ACPE Foundation Awards $206,000 in 2025 JEDIA Grants
Investing in the Future of Spiritual Care
The ACPE Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 scholarships and grants, including $206,000 awarded through the JEDIA Grants program. Now in its third year, JEDIA Grants continue ACPE’s commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in professional spiritual care. Since the start of this initiative, the Foundation has awarded over $750,000 to develop the next generation of spiritual care leaders.
2025 JEDIA Grants Recipients
Christopher Brown CEC Ignite Grant Recipient: Urias Beverly ACPE Center at Ecumenical Theological Seminary — $120,000 over three years Named in honor of Christopher Brown, a beloved ACPE Certified Educator who was passionate about ACPE’s Certification process, this fund supports the development of ACPE Certified Educator Candidate (CEC) programs, helping certify more diverse educators and develop new training programs.
Innovation in Spiritual Care Education & Research Grant Recipient: Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for the project “Health Equity Education, Practice & Research for Chaplains to Serve Youth with Chronic Illness & their Families” — $30,000 Funds creative new models of spiritual care and research to improve practice in diverse, inclusive, and equitable settings.
“Creating pathways for underrepresented populations to access quality spiritual care training is essential to building an inclusive profession. These grants also strengthen research that informs best practices and ensures all communities have access to compassionate, skilled care.” — Jasmine Okafor, ACPE Director of Foundation & DEI Initiatives
Hemenway Scholars – Summer CPE Training Support
26 students awarded stipends of up to $2,000 each, totaling $44,000 Named for Joan Hemenway, a pillar of ACPE, this program offsets housing, educational debt, and living expenses for summer ACPE students in unpaid units from diverse backgrounds.
Boisen Scholars – Professional Development Support
$12,000 awarded to 30 students Named for Anton Boisen, the founder of CPE, these awards support attendance at the ACPE Annual Conference, REM Invitational, or Community of Practice gatherings. Up to $750 per student for registration, travel, and lodging in honor of CPE founder Anton Boisen.
“It’s inspiring to see the ACPE community come together to lift up talented students and pioneering programs. The Board proudly stands behind these awards to strengthen our field and champion equity in spiritual care education.”
— Pam Lazor, ACPE Foundation Board Chair
Congratulations to This Year’s Recipients
Boisen Scholars: LaQuetta Anderson, Julie Biroscak, Brandon Brown, Cigdem Cavdar, Samuel Christensen, Katie Dean, Belinda Douglas, Zing Ei, Justin Fannon, Seraphina Ferraro, Staycie Flint, Shin Hong, Barry Hixon, Ronglan Huang, Lurenna Hutchings, Kimberly Indresano, Seema Jani, Ruth Jackson, Caleb Lewis, Meg McGuire, Anitta Milloro, Peter Mobe, Cecile Moody, Esther Ochoga, Silburn Reid, Nicholas Sanchez, John Werner, Joshua Warren, Mercedes Young
Hemenway Scholars: Silas Akpan, Antoine Alfred, Henry Anyomi, Grace Asare, James Blackwelder, Michelle Blanco, Suk Fun Mary Chiang, Chanitnai Dangruan, Amina El-Alami, Meghan Garvey, Stacy Gunter, Latoya Hazell-Alcide, Aviva Herr-Welber, Awrish Javed, Jacob Kingsley, Jade Lu, Lesley Machon, Rucha Modi, Donghwan Oh, Caleb (Dn John) Rexford, Rita Ricardo, Ryland Rich, Wendy Schulz, Andrew Stever, Alan Welleman, Daniel Werner
Together, we are investing in the next generation of spiritual care leaders!