Religion in Health and Politics

NCMHD Innovative Faith-Based Approaches to Health Disparities Research GRANTING AGENCY: National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov) TOTAL AMOUNT AVAILABLE: $2.5 million. Over the past seven decades, the Gallup Polls have recorded a range of 40% to 45% for Americans who said they attended church, mosque or synagogue within the last seven days.…Religious institutions and their places of worship (or worship services) function as major channels between their communities and the health system contributing to a growing body of evidence on the important role of faith-based interventions in reducing health disparities. This focus will allow studies to evaluate the impact of faith-based initiatives and programs in health disparity populations…WEBSITE LINK: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MD-10-004.html John Temleton Grant: In recent years, a multitude of studies have confirmed the strong correlation between health and various measures of spirituality. ... This 2010 Funding Priority aims to generate cost-effective research proposals for adding new modules to existing or forthcoming data sets in response to one or more of the following Big Questions: (1) Does spirituality need to include a religious component for it to have a beneficial impact on health? (2) Can religious involvement affect the aging process, and if so, how? (3) What kinds of spirituality reduce mortality? Funding available: Budget range and term for individual projects: From $50,000 to $200,000 and for up to two years. WEBSITE LINK: http://www.templeton.org/what_we_fund/2010_funding_priorities/how_does_spirituality_promote_health/index.html. These series of programs are designed to offer tangible solutions to the critical issues that are challenging the quality of life in various populations. We invite forward thinkers, entrepreneurs and solutions oriented talkers to engage in meaningful problem solving.