Baylor University, a Christian institution in Waco, Texas, has reportedly received a grant of over $643,000 from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, a highly progressive nonprofit organization seeking to help churches develop “concrete steps toward genuine inclusion” of LGBTQ individuals.
For background, on June 30, 2025, Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work confirmed in a press release that the university’s Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) had been awarded a $643,401 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation to “foster inclusion and belonging in the church” and to deepen understanding of the “disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women” within churches.
In its June 30 press release, Baylor’s C31 director, Dr. Gaynor Yancey, said, “We are always so grateful for the support and encouragement of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation for our ongoing research in assisting congregations in ministering to marginalized populations,” adding, “For several years, they have assisted us with funding for research to study the inclusionary practices of congregations with people who are marginalized in numerous ways.”
Furthermore, Dr. Yancey said that the grant would “focus on the lived experiences of emerging adults” and would be used for “filling out the bigger picture of congregations’ practices that result in an environment of belonging.” Yancey added, “Through our research, we want to expand our picture of what congregations do and do not do in their caring practices with all people about their experiences of belonging.”
Moreover, Dr. Jon Singletary, dean of Baylor’s school of social work, said, “The generous support of the Baugh Foundation allows C3I to deepen its work at the intersection of faith, justice, and community and is both timely and essential.” He added, “Congregations have the potential to be spaces of healing and belonging, yet too often they become sources of exclusion and harm. This grant equips us to listen deeply, study carefully, and partner faithfully with churches seeking to become more just and welcoming communities.”
Responding to the announcement on X, conservative Christian journalist Megan Basham was outraged, writing, “So now that the progressive Baugh Foundation has granted Baylor nearly 3 quarters of a million dollars to promote LGBTQ inclusivity, it’s worth looking at why Baylor would take this step sure to anger MANY Christian families who send their kids to school there.” She added, “Fact is, they made themselves beholden to this Left Wing org long ago.”
Likewise, Pastor Denny Burk described the news of the grant as “illuminating and sad and not at all surprising” in a post on X, adding, “Baylor has been moving away from Christian faithfulness for decades now. But it’s still sad to watch another nail in the coffin of a once great Christian university.”
Pastor Matt Kennedy also weighed in on the grant, saying it was “much better to send your child to a secular university, hostile to the faith, than to a ‘Christian’ university like Baylor.” He added, “Better the wolf with bared fangs than the wolf disguised as a shepherd.”
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