Educating Character Initiative Announces 2026 Capacity-Building Grant Recipients
Thanks to the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Educating Character Initiative (ECI) awarded 60 2026 Capacity-Building Grants. These awards will directly impact 68 institutions dedicated to advancing character in higher education. We look forward to learning alongside these institutions as they shape our shared understanding and strengthen our collective efforts to educate character in undergraduate settings. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.
Amherst College
Cultivating Character in a Residential Liberal Arts Education
Kiara Vigil, Leah Schmalzbauer
Arkansas State University, Newport
ASUN Character and Leadership Initiative (ACLI)
Joseph Campbell, Anna Westman
Beloit College
Educating for Character: A Virtue Framework for Beloit College
Matt Tedesco, Ron Watson
Benedictine University
Intentional “Conversatio”: Deepening Benedictine Character Formation for a New Era
Peter A. Huff, Nancy E. Sayer
Bennett College
Educating the Conscience: Character and Leadership Development in the Civil Rights Movement
Anne C. Hayes, Gwendolyn M. Bookman
Berry College
Building Character: Strengthening Coherence, Shared Language, and Evidence in Undergraduate Character Formation
Bob Reimer, Calli O’Neal
Brookdale Community College
Illuminating the Way Forward: Constellating Character Education through Compassion, Creativity, Collaboration, and Courage
Angela Kariotis
Butler University
Cultivating Community through Undergraduate Character Formation
Nii Kpakpo Abrahams, Chad Bauman, Kerri Cissna
Cedar Crest College
We Belong Here: A Character-Centered Framework for Campus Belonging
Leon John, Jr.
College of the Holy Cross
Breaking Bread: Cultivating Character through Cura Personalis et Communitas
Kyle Woolley, Michelle Bata, Lindsey Caola, and Christopher Staysniak
College Unbound
Character Education in Justice-Impacted Serving Institutions (JISIs)
Abby Crew, Jose Rodriguez
Delta State University, in collaboration with Mississippi Delta Community College
The Delta Character Collaborative
Don Allan Mitchell, Nicole Andrews
Eastern Arizona College
Monsters for Life
Travis Catt, Rachel Curtis, Charmaine Chidester
Emerson College
Becoming Virtuous Creatives: Embedding Character Development in Creative Literacy Education
Thomas Vogel, Carol Ferrara
Forsyth Technical Community College
The Trailblazers Way: Connect at the Core
Julian Jackson and Tony McKinnon
Greenfield Community College
A Community College Framework for Character: Strengthening Relationships and Cultivating Citizenship
Judy Raper, Angela Campbell
Hampden-Sydney College
Practicing the Good: F.U.E.L. and the Formation of Character Through Entrepreneurial Practice
Michele R. King
Heritage University, in collaboration with Tougaloo College
Project VIRTUE—Valor, Integrity, Respect, Truth, Understanding, Empathy
Latara Lampkin, D’Ante R. Benford, and Gloria Jones-Dance
High Point University
Educating Character in the Honors Scholar Program at High Point University
Pamela M. Lundin, Amy L. MacArthur
Lawrence Technological University
Epistemic Humility and Inclusive Leadership: Building Institutional Capacity for Character Education through Neurodiversity at a STEM University
Julia E. Kiernan
Lewis University
Reparative Justice and Lasallian Character: Building Institutional Capacity for Moral, Civic, and Intellectual Formation
Shireen Roshanravan
Lincoln University
I am Because We Are: A Black Cartography of Character
Larycia A. Hawkins
Longwood University
Intellectual Character and Work-Based Learning
Sarai Blincoe, Adam Blincoe
Manhattanville University
Becoming a Valiant: Building a Culture of Character, Dialogue, and Ethical Citizenship
Lisa M. Rafanelli, Susan Boyd
Middle Tennessee State
The True Blue Character Blueprint: Building Character Education At MTSU
Leah Tolbert Lyons, Rehab “Rubie” Ghazal, Meredith Dye, Jeff Gibson
Middlesex Community College
Building Dialogue, Character, and Community
Matt Hurwitz, Maria McDuffie Clark
Montana State University
CIRCLE STEM: Character Integration & Relational Curricula for Land Grant Education in STEM
Paul Gannon and Sweeney Windchief
Mount Holyoke College
Courage and Care in Community
Elizabeth K. Markovits
North Carolina Central University
Eagles Ascend: Character & Leadership Initiative (EACLI)
Dekendrick Murray, Simone Spencer
Northeastern University
Embodied Ethics: Somatic Education for Moral Imagination
Ilya Vidrin
Occidental College
Building Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Capacity to Integrate Character Education into Students’ Career Preparation at Occidental College
Clair Morrissey
Ohio Northern University
Cultivating Character for Engineers: Building Capacity to Integrate Moral and Civic Virtue Education at Ohio Northern University
John-David Yoder, Benjamin D. McPheron, Robert Hartman, Todd France, John K. Estell, Seyed Mohammad Seyed Ardakani
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Walking around Our World: Exploring an Indigenous-Inspired Model of Place-Based, Relational Character-Building
Sarah Koenig, Carol Bowman, Satarupa Dasgupta
Regis University
Companions in Mission: Renewing our Capacity for Integrative Education at Regis University
Jason Taylor
Rice University, in collaboration with Spelman College and Harvard Divinity School
Developing Character through Religious Literacy and Intercultural Engagement
Elaine Ecklund, Maria Frederick, Cynthia Spence
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Educating Character at the Intersection of Education and Workforce Readiness
Faith Jelley, Zhiviaga Williams, and Jaworski Sartin
Seton Hall University
Building Capacity for Character: A Character Across the Curriculum Fellows Program
Fanli Jia
Stonehill College
Compassion and Justice for the Common Good: Character Formation and Service in the Holy Cross Tradition
Karen L. Anderson, George Piggford
Truman State University
“Educated Citizens Needed”: Character Education in the Undergraduate Experience
Hyun-Joo Kim, Amy Norgard
Union College
Wisdom, Empathy, and Courage: Exploring Character Education at Union College
Maité Cruz, Stephen Schmidt
University of Arizona
From Implicit to Explicit: Developing a Character-Based Pedagogical Framework
Nadia Alvarez Mexia, Karna Walter
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA Defining Character Building Project
Monroe Gorden, kc Bui, Amanda Finzi Smith
University of California, Merced
Student-Faculty/Staff Partnerships for Character Development in Respect, Open-Mindedness, and Courage
Adriana Signorini, Amy Bergerson, James Zimmerman
The University of Central Oklahoma, in collaboration with Oklahoma City Community College, Rose State College, and Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The Oklahoma Institute for Civic Character (Pilot Phase)
Jan Hardt
University of Denver
The 4D Experience Compassion Lab: How DU We Educate Compassionate Citizens for the Public Good?
Erin K. Anderson-Camenzind, Laura Perille
University of Georgia
Exploring the Reasoning Behind Ethical Decisions: Character Education as Integral to UGA’s New Core Ethics Requirement
Sarah Wright, Ruth Harman
University of Kansas
Character is Credibility: A Character-Focused Approach to Elevating and Informing Indigenous Media Representation for Collegiate/Early-Career Journalists
Melissa Greene-Blye
The University of Mississippi
Building a Character-Centered Onboarding System for Ole Miss Athletics
Hunter A. Taylor
University of North Georgia
Building CARE: Advancing Character in the College of Arts and Letters
Doris Wesley, Laura Ng
University of Pittsburgh
Learners of Character: Character Formation through Experiential Learning in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
Abdesalam Soudi
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Technomoral Character Initiative: Emerging Leadership in Transcultural Education
Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera, Iliaris Avilés-Ortiz
Vanderbilt University
Dare to Grow: Character Development through a Capstone Experience
Heather Lefkowitz, Sarah Suiter, Kristen Tompkins
Vassar College
Going to the Source: An Exploration of Institutional and Individual Character
Wendy Maragh Taylor, Leora Gansworth
Victoria College
Pioneering Victoria College’s Character Education Framework through Core Courses
Michelle Paulsen, Nacona Nix
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Ut Prosim in Action
Jennifer Gallagher, Thomas Archibald, Theresa Johansson, Meghan Madel
Washington and Lee University
Cultivating Character in a Culture of Honor: Integrating Character Education at Washington and Lee
Leah Beard, Tammy Futrell, and Wendy Lovell
Wenatchee Valley College
Indigenizing Leadership and Character Education at Wenatchee Valley College
Maria Isabel Morales-Sanchez
William & Mary
William & Mary Character and Community Leadership Collaborative
Roxane O. Adler Hickey
William Woods University
The Character Playbook: Cultivating the Good through Sport
Travis Tamerius
Yavapai College
Scaling SOL at Yavapai College
Janice Soutee
The ECI is grateful to all those who submitted proposals for 2026 Capacity-Building Grants. We were impressed by the quality of the proposals received, including many we were unable to fund in this round. We encourage all applicants whose requests were not fulfilled to reapply in our next grant cycle, which will launch in August 2026.