Seedcorn Grants 

If you work in a Theological Educational Institution (TEI) offering Common Awards programmes, or are in other ways associated with the partnership, and have an idea for relevant collaborative research, you might consider applying for one of our Seedcorn Grants. 

We are committed to fostering research across the Common Awards partnership. We define ‘research’ broadly, to include a wide range of conversations and investigations concerning the nature and future of ministry and mission and the forms of theological education that will best serve them. All our grants are intended to stimulate investigation and deliberation that can feed into the on-going development of our practice and thinking as theological educators, and that have the potential to enrich our pedagogies and curricula. 

Grants are available for research activity on any relevant theme, but we are also particularly interested in proposals that relate to our current theme. See our pages on Research Themes for more information. A total of £12,000 is available, and individual applications can be for any amount up to that total. 

2023 Call for Applications

We are currently open for applications to the 2023 round of Seedcorn Grant Applications. The deadline has been extended to 5th May 2023. Please read our Seedcorn Grant-Call for applications, and use our Seedcorn Grant-application form.

We are interested in proposals in any relevant area of research, but for this round we will give priority to projects in two areas.

• Theological education and mental health
• Diversity, inclusion and belonging

The first of these areas is our new Common Awards research theme. Each year we pick a new theme, and you can read about past themes, and about what we do to pursue each theme here.

In relation to ‘Theological education and mental health’, we are interested in projects that focus on

• the ways in which theological education can promote mental health and wellbeing or undermine them;
• the ability of TEIs to support students and staff experiencing mental ill-health;
• teaching in TEIs about the response to issues of mental health in the church and wider society; and
• theologies of mental health and wellbeing relevant to theological education.

The second of these priorities relates to our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. In relation to that wider agenda, we continue to look for projects that

• address critical gaps in our understanding of the present state of inclusion and diversity in theological education; 
• explore and help overcome the multiple barriers faced by students in theological education as a result of their social and political identities – including class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability;
• experiment with creative pedagogies and forms of assessment that might help with overcoming these barriers; or
• investigate the opportunities for overcoming these barriers presented by different modes and forms of training.

Successful Seedcorn projects from earlier rounds 

For a list of successful projects from earlier rounds, see our Previous Seedcorn Projects page.