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The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture launches an initiative to support religion reporting and generate insights about the nature of social change and American religion.
Whether religious decline or revival, dominant narratives often shape media coverage about the place of religion in American culture. With a new initiative, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences will support storytelling that goes beyond the headlines to tell stories of the diversity of religious life in America.
CRCC’s Stories of Change in American Religion Initiative is a joint journalism and academic venture to capture stories of leaders and communities that are adapting structures, creating new approaches or evolving their spiritual beliefs and practices. The initiative launches with a $5 million grant to the University of Southern California from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will enable CRCC to tell 100 stories about the 63 percent of Americans who identify as Christian.
“We want to help media professionals, scholars and community leaders better understand how people of faith are experiencing – and shaping – our ever-changing social, cultural and political landscape,” says Richard Flory, executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture. “This project will advance our mission by developing new knowledge and making it accessible to these audiences through compelling storytelling.”
Through a journalism fellowship, CRCC will support independent, multimedia journalism in secular or religious outlets. A team of scholars will also identify trends and themes from across the 100 stories, translating them into insights for faith leaders and others interested in strengthening a pluralistic and participative public sphere.
Journalists can apply with story or series ideas to report for their own outlet or for one of CRCC’s media partners. Audio reporters will have the opportunity to work on podcast and radio specials in partnership with Inspired Media, which previously produced the public radio show Interfaith Voices. Next City, a solutions-oriented publication focused on creating just and equitable cities, will create a reporting hub across 10 cities to encourage both local and national coverage of faith solutions to the challenges of urban life. Media organizations such as Religion News Service and Religion Unplugged will also consider pitches from the project.
Journalists can join an informational webinar on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 11 am Pacific to learn more about the opportunity.
All journalists who participate in the project will receive professional development in religion, solutions and ethnographic reporting, as well as in subject matter expertise. Student journalists will also have the opportunity to work on stories under the guidance of Diane Winston, the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.
“In a challenging media environment, our goal is to allow journalists to spend time in communities and tell stories with nuance,” says Megan Sweas, the project editor. “We aim to amplify good journalism on issues of both local and national significance.”
The inaugural project, “Stories of Change in American Christianity,” is supported by a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life 2025. CRCC aims to include stories from underrepresented communities and from diverse denominational, racial, ethnic, gender and class backgrounds. Additional projects focused on change in other religious and spiritual traditions are in development.
University of Southern California is one of 60 organizations from across the United States that have received grants through the Lilly Endowment’s Storytelling initiative since 2024. The groups includes media organizations, denominational judicatories, church networks, publishers, educational institutions, congregations and other nonprofit charitable organizations.
As a non-sectarian university research and community engagement center, CRCC is unique in that it will support secular journalism and academic storytelling about religion, with an aim of broadening the available narratives about religion in American life.
About the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
The USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture advances the understanding of religion in society, and equips faith leaders to build just and equitable communities.
CRCC’s team consists of scholars, journalists and faith leaders. Our core work is in two related areas: We conduct empirical research to understand the power and impact of religion in the US and globally; and we make this knowledge applicable and available through books, media, reports, public events and leadership development programs.
As a center at a major research institution, CRCC connects communities and leaders with the academy and private and public sectors. We create inclusive spaces for people of good will from across the spectrum of religious traditions to learn and grow together. Our team of scholars and practitioners understands its role as bringing insights on religion to the public in a way that it can be applied in service of the greater good.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
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Contact:
Megan Sweas
USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.