Kalamazoo, MI — August 2025 — In continued support of spiritually grounded leadership and institutional transformation, the Fetzer Institute is proud to announce a series of grant awards aimed at strengthening partners across its key areas of collaborative work.
These one-time awards, totaling over $1.5M, include both general operating support funds and dedicated funding for spiritual development for our partners and other philanthropic-serving organizations, reflecting Fetzer’s commitment to cultivating sacred-centered organizational cultures.
“I want to acknowledge that in my 30 years working in the nonprofit sector, I have never received a letter of support and commitment to the health and vibrancy of an organization quite like this one,” said Kyle Caldwell, President and CEO of the Council of Michigan Foundations.
These funds can be used for staff and board retreats, individual spiritual accompaniment, or personal spiritual growth opportunities. This additional investment is intended to nurture inner work, contemplative practice, and sacred-centered leadership — foundational elements that support sustained, values-driven action in the world.
“This moment in our shared human story demands not only policy solutions or strategic interventions,” said Jonathan Lever, Fetzer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “It calls for a transformation in how we see ourselves, each other, and the world. By investing in both the operational and spiritual wellbeing of our partners, we hope to support leaders and organizations who are offering transformative alternatives to systems grounded in fear, division, or disconnection.”
Through this initiative, Fetzer awarded grants to over 20 organizations, including:
- AND Campaign
- Aspen Institute’s Religion and Society Program
- Beloved Builders
- Center for Christianity and Public Life
- Center for Earth Ethics
- Center for Public Justice
- Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
- Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery
- Commonweal
- Faith Matters Network Collaborative
- Forum for Theological Exploration
- Independent Sector
- Council of Michigan Foundations
- Glean Network
- Global Optimism
- Green the Church
- Hindus for Human Rights
- Holistic Underground
- Inayatiyaa
- Muslims for Progressive Values
- Native American Rights Fund
- One America Movement
- Sacred Design Lab
- The Cultural Conservancy
- The Witness Institute
- Thomas Berry Foundation
- The Trinity Forum
- Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA)
Awards have been extended across Fetzer’s philanthropic partners. Each partner was selected for their demonstrated commitment to nurturing the inner lives of their teams while advancing missions that contribute to holistic, sacred-rooted flourishing — personally, communally, and systemically.
“I am so deeply humbled by the generous gift from Fetzer,” said Akilah Watkins, President and CEO of Independent Sector. “This contribution can help the incredible staff at IS — who have fueled the enormously important sector defense work — focus on their spiritual and physical health and wellbeing. I deeply appreciate your attention to parts of our being that we rarely get to focus on and tend to.”
Fetzer’s investment is rooted in the belief that true transformation begins within, and that fostering the spiritual wellbeing and development of changemakers is not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have in the global movement for shared flourishing.