming the largest [[Linguistics|linguistic]] group today.<ref name="hms.harvard.edu">{{Cite web|url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/treasure-trove|title=Treasure Trove {{!}} Harvard Medical School|website=hms.harvard.edu|date=5 September 2019 |access-date=2019-09-16}}</ref>

The funding was used to embrace a multi-disciplinary approach and crowd-sourcesourced results before the final manuscripts were completed, receiving commentary and feedback from academics of various institutions on several continents, according to geneticist [[David Reich (geneticist)|David Reich]],<ref name="hms.harvard.edu"/> lead researcher on the project. The study was also funded by the governments of the [[US research institute|US]], [[Russian Academy of Sciences|Russia]], Germany ([[Max Planck Institute]]), [[European Union Research Programme|European Union]] and [[Science and technology in India|India]]. Results have been published in [https://www.science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/full/10.1126/science.aat7487 ''Science''] and [https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30967-5 ''Cell''].

The Center on Religion and Chinese Society of the [[Purdue University]] in [[Indiana]] is funded by the foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Purdue sociologist receives $3.5 million grant to study religion in China - Purdue University|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q2/purdue-sociologist-receives-3.5-million-grant-to-study-religion-in-china.html|access-date=2021-01-21|website=www.purdue.edu}}</ref> The current director of the center, the [[Chinese Americans|Chinese American]] Christian scholar [[Fenggang Yang]], has been granted more thatthan $9.5 million to support his projects,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2015/Q4/did-you-know-center-on-religion-and-chinese-society.html|title=Did You Know: Center on Religion and Chinese Society|last=Patterson Neubert|first=Amy|date=10 December 2015|publisher=Purdue University}}</ref> The center has published research on [[religion in China]], especially based on Yang's own theory of the so-called "religious market", with speculations were based on a report of the Pew Research Center, another publication backed by the foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-event-transcript/|title=Event Transcript: Global Christianity|last=Stern|first=Amy|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=19 December 2011}}</ref> Some scholars of Chinese religion have criticized Yang's sociological theories about religion in China,<ref name=Liang2016>{{cite journal|last=Liang|first=Yongjia|title=The Anthropological Study of Religion in China: Contexts, Collaborations, Debates and Trends|journal=Asia Research Institute Working Paper Series|issue=250|pages=14–15|date=2016|url=https://ari.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/wps16_250.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Goossaert|first=Vincent|title=Fenggang Yang, Religion in China. Survival & Revival under Communist Rule" (review)|url=https://assr.revues.org/24770|journal=Bulletin Bibliographique, [[Archives de Sciencessciences Socialessociales des Religionsreligions]]|pages=304|number=160|date=October–December 2012|doi=10.4000/assr.24770|doi-access=free}}</ref> although the ''[[New York Times]]'' has referred to Yang as "a pioneer in the study of the sociology of religion in China",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/q-a-yang-fenggang-on-the-oxford-consensus-and-public-trust-in-china/|title=Q. and A.: Yang Fenggang on the 'Oxford Consensus' and Public Trust in China|first=Ian|last=Johnson|date=18 October 2013}}</ref> and the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' has deemed him a "leading scholar on Chinese church-society relation".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304567604576451913744126214|title=China's Banned Churches Defy Regime|first=Brian|last=Spegele|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=28 July 2011|via=www.wsj.com}}</ref>

[[Harold G. Koenig]], Dale Mathews, David Larson, Jeffrey Levin, [[Herbert Benson]] and [[Michael McCullough (psychologist)|Michael McCullough]] are scholars to whom the foundation has provided funds to "report the positive relations" between [[Religion and health|religion and medicine]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/blindfaithunholy00sloa|title=Blind faith: the unholy alliance of religion and medicine|last=Sloan|first=Richard P.|date=2006|publisher=New York : St. Martin's Press|others=Internet Archive|pages=60–63|isbn=9780312348816}}</ref> One field in which the foundation has been particularly supportive is [[positive psychology]], as developed by [[Martin Seligman]], [[Angela Duckworth]] and others.<ref name="UPenn"/> Positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living",<ref name="Peterson2008">{{cite web |last=Peterson |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Peterson (psychologist) |date=16 May 2008 |title=What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not? |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200805/what-is-positive-psychology-and-what-is-it-not |website=Psychology Today |access-date=11 July 2018}}</ref> or "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life".<ref>{{sfncite journal |last1=Seligman |first1=Martin E. P. |author1-link=Martin Seligman |last2=Csikszentmihalyi |first2=Mihaly |author2-link=Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi |year=2000 |title=Positive Psychology: An Introduction |journal=American Psychologist |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=5–14 |doi=10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.5 |pmid=11392865 |citeseerx=10.1.1.183.6660 |s2cid=14783574}}
</ref> Positive psychology is concerned with [[eudaimonia]], "the good life", reflection about what holds the greatest value in life – the factors that contribute the most to a well-lived and fulfilling life. Positive psychology began as a new domain of psychology in 1998 when Seligman chose it as the theme for his term as president of the [[American Psychological Association]].<ref name="Time">{{cite web |url=http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/TimeMagazine/Time-Happiness.pdf |title=Time Magazine's cover story in the special issue on "The Science of Happiness", 2005 |access-date=2011-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060711093607/http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/timemagazine/Time-Happiness.pdf |archive-date=2006-07-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Happier : learn the secrets to daily joy and lasting fulfillment|last=Tal.|first=Ben-Shahar|date=2007|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0071510967|location=New York|oclc=176182574}}</ref>

A grant from the foundation supports a study of religion and health conducted by [[Tyler VanderWeele]] of [[Harvard University]]. VanderVanderWeele is the [[John L. Loeb]] and [[Frances Lehman Loeb]] Professor of [[Epidemiology]] in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the [[Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health]], and co-director the University's Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality. His research has focused on the application of [[causal inference]] to epidemiology, as well as on the relationship between [[religion and health]].<ref name="VanderWeele"/><ref name="Ducharme"/><ref name="Storrs"/>

The foundation has provided grants in support of dialogue with scientists in synagogues,<ref name="Rubin"/> and a grant for advancing scientific literacy in [[madrasa]]s.<ref name="Fallon"/><ref name="Khan"/><ref name="Madrasa"/> It has also sponsored a major, multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to integrate science education in North American seminaries, including Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, and Catholic and Orthodox institutions.

The foundation has received both praise and criticism for its awards. The [[Centre national de la recherche scientifique|French National Center for Scientific Research]] (CNRS) has been critical of the foundation for funding "initiatives to bring science and religion closer together."<ref name=CNRS>{{cite web|title=La Fondation Templeton, les formes présentables du créationnisme philosophique : des initiatives "science et religions" pour dissoudre les limites entre le collectif et l'individuel, entre le public et le privé|url=http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/dosevol/decouv/articles/chap1/lecointre5.html|author=Guillaume Lecointre|publisher=[[Centre national de la recherche scientifique|French National Center for Scientific Research]]}}</ref> Science journalist [[Chris Mooney (journalist)|Chris Mooney]], an atheist and author of ''[[The Republican War on Science]]'', received a 2010 Templeton-Cambridge Journalism Fellowship, enabling him to join other journalists for a three-week lecture program on science and religion at Cambridge University. In a 2010 article on his ''Discover'' magazine blog, Mooney wrote, "I can honestly say that I have found the lectures and presentations that we've heard here to be serious and stimulating. The same goes for the discussions that have followed them".<ref>{{cite web|last=Mooney|first=Chris|url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/06/07/science-and-religion-on-the-cam-part-i/#more-8792|title=Science and Religion on the Cam, Part I|website=Doscover|date=7 June 2010|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=10 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710134431/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/06/07/science-and-religion-on-the-cam-part-i/#more-8792|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some scholars have expressed concerns about the nature of the awards, research projects, and publications backed by the foundation. These concerns include questioning its integrity, cronyism, and its Templeton Freedom Awards. Journalist Sunny Bains pointed out in 2011 that Templeton Freedom Awards are administered by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, a group that opposes taking action on climate change and defends the tobacco industry, which also gives the foundation funding.<ref>Libby A. Nelson. [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/21/some-philosophy-scholars-raise-concerns-about-templeton-funding "Some philosophy scholars raise concerns about Templeton funding"]. ''Inside Higher ED'': May 21, 2013</ref><ref>Josh Rosenau. [http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2011/03/05/how-bad-is-the-templeton-found/ How Bad is the Templeton Foundation?]. Science Blogs.</ref><ref>John Horgan. [https://www.edge.org/conversation/john_horgan-the-templeton-foundation-a-skeptics-take The Templeton Foundation: A Skeptic's Take]. Edge.org.</ref><ref>Sean Carroll. [http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/i_won_t_take_money_from_templeton_science_and_religion_can_t_be_reconciled.html The Templeton Foundation Distorts the Fundamental Nature of Reality: Why I Won't Take Money from the Templeton Foundation]. Slate.com</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bains|first=Sunny|date=2011|title=Questioning the Integrity of the John Templeton Foundation|journal=Evolutionary Psychology|volume=9|issue=1|pages=92–115|doi=10.1177/147470491100900111|pmid=22947958|doi-access=free|pmc=10480919}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2011/apr/06/prize-mug-martin-rees-templeton|title=Martin Rees and the Templeton travesty {{!}} Jerry Coyne|last=Coyne|first=Jerry|date=2011-04-06|newspaper=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-04-08}}</ref>

Critics have asserted that the foundation has supported Christian-oriented research in the field of the scientific [[religious studies|study of religions]],<ref name=Wiebe>{{cite journal|last=Wiebe|first=Donald|title=Religious Biases in Funding Religious Studies Research?|url=https://digilib.phil.muni.cz/bitstream/handle/11222.digilib/125290/2_Religio_17-2009-2_6.pdf|journal=Religio: Revue Pro Religionistiku|volume=XVII|number=2|year=2009|pages=125–140|issn=1210-3640}} p. 126.</ref> although the foundation has awarded both the Templeton Prize and numerous grants to persons of widely varied religious backgrounds, having provided extensive funding of Islamic scholarship, Buddhist research, and Jewish public engagement. ''Wired'' magazine has noted that "the scientists who apply to the foundation for support, though, are not required to state their religious beliefs, or to have any".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/06/sir-john/|title=Sir John's Divine Gamble|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|first=Gary|last=Wolf|date=June 1, 1999}}</ref> In 2006, [[John Horgan (journalist)|John Horgan]], a 2005 Templeton-Cambridge fellow then working as a freelance science journalist, wrote in ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'' that he had enjoyed his fellowship, but felt guilty that by taking money from the foundation, he had contributed to the mingling of science with religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnhorgan.org/the_templeton_foundation__a_skeptic_s_take_52371.htm|title=The Templeton Foundation: A Skeptic's Take|publisher=John Horgan|date=7 April 2006|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=11 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311223407/http://johnhorgan.org/the_templeton_foundation__a_skeptic_s_take_52371.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Horgan stated "misgivings about the foundation's agenda of reconciling religion and science". He said that a conference he attended favored scientists who "offered a perspective clearly skewed in favor of religion and Christianity."<ref name="Edge Horgan">{{cite web|url=http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/horgan06/horgan06_index.html|title=The Templeton Foundation: A Skeptic's Take|last=Horgan|first=John|date=4 May 2006|website=Edge}}</ref> Horgan fears recipients of large grants from the foundation sometimes write what the foundation wants rather than what they believe.<ref name="Edge Horgan"/> [[Richard Dawkins]], in his 2006 book ''[[The God Delusion]]'', interprets Horgan as saying that "Templeton's money corrupts science", and characterizes the prize as going "usually to a scientist who is prepared to say something nice about religion".<ref name='GodDelusion'>{{cite book|last=Dawkins|first=Richard|title=The God Delusion|publisher=Black Swan|year=2006|location=UK|isbn=9780552773317|page=183}}</ref> Donald Wiebe, a scholar of [[religious studies]] at the [[University of Toronto]], similarly criticized the foundation in a 2009 article entitled ''Religious Biases in Funding Religious Studies Research?''. According to him, the foundation supports Christian bias in the field of religious studies, by deliberately imposing constraints to steer the results of the research.<ref name=Wiebe/>

[[Paul Davies]], physicist and 1995 Templeton Prize laureate, gave a defense of the foundation's role in the scientific community in the ''Times Higher Education Supplement'' in March 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Seeking inspiration in science|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/seeking-inspiration-in-science/194642.article|date=11 March 2005|website=Times Higher Education}}</ref> In 2010, journalist [[Nathan Schneider]] published a lengthy investigative article about the foundation, entitled ''God, Science and Philanthropy'', in ''[[The Nation]]''. In the article, he aired complaints about the foundation, but observed that many of its critics and grantees alike failed to appreciate "the breadth of the foundation's activities, much less the quixotic vision of its founder, John Templeton". Schneider observed: "At worst, Templeton could be called heterodox and naïve; at best, his was a mind more open than most, reflective of the most inventive and combinatorial strains of American religious thought, eager to radically reinterpret ancient wisdom and bring it up to speed with some version from the present."<ref name=schneider>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/god-science-and-philanthropy?page=full|title=God, Science and Philanthropy|newspaper=The Nation|date=3 June 2010|last1=Schneider|first1=Nathan|access-date=3 March 2011|archive-date=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211190640/http://www.thenation.com/article/god-science-and-philanthropy?page=full|url-status=dead}}</ref> Though the foundation, in Schneider's view, "has associated itself with political and religious forces that cause it to be perceived as threatening the integrity of science and protecting the religious status quo," these alliances meant the foundation "is also better positioned than most to foster a conservatism—and a culture generally—that holds the old habits of religions and business responsible to good evidence, while helping scientists better speak to people's deepest concerns".<ref name=schneider/> In 2011, the science journal ''Nature'' took note of the ongoing controversy among scientists over working with Templeton.<ref name="Nature2011"/> [[Jerry Coyne]], [[University of Chicago]] evolutionary biologist, sees a fundamental impossibility in attempting to reconcile faith with science.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/nature-on-templeton/|title=''Nature'' on Templeton|website=Why Evolution Is True|date=6 February 2011}}</ref> Coyne told ''Nature'' writer Mitchell Waldrop that the foundation's purpose is to eliminate the wall between religion and science, and to use science's prestige to validate religion. Other scientists, including Foundation grantees like University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo and Anthony Aguirre, a University of California—Santa Cruz astrophysicist, told ''Nature'' that they have never felt pressured by Templeton to spin their research toward religion-friendly conclusions.<ref name="Nature2011"/>

Sunny Bains of [[University College London]] Faculty of Engineering Science claimed that there is "evidence of cronyism (especially in the awarding inof those million-dollar-plus Templeton prizes), a misleading attempt to move away from using religious language (without changing the religious agenda), [and] the funding of right-wing anti-science groups".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bains|first=Sunny|title=Keeping an eye on the John Templeton Foundation|date=6 April 2011|url=https://www.absw.org.uk/news-and-events/news/keeping-an-eye-on-the-john-templeton-foundation|access-date=4 June 2018|archive-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118035316/https://www.absw.org.uk/news-and-events/news/keeping-an-eye-on-the-john-templeton-foundation|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bains feels that grants from the foundation "blur the line between science and religion". Bains' claims have been disputed by Josh Rosenau of the [[National Center for Science Education]], who wrote that "the story [Bains] wrote is not convincing", stating that "[k]ey assertions are couched in equivocal language that relies on her judgment or her assumptions, not on any evidence offered to the reader", and that "[o]bvious opportunities for detailed investigation – financial records, grantmaking decisions, interviews with Templeton staff, interviews with grantees, examination of correspondence between grantees and Templeton – are entirely absent".<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenau|first=Josh|url=http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2011/03/how_bad_is_the_templeton_found.php|title=How bad is the Templeton Foundation? – Thoughts from Kansas|publisher=Scienceblogs.com|date=5 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502174515/http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2011/03/how_bad_is_the_templeton_found.php|archive-date=2 May 2012}}</ref>

A 2007 article in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described the foundation as having "drawn criticism for its early support of intelligent design",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Iritani |first1=Evelyn |title=Testing the role of trust and values in financial decisions |url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/2007archives/la-xpm-2007-jan/-21/business/-fi-values21-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 January 2007}}</ref> but by the 2010s, Charles L. Harper Jr., a former senior vice president of the foundation, told ''BusinessWeek'' that the foundation had become one of the "principal critics" of the intelligent design movement and funded projects that challenged that movement.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961617.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125080842/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961617.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2005 |title=Bloomberg Business |magazine=Businessweek.com |access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> Harper Jr. told ''The New York Times'': "From the point of view of rigor and intellectual seriousness, the intelligent design people don't come out very well in our world of scientific review".<ref name=NYT2005/>

A number of journalists have highlighted connections with conservative causes. A 1997 article in ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' written by [[David Plotz]] said the foundation had given a significant amount of financial support to groups, causes and individuals considered [[American conservatism|conservative]], including gifts to [[Gertrude Himmelfarb]], [[Milton Friedman]], [[Walter E. Williams]], [[Julian Lincoln Simon]] and [[Mary Lefkowitz]], and called John Templeton Jr. a "sugar daddy" for such thinkers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plotz |first=David |url=http://www.slate.com/id/1822/ |title=God's Venture Capitalist |publisher=Slate.com |date=1997-06-08 |access-date=2015-03-08}}</ref> The foundation also has a history of supporting the [[Cato Institute]], a [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] think-tank and [[The Heritage Foundation]] [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] think-tank,<ref name="Dembicki">{{cite news |last1=Dembicki |first1=Jeff |title=How a conservative US network undermined Indigenous energy rights in Canada |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/conservative-us-network-undermined-indigenous-energy-rights-in-canada |access-date=25 July 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> as well as projects at major research centers and universities such as [[Hernando de Soto (economist)|Hernando de Soto]]'s [[Institute for Liberty and Democracy|Instituto Libertad Y Democracia]] and the [[X Prize Foundation]], which is described as "a nonprofit organization that designs and manages [[Inducement prize contest|public competition]]s intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity".

In a 2007 article in ''[[The Nation]]'', [[Barbara Ehrenreich]] drew attention to the foundation's former president John M. Templeton Jr. funding of the conservative group [[Freedom's Watch]], and referred to the foundation as a "right -wing venture".<ref>{{cite journal|url=httphttps://www.thenation.com/article/archive/john-templetons-universe |title=John Templeton's Universe |journal=The Nation |date=2007-10-10 |access-date=20152022-0309-0829|last1=Ehrenreich |first1=Barbara }}</ref> Pamela Thompson, former Vice President of Communications of the foundation, replied that "the Foundation is, and always has been, run in accordance with the wishes of Sir John Templeton Sr, who laid very strict criteria for its mission and approach", that it is "a non-political entity with no religious bias" and it "is totally independent of any other organisation and therefore neither endorses, nor contributes to political candidates, campaigns, or movements of any kind".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Right's Academic Universe|url=http://ehrenreich.blogs.com/barbaras_blog/2007/10/the-rights-acad.html|access-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> [[Drexel University]] sociologist [[Robert Brulle]] listed the foundation as among the largest financial contributors to the [[climate change denial]] movement between 2003 and 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-money-behind-the-climate-denial-movement-180948204/|title=Meet the Money Behind the Climate Denial Movement|first=Colin|last=Schultz|date=December 23, 2013|magazine=Smithsonian|access-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>