By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
July 2, 2026
Indiana Humanities is launching a multi-year initiative to help Hoosiers explore how religion and religious liberty have shaped the state’s communities and continue to influence public life.
The initiative, called Matters of Religion, will explore how religious liberty — an idea central to the nation’s founding — has shaped Indiana’s communities and been understood and experienced by Hoosiers throughout the state’s history.
Organizers say the initiative will also examine how religion influences education, democracy, culture and everyday life in Indiana. The multi-year project is tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Indiana Humanities is a nonprofit that supports public engagement with history, literature and culture through grants, educational programs and community discussions. Founded in 1972, the organization is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and private donations. It is perhaps best known for programs such as the Indiana Author Awards and Poetry Out Loud.
Its Matters of Religion programming is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its religious liberty initiative fund and is expected to unfold over approximately five years.
The program will include several components. One of the first to roll out will be a statewide grant program expected to launch later this summer. The grants will support local libraries, museums, schools, congregations and community organizations interested in developing programs related to religion and religious liberty.
In a press release about the initiative, Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities, said, “Religious movements were early providers of humanities engagement in our state, spreading literacy and bringing texts, arts and stories into communities as sources of connection, truth and meaning.”
To lead the effort, Indiana Humanities has hired Emma Crossen, a Terre Haute native whose background spans religious studies, nonprofit leadership and community engagement. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, where she studied in a multi-faith environment that emphasized approaching religious life with curiosity and openness.
Crossen said the project is not simply about documenting history but about helping people understand one another and imagine possibilities for the future.
“One thing our country could use more of right now is the capacity to trust one another and to trust our ability to navigate disagreement,” she said. “Being curious about each other is vital to our ability to move together in a democracy toward a future that’s better for all of us.”
Crossen said she is particularly interested in seeing ideas emerge from local communities.
“So many of the ideas will come not from me, but from communities around the state,” she said.
As a part of the initiative, Indiana Humanities plans to establish a speakers bureau that will connect scholars, religious leaders and community experts with organizations seeking public programs. Future plans include public discussions featuring authors and local leaders, community discussion guides, a statewide reading initiative and a traveling museum-quality exhibition highlighting stories about religion and religious liberty in Indiana history.
“Indiana Humanities has a really strong track record of … really inviting Hoosiers in to have what some might call tough conversations,” Crossen said. She said the initiative aims to demonstrate that “talking about our religions gives us an opportunity for connection rather than opportunity for division.”
Another component of the program will be a traveling exhibition, which is expected to be developed over the next several years, focusing on stories that illustrate how religious liberty has been practiced, debated and shaped throughout Indiana’s history. The exhibit will travel to communities around the state and serve as a catalyst for locally organized programming.
Crossen said one of the initiative’s goals is to engage organizations and faith communities that may not have previously viewed themselves as part of Indiana Humanities’ audience.
“We’re hoping to reach new constituencies around the state,” she said, noting that mosques, churches and other religious organizations could play an important role in the project.
The initiative arrives at a time when questions about religion’s place in public life have become increasingly prominent, as debates over faith and politics continue to shape local and national conversations.
Crossen said she hopes the program will create space for Hoosiers to discuss how debates about religion’s role in politics affect their lives.
“It’s really important to me to remember to pay attention to the fact that people’s lives are at stake. We may say it’s in the realm of politics or the realm of religion, but ultimately it’s people’s lives,” Crossen said. “Where we spend most of our days is in the hyper-local — interacting with our neighbors. Do we feel safe? Do we feel a sense of belonging? Do we feel connection? And what do we do when those things are threatened?”
Rather than promoting a particular viewpoint, Crossen said the initiative will encourage discussion through a humanities lens, drawing on history, literature, law, religious studies and other disciplines to help participants better understand the role religion plays in society.
Crossen said the project will highlight examples of communities already working across differences and building understanding despite political or religious disagreements.
“I want to help amplify those stories,” Crossen said. “The folks who are already finding connection and cultivating curiosity and working against mistrust and division.”
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
