Saint Mary’s College Professor Barbara A. McGraw Awarded $1 Million from John Templeton Foundation for Project on Religious Liberty in US Prisons

Saint Mary’s College of California Professor Barbara A. McGraw has been awarded a $1 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant ID 63601) to lead a far-reaching project on religious liberty in US prisons. Launching on September 1, 2025, this multi-year, pioneering effort aims to protect and expand religious liberty in prisons—and to demonstrate how pluralistic approaches can support institutional reform. 

The project is expected to produce both scholarly insights and practical resources for use by correctional institutions, policymakers, and advocates for incarcerated people nationwide.

“While religion offers a vital source of meaning, belonging, and personal transformation for millions—including those who are incarcerated—many in our nation’s prisons are denied the right to practice their faiths due to systemic barriers,” said Professor McGraw. “This project will carefully examine the urgent need to ensure religious rights are respected in correctional settings, providing a prime example of religious pluralism for society.”

McGraw is founding director of the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism at Saint Mary’s, where she is also Professor of Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life in the School of Economics and Business Administration, as well as Professor of Politics in the School of Liberal Arts. She is the author and editor of works on religion, law, and public engagement, and on interfaith leadership.

“While religion offers a vital source of meaning, belonging, and personal transformation for millions—including those who are incarcerated—many in our nation’s prisons are denied the right to practice their faiths due to systemic barriers.” 

 — Barbara A. McGraw

Bringing the Perspective of a Scholar, Chaplain, and Advocate for Religious Freedom

In addition to her academic leadership, Professor McGraw has spent nearly three decades serving first as a volunteer chaplain, and then advocating for religious freedom in prisons and training correctional officials. Last year, she was tapped to speak to the US Commission on Civil Rights as part of the public briefing on the federal role in enforcing religious freedoms in prison. Her enduring commitment reflects a powerful vision for a more compassionate and inclusive future—within correctional institutions and beyond—rooted in the Lasallian Core Principles that define Saint Mary’s mission.

For this project, entitled “Prison Religion: Advancing Religious Liberty in Correctional Institutions as Exemplars of Pluralism and Institutional Change,” Professor McGraw has assembled a multidisciplinary team of four scholars and practitioners, and the project will include Saint Mary’s staff and students. The  key contributors are:

Scholar Collaborators:

• Yuan Li, PhD | Professor of Management and Organization Theory at Saint Mary’s; expert in institutional change
• Eric Mazur, PhD | Gloria & David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies, Professor of Religious Studies, and Religion, Law, & Politics Fellow at the Robert Nusbaum Center, Virginia Wesleyan University

Consultants:

• James A. Sonne, JD | Professor of Law at Stanford Law School; founding director of the Religious Liberty Clinic, Stanford University
• Kelli Willard West, MSSW | Retiring Religious Practices Coordinator, Division of Adult Institutions, Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Among the questions the project stakes out are: What are the best ways to navigate the complex legal and cultural challenges of accommodating diverse religions in prisons? What barriers stand in the way? What impact might fully embracing religious liberty have on inmates’ well-being, prison culture, and, ultimately, society?

In seeking answers, Professor McGraw makes clear, “The stakes go beyond the prison walls…Addressing the intersection of religious liberty and prisons offers a vision for a more compassionate future grounded in respect for the diverse experiences that define our humanity.”

The pioneering scholarship and its broader implications both speak to McGraw’s approach to her work, and to its resonance with Saint Mary’s educational mission. “This generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation is a testament not only to Professor McGraw’s decades of dedication and expertise, but also to the values-driven scholarship that defines Saint Mary’s,” said Carol Ann Gittens, who serves as SMC’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. “We are deeply honored to support this vital work.”

About Saint Mary’s College of California

At Saint Mary’s College of California, we inspire minds, engage with the world, and create opportunities for students to find their lives transformed. With small class sizes and professors who know you by name, the Saint Mary’s experience empowers students to thrive—whether you’re an undergraduate or a professional looking for the next step in your career. Founded in 1863, the University is proud of our Lasallian heritage and how it fuels teaching and learning in an inclusive and wonderfully diverse community. More than 2,700 Gaels study on our Bay Area campus nestled in the rolling hills of Moraga, just 23 miles east of San Francisco. US News and World Report puts SMC among the top five regional universities in the West. You’ll also find Saint Mary’s highlighted in the guide Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges—the only Catholic college and the first university in California to make the list.

About the John Templeton Foundation

Founded in 1987, the John Templeton Foundation supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder. We are working to create a world where people are curious about the wonders of the universe, free to pursue lives of meaning and purpose, and motivated by great and selfless love. With an endowment of $3.4 billion and annual giving of approximately $140 million, the Foundation ranks among the 25 largest grantmaking foundations in the United States. Headquartered outside Philadelphia, our philanthropic activities have engaged all major faith traditions and extended to more than 58 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.templeton.org.