PRRI’s Religion and Renewing Democracy Initiative seeks to broaden knowledge about the role religion can play in fostering a healthier public imagination about who we are as a nation amid unprecedented demographic and cultural shifts. The Initiative defines the focus of PRRI’s research agenda for 2024-2027, aligning the organization’s work against five primary vectors:
- Religion, racial, and ethnic pluralism
- Racial justice and white supremacy
- Immigration and migration studies
- LGBTQ rights
- Reproductive health and rights
The Religion and Renewing Democracy Initiative also consists of programs and convenings designed to increase our understanding of the role of religion in public life at this critical juncture in American history. This includes the PRRI Public Fellows program, created in 2017 and expanded in 2021 with the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
Each year, the PRRI Public Fellows program brings together a diverse set of scholars working across the major areas of PRRI’s research. The program amplifies the work of scholars contributing to public discourse and equips them to bring their research findings to a broader audience.
In addition to individual stipends to support their work, PRRI Public Fellows also have access to collaborative microgrants in each area of research to accelerate new scholarship and build professional relationships among the cohort. After their fellowship ends, scholars become part of PFAN, the Public Fellows’ Alumni Network.
PRRI Public Fellows at the 2024 Annual Convening in Washington, DC
