Request for Proposal (RFP)

Abundance, Trust, and Repair: Black Theological Perspectives on Giving

The Lake Institute on Faith & Giving is partnering with the Center for the Church and Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on a new project. The Abundance, Trust, and Repair: Black Theological Perspectives on Giving is part of Lake’s broader Philanthropy and the Black Church initiative —created to increase mutual understanding and collaboration between congregations and organizations rooted in the Black church tradition and philanthropic institutions.

Our shared goal is to build on existing scholarship and resources by exploring how economic justice, divine trust, and congregational life are expressed within Black faith communities.

The Abundance, Trust, and Repair working group will bring together practitioners and scholars rooted in Black religious traditions to create a resource about giving in Black faith communities. This collection of essays and case studies will be for leaders in congregations, higher education, philanthropy institutions, and community organizations.

Selected participants will be invited to an in-person convening in Indianapolis to present their proposals, share their research and experiences, and workshop ideas that will become a compilation of expanded contributions from those who attend that in-person gathering.

We invite individuals to submit a 300–500-word proposal by Wednesday, April 1, 2026, for consideration. To spark imagination, we have identified three guiding themes for the working group: economic practice, divine trust, and congregational life. Each theme includes prompts and questions to guide submissions. Applicants are not required to address every question within a theme. View the full RFP to see more detailed prompts here: Abundance, Trust, and Repair RFP

We are enthusiastically receiving papers from applicants who are interested in contributing to a resource that will help leaders deepen their understanding of giving in Black faith communities. We look forward to receiving your application.

For questions, please contact Tasha Gibson at tashgibs@iu.edu.