The Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment has announced eighty-four grants totaling more than $82 million in support of theological schools across the United States and Canada.

Grants of between $500,000 and $1 million were awarded through the second phase of the endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, a three-phase initiative launched in January to strengthen the leadership capacities of pastors and congregational lay leaders and help sustain the vitality of Christian congregations. Grants were awarded in support of various strategies, including efforts to make educational programs more accessible and affordable; recruit and educate more students and pastors from communities of color; improve opportunities for seminarians to hone their skills in congregations so they are better prepared for the realities of ministry; strengthen connections with the congregations they support; incorporate hybrid and online course offerings; and enhance long-term financial viability.

Recipients include Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia (Canada); Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Concordia Seminary in St. Louis; Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; Iliff School of Theology in Denver; Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California; Missio Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey; United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

“Theological schools have long played a pivotal role in preparing pastoral leaders for churches,” said Lilly Endowment vice president for religion Christopher L. Coble. “Today, these schools find themselves in a period of rapid and profound change. Through the Pathways initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well-prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow.”

For a complete list of recipients, see the Lilly Endowment website.