Sign in Subscribe
College faculty

Wake Forest University's Educating Character Initiative Expands Nationwide Reach with $30M in New Funding

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Educating Character Initiative (ECI) at Wake Forest University will continue to promote character education at colleges and universities nationwide, thanks to a $30 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. This new funding will expand the ECI's support for character education at higher education institutions, with a focus on cultivating character in students, faculty, and staff. The initiative aims to reach 600,000 individuals by the end of 2029.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ECI has received $30 million in new funding from the Lilly Endowment to expand its support for character education at colleges and universities nationwide.
  • The initiative aims to reach 600,000 individuals by the end of 2029, with a focus on cultivating character in students, faculty, and staff.
  • The ECI has built a community of educators from over 400 higher education institutions, with a network of faculty and staff from more than 1,600 institutions representing 13% of all institutions of higher education in the country.
  • The initiative has distributed $35 million in grants to institutions since its launch in 2023, with the next round of grants to be announced on July 11, 2025.
  • The ECI's goal is to create a community-driven initiative, where faculty and staff at higher education institutions can connect with each other and share best practices in character education.
  • The ECI has partnered with Wake Forest University to provide grants, webinars, convenings, and consultations to institutions, with a focus on building character in students, faculty, and staff.

Statistics:

  • Over 1,600 faculty and staff from more than 400 higher education institutions are part of the ECI community.
  • The ECI has distributed $35 million in grants to institutions since its launch in 2023.
  • 139 institution proposals were received for the ECI's flagship Institutional Impact grants in 2024, with 30-40 expected.
  • 170 institutions applied for the ECI's grant program in 2025, with the next round of grants to be announced on July 11, 2025.
  • The ECI has facilitated over 65,000 engagements with students, faculty, staff, and others from 2020 through 2024.

Sources:

  • Wake Forest University (2025) - *News Release: Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative to expand its nationwide network promoting character education with $30M in new funding*
  • Lilly Endowment (2023) - *Grant Announcement: $23 million awarded to Enhance and Expand Character Education at Colleges and Universities Nationwide*
  • LearningWell Magazine (2024) - *First in a series of articles: The ECI's role as the builder of a community--and movement--focused on character in higher education*
  • Wake Forest University (2023) - *Program for Leadership and Character: Supporting Character Education at Wake Forest and Beyond*

Read more