The Social Science Research Council, with the support of the John Templeton Foundation, invites proposals from journalists to participate in an initiative to enhance public knowledge of the social, cultural, psychological, and cognitive dimensions of prayer, and of its origins, variations, and correlations in human life. A small number of grants, of up to $50,000 each, and each with a maximum duration of two years, will be awarded to support journalists working on the topic.

Grantees will actively participate in a multi-year research initiative, while crafting long-form articles or other stories for publication in nationally distributed outlets, and/or a manuscript for potential trade press publication, on the study of prayer and the significance of prayerful practices in contemporary culture and society. Candidates must be working journalists.

Advanced degrees are not required, and collaborative projects are welcome. Writers and freelancers who regularly publish online, in print, or over the airwaves are eligible to apply. The deadline for Letters of Intent is December 1, 2011.
http://www.ssrc.org/workspace/uploads/docs/ndsp-rfp-journalism.pdf