John Templeton Foundation

The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organization that funds inter-disciplinary research surrounding scientific, religious and spiritual 'discovery'.
The Foundation was established by John Templeton in 1987.Foundation at a Glance, John Templeton Foundation, accessed 31 October 1987. In a 1995 memo, Templeton stated:
:'The main purpose of the John Templeton Foundation is to encourage the top 1/10 of 1% of people and thereby encourage all people to think that progress in spiritual information is possible, desirable, can be done and will be done.'Nathan Schneider, God, Science and Philanthropy, The Nation, 3 June 2010.
==Mission==
According to its website, the mission of the foundation is to 'serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind' Our Mission, John Templeton Foundation website, accessed 10 March 2017. , and 'aims to advance human well-being by supporting research on the Big Questions, and by promoting character development, individual freedom, and free markets' Home, John Templeton Foundation website, accessed 10 March 2017. .
==Activities==
The Templeton Foundation supports a broad range of activities aimed at finding common ground between science and religion. These include funding for prizes, including the 'Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities', academic programs, publications, broadcasts, lectures, conferences, and research on topics such as the neurobiology and genetics of religious belief; the evolutionary origins of altruism; and the medical benefits of prayer, church attendance, and forgiveness.
==Grants==
Templeton has repeatedly funded the counter-extremism think tank, the Quilliam Foundation: according to expenditure responsibility statements, grants were issued to Quilliam from 2011 to 2014 for 'promoting freedom of religion, speech and association through strengthening PAK democratic culture', and for 'reconciling Islamic theology with modern political and scientific ideas, promoting community. John Templeton Foundation, form 990, 2014 
Templeton has also funded several conservative, free market think-tanks including the Hudson Institute, the Cato Institute and Atlas Economic Research Foundation.
Grant recipients of the John Templeton Foundation in $ USD Data compiled from yearly 990 forms 
Organisation
2009
2010
2011 John Templeton 2011 990 Form 
2012 John Templeton 2012 990 Form 
2013 John Templeton 2013 990 Form 
2014 John Templeton 2014 990 Form 
2015
Total 2009-2015
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
-
-
210,000
299,445
70,000
335,000
-
914,445
American Enterprise Institute
-
-
-
570,781
87,783
190,000
-
848,564
American Islamic Congress
-
-
156,005
326,147
30,483
82,200
-
438,830
Aspen Institute
-
-
-
150,000
15,000
-
-
165,000
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
-
-
1,172,486
1,206,755
15,000
376,414
-
2,770,655
Cato Institute
-
-
-
-
207,000
23,000
-
230,000
Center for Strategic and International Studies
-
-
-
-
71,999
23,999
-
95,998
Fraser Institute
-
-
-
-
-
186,290
-
186,290
FreedomWorks
-
-
-
-
689,873
76,652
-
766,525
Hudson Institute
-
-
280,250
176,000
76,834
134,886
-
667,970
Institute for Humane Studies
-
-
-
739,410
332,734
240,308
-
1,312,452
LibForAll
-
-
74,983
-
236,012
472,016
-
783,011
Manhattan Institute
-
-
-
1,500,000
450,000
450,000
-
2,400,000
Philanthropy Roundtable
-
-
650,000
300,000
200,000
150,000
-
1,300,000
Quilliam Foundation
-
-
174,248
399,647
578,928
371,388
-
1,524,191
==People==
In 1995, John Templeton yielded the presidency of the foundation to his son Jack Templeton, a former paediatric surgeon. Jack was the chairman of Let Freedom Ring, Inc, which financed various conservative causes. He also contributed to both campaigns of former US president George Bush. John Horgan, The Templeton Foundation: A skeptic's take, Edge, 4 April 2006, accessed 10 March 2017. 
Jack Templeton died in 2015, after which his daughter Heather Templeton Dill took over leadership of the foundation. add ref 
==Contact==
:John Templeton Foundation
:300 Conshohocken State Road
:Suite 500
:West Conshohocken, PA 19428 USA
:Telephone: (610) 941-2828
:Fax: (610) 825-1730
==Notes==
Category:Think TanksCategory:CivitasCategory:Centre for Social CohesionCategory:Foundations