The Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI) at UC Berkeley has received a $5,000,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. This significant funding will support the project Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Stories of Faith and Life, an initiative designed to transform the narrative landscape of American Christianity by uplifting the lived experiences of AAPI Christians.
AAPI Stories of Faith and Life is a bold and visionary initiative to transform the narrative of American Christianity by amplifying the rich and diverse faith lives of Asian American and Pacific Islander Christians. Rooted in the belief that storytelling can be a sacred act, APARRI seeks to cultivate a vibrant storytelling culture that inspires community and reshapes the public understanding of AAPI Christianity.
“APARRI is honored to be partnering with the Lilly Endowment Inc. to share stories of faith that reflect the diversity, depth, and history of AAPI Christian experiences,” shares Carolyn Chen, Executive Director of APARRI. “As the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, AAPIs and their stories of migration, struggle, survival, resilience, and community are the stories of an emergent American Christianity that deserve to be heard and recognized.”
To carry out these goals, APARRI will cultivate several exciting storytelling initiatives, including short-form documentaries, podcasts, public lectures, scholar-storytelling training, and archival preservation—all centered around the stories that animate the heart of AAPI Christian communities.
APARRI will collaborate with a diverse range of partners to execute these projects, including the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR), the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Axis Mundi Media, Sacred Writes, and the Center for Asian American Christianity (CAAC) at Princeton Theological Seminary.
By building on the scholarly expertise of APARRI members and the lived knowledge of AAPI communities, this initiative will share the often overlooked, yet vitally important threads of AAPI stories within the larger tapestry of American Christianity.
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.
