CFP: Educating Character Initiative 2026 RFP for Grants

The Educating Character Initiative (ECI), a project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, announced a request for proposals from U.S. colleges and universities for grants between $50,000 and $1,000,000 to develop the character of their faculty, staff, and students. With the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Educating Character Initiative intends to award up to $16 million in grants in 2026 to institutions that will implement projects varying in scale, focus, and expected impact. Two award types have been designated, with submission deadlines in February and March.

Implementing character education in colleges and universities can be challenging. Despite strong interest, schools often lack the time, resources, and institutional structures to support these projects, especially in the face of competing demands. Across its 2024 and 2025 funding cycles, the Educating Character Initiative has awarded over $35M in grants to support 146 colleges and universities for new projects related to moral, civic, and intellectual character. In 2026, the initiative anticipates awarding Institutional Impact Grants of between $100,000 and $1,000,000, as well as Capacity-Building Grants of up to $50,000.

The Educating Character Initiative supports grant recipients by providing:

• Funding to support character projects aligned with each institution’s context
• Training and workshops for faculty, staff, and administrators
• 1:1 consulting and coaching from our staff of character scholars
• A community of more than 1,600 individuals from over 600 institutions and organizations working to educate character 

“The work of character formation at any given institution must fit the mission and vision of the institution and the population of students it serves. We think that character is for everyone, but it is not one-size-fits-all,” said Jennifer Rothshild, Executive Director of the Educating Character Initiative. “Through our funding initiatives and our investment of time in consultation and coaching, we are helping individuals and institutions address obstacles to both established and novel approaches to character formation. We have developed a culture of community building that reflects our desire to advance conceptions of character centered on the common good. And we are firmly committed to inviting new and underrepresented voices into the conversation.”

The 2026 grant cycle is open to project leaders who are in or contracted to a long-term faculty or staff position at an accredited college or university in the United States. 

The Educating Character Initiative (ECI) equips institutions of higher education with the resources, funding, and support necessary to integrate character education into their distinctive institutional contexts, curricula, and cultures. We foster a robust network that recognizes the value of educating character within higher education. A project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, the ECI was founded in 2023 through the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc. Together, the ECI Community strives to make character development a defining feature of college education, ensuring that every graduate leaves school with integrity as well as knowledge.