The Temple of Understanding was founded in 1960 by interfaith pioneer Juliet Hollister to bring together diverse religious and spiritual traditions and draw on their wisdom to promote positive social change. Hollister was the first woman to found an interfaith organization. The interfaith space has expanded greatly since the ToU’s founding, and the ToU continues to champion Hollister’s energy of openness and collaboration in working with our colleagues to foster peace and understanding between people of all faiths. ToU coordinates an interfaith collaborators group to explore possibilities for interfaith organizations to come together in conscience. Learn more about our partners and colleagues in the interfaith field below, and explore the many resources they have to offer. This resource is intended to be a living document. If you would like to see an interfaith group or resource included, please email info@templeofunderstanding.org.
The United Religions Initiative, or URI, is a global grassroots interfaith network focused on peacebuilding and justice. Its purpose is to “promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.” URI is structured around Cooperation Circles, self-organized groups that include members of multiple faith traditions (including atheists, agnostics and humanists). These groups work to further URI’s mission through community initiatives such as conflict resolution, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights. Learn more about URI’s global work.
The Women’s Interfaith Network
The Women’s Interfaith Network brings together women of “all ages, abilities, beliefs, cultures, faiths, races, gender identities, and political parties” to learn from each other about their individual faith journeys. Through programs, small lunch discussion groups known as Common Tables, and other group activities, WIN works to “eradicate stereotypes and prejudice, beginning in our own communities by listening, learning, respecting, and building connections to create a more humane and peaceful world.” Events like book groups, movie nights and guest speakers are open to all WIN members. Learn more about how members describe the experience.
Interfaith Alliance mobilizes people across diverse faiths and beliefs to combat religious extremism and to build an inclusive democracy “which respects the inherent dignity of all people, affords each person the freedoms of belief and religious practice, and guarantees that all have the opportunity to thrive.” The group opposes authoritarianism, supports boundaries between religion and government, and promotes individual freedoms. Through advocacy, mobilization, education and coalition-building, Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom and challenges bigotry and hatred. Take action to join a campaign or event, and listen to State of Belief, a weekly podcast with Interfaith Alliance CEO, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush.
Justice for All is a U.S. human rights organization and UN-accredited non-governmental organization advocating for the rights of Muslim minority groups. In 2018, the group launched an effort between Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faith leaders to educate people about the genocide faced by Rohingya in Burma. The coalition, named “Faith Coalition to Stop Genocide in Burma,” has since been re-named “Faith Coalition to Stop Genocide” with advocacy campaigns worldwide. The group organizes petitions, action alerts, and events, and publishes a newsletter and educational resources online.
Interfaith America works across college campuses, the corporate sector and diverse civic spaces to promote religious difference “as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.” The group supports leaders with the skills to build relationships and navigate disagreements, helping to reduce prejudice and deepen understanding to further a more inclusive society. Interfaith America offers courses and curricula to help faith and civic leaders to foster interfaith understanding and come together on issues of shared concern. The group also offers resources to campus educators, administrators and students and promotes religion in the workplace through gatherings, online resources and strategic consultations. Interfaith America publishes IA Today, a multimedia hub featuring journalistic content focused on pluralism and interfaith issues.
The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
The Pluralism Project at Harvard University “studies and interprets the changing religious landscape of the United States.” Since 1991, the group has conducted important research on religious diversity and interfaith relations, in partnership with students, religious communities and interfaith organizations. The Pluralism Project offers award-winning educational content, films, symposia and consultations, and hosts a wide variety of resources on its website, pluralism.org. The group promotes pluralism not just as religious diversity alone, but as engagement with that diversity and the knowledge that arises from it. The Pluralism Project also maintains a list of key interfaith groups and research and educational organizations.
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University
The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University “seeks to build understanding and promote dialogue and cooperation around issues of religion, peace, and world affairs.” The group uses research, teaching, and outreach to further five core goals: advancing interreligious and cultural dialogue, linking the worlds of religion and global development, supporting a positive role for faith in diplomacy and politics, understanding the Catholic Church’s evolving role in world affairs, and advancing religious understanding and a culture of dialogue in education. The group hosts events, workshops and conferences, publishes blog posts and publications, and is active on social media.
Climate Cardinals, one of the world’s largest climate education organizations, works to break language barriers in the climate movement. The group aims to bridge gaps when it comes to accessible climate information for those who can’t access climate information because of lack of resources in their own language. The group has worked to translate climate information into over 100 languages, and also works to connect youth and non-English speaking communities to global networks and resources, fostering future leaders in the climate movement. Learn more about the group’s services.
Greenfaith USA is a grassroots network of people of all faiths and spiritualities working to promote climate and environmental justice. The group is organized around GreenFaith Circles of Care and Resilience, which draw on congregations and local communities to build collective power, advocate for change, and act out of love for the planet. The Circles of Care and Resilience organize local, regional and national campaigns “to avert the climate crisis, end the era of fossil fuels, support a just transition to a green economy, and restore harmony with the planet for a livable future.” Take action by joining a campaign, or find a Circle of Care and Resilience near you.
The Temple of Understanding India Foundation organizes programs and projects dedicated to promoting the interfaith movement, providing humanitarian services, and fostering dialogue around peace and ecological sustainability. The Temple of Understanding India Chapters, founded in 1968, consist of eight chapters across India. The group convenes conferences, publishes papers, and furthers interfaith education. The TOU India Foundation acts independently, although in partnership with the Temple of Understanding. The group’s programs “emphasize experiential knowledge and dialogue as a means of connecting people across a spectrum of religious communities to create a more just and peaceful world.”
North American Interfaith Network
The North American Interfaith Network aims to promote collaboration and mutual understanding between interfaith organizations and diverse religious groups across North America. “NAIN affirms the breadth of humanity’s spiritual traditions and brings these diverse perspectives to today’s global, national, regional and local challenges,” the group says. “Our work fosters cooperation, encourages meaningful dialogue, and provides the networking opportunities that help interfaith efforts thrive.” NAIN uplifts the work of interfaith organizations through storytelling and provides spaces for these groups to connect and grow, including through programs like NAINConnects, the group’s annual interfaith conference.
The Global Muslim Climate Network emerged out of the 2015 International Islamic Climate Change Symposium in Istanbul, which called on governments, businesses, activists and people of the Muslim and other faiths to lead the transition away from fossil fuels and towards a world based on renewable energy. It was co-founded in 2016 by Nana Firman and Saffet Catovic, in coordination with the Paris agreement on climate change. The group has called for an end to the use of conventional fuels, to end pipeline construction in the U.S. and for oil-producing Muslim countries to transition to renewable energy and support developing countries battling climate change. It has also called for mosques around the world to be more energy efficient.
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology is an international multireligious project working under a mission to “inform and inspire people to preserve, protect, and restore the Earth community.” The forum seeks to identify the perspectives of world religions in order to find solutions to global environmental crises, and to promote dialogue between and within religious and spiritual communities, scientists and policy makers. The forum highlights news on religion and ecology, convenes interdisciplinary conferences and workshops, publishes a monthly email newsletter, publicizes books and articles, maintains a website and features an Emmy-winning film, Journey of the Universe. Explore more resources and publications at the forum’s brochure.
The Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation
The Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation, adopted in 2019 by the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace, is a global guiding document that states “forgiving is vital if healing and reconciliation are to take place, as part of our collective efforts to seek justice, harmony and sustainable peace.” The charter is a tool that can “inspire, educate and provide guidance in the process of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace building amongst persons, communities of all types and nations.” The charter draws upon values, stories and examples from sacred texts from a variety of spiritual traditions, religious and spiritual communities, and the lives of outstanding individuals.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led, soil-grown, pasture-raised movement that works to protect the future of organic farming. It emerged as a response to the failure of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) to serve and protect organic farming. The group offers an add-on label to USDA organic, in order to differentiate organic food produced with healthy soils and pastures. The group supports organic farmers and works to promote transparency in the marketplace. The Real Organic Project hosts annual symposia and conferences, and also produces an award-winning podcast.
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding is a secular, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that “combats religious prejudice, confronts hate, and builds respect for religious difference by transforming individuals and institutions.” The center offers thought leadership, training, courses, and solutions across a variety of sectors, including the workplace, education, and health care. Tanenbaum’s Peacemakers in Action network brings together peacemakers from different religions, cultures and backgrounds to work towards conflict resolution, transformation and peacebuilding. The center also produces the Peacemakers in Action podcast.
Lead Integrity, a multinational strategy and management consulting firm, fosters social cohesion, resilience, and ethical leadership through faith-inspired initiatives. The firm provides resources for coalition building, issue-based advocacy and marketing, research and analysis and capacity building and training. Its experts are women from diverse faith and cultural backgrounds with decades of leadership experience in a wide variety of sectors. The firm supports leaders in weaving socially cohesive culture into their organizations to foster success and serve the common good.
The Global Security Institute works towards “strengthening international peace and security based on cooperation, diplomacy, shared interest, the rule of law and universal values.” With a team comprised of former heads of state, diplomats, politicians, celebrities, religious leaders, Nobel Peace Laureates, disarmament and legal experts, and concerned informed citizens, the Global Security Institute aims to control and eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. The institute works via three main programs – the Nonpartisan Security Group, which provides analysis on global security issues like arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation to members of Congress; the Middle Powers Initiative, which works with countries that have renounced nuclear arms to influence nuclear armed countries; and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, a network of global legislators.
Religions for Peace, the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious organization, aims to promote peace through common action among the world’s religious communities. “We believe ambitious goals and complex problems can best be tackled when different faith communities work together,” the group says. The group is organized around nearly 100 Interreligious Councils in six regions which bring together the influence and resources of diverse faith traditions and draw on their spiritual commitment to achieve solutions that leave no one behind. Explore the group’s online resources, read their key messages and listen to their recently-launched podcast.
Interfaith Rainforest Initiative
The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative is an “international, multi-faith alliance that works to bring moral urgency and faith-based leadership to global efforts to end tropical deforestation.” The group facilitates collaboration between religious leaders and Indigenous peoples, governments, civil society groups and businesses to safeguard rainforests and the Indigenous peoples that act as their guardians. The group facilitates dialogue and learning, raises awareness, influences policy, builds coalitions and inspires action to create a movement for rainforest protection grounded in the values, morals and ethics of faith communities. Participate in the group’s global Faith for Forests campaign and read their latest news.
Parliament of the World’s Religions
The Parliament of the World’s Religions, the world’s premier interfaith convening organization, “cultivates harmony among the world’s spiritual traditions and fosters their engagement with guiding institutions in order to achieve a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.” It carries forward the vision of the 1893 World Parliament of Religions, which launched the modern interfaith movement. The group organizes convenings to promote dialogue among people of different faiths, organizes conferences, workshops and seminars, and advocates for peace and justice, climate action, women’s dignity, the next generation, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Read the group’s latest news.
The Network for Traditional and Religious Peacemakers (Peacemakers Network) emerged from a 2013 report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that identified religious and faith-based leaders as key players in worldwide conflict resolution. The report,“Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution,” noted that while faith leaders enjoyed unique connections with and trust of conflicting parties in conflicts, their potential contributions in meditation were underutilized. The Peacemakers Network aims to engage both religious and traditional actors in global peacebuilding processes, ensuring peace efforts reach the wider population and are rooted in local ownership.
Interfaith Photovoice promotes a unique approach to interfaith engagement via photography. Participants document their life in photos to offer a first-hand glimpse into how their beliefs, practices and values show up in everyday life. Participants meet together to share the images and stories in facilitated discussion groups, opening up about barriers they encounter in practicing the beliefs and behaviors they hold sacred. The process, which plays out across higher education spaces, communities, companies, and places of worship, fosters understanding, empathy, and a shared vision for a more inclusive world. Learn more about the group’s workshops, projects, retreats, and team building activities.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse and Paula Horne
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, and his wife, Paula Horne, a Dakota Sisseton Wahpeton artist and organizer, are international advocates for Native spirituality, world peace, and environmental healing through interfaith collaboration. Chief Looking Horse, the founder of World Peace and Prayer Day, is an advocate for religious freedom, the protection of Indigenous spiritual traditions, and environmental stewardship and peace. An author and speaker in addition to spiritual leader, Chief Looking Horse is the recipient of TOU’s Juliet Hollister Award. Horne is a singer, artist, and advocate for Native spiritual traditions, environmental consciousness, and truthful teachings of Native history and culture. Horne is also a graduate and board member of the Red Schoolhouse, an innovative school for Native curriculum, and an organizing force behind World Peace and Prayer Day.
PBS Foundation, with funding from The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and The Pew Charitable Trusts, launched a 24-episode Crash Course series called “Religions,” hosted by author John Green and produced by Complexly. The series explores how religions arise and change over time, and examines how religion intersects with social identity, political systems, and popular culture through episodes like “Buddhism Explained” and discussions of sacred texts and rituals. The goal of the series is to fostering empathy and respectful civic engagement around religious differences; the series has drawn strong reviews and airs on Crash Course’s YouTube channel, which already has 17 million subscribers.