A new report by AVPN (Asian Venture Philanthropy Network) finds that faith, and the values, belief systems, moral codes, and religious doctrines, that underlie it, shape much of philanthropy not only across the world, but also in Asia.

This new report launches an ongoing initiative by AVPN to unpack faith and giving in Asia, develop learning opportunities and provide a platform for collective action for social investors across the region, regardless of their faith alignment or lack thereof.

Some observations from the report include:

• — Knowledge of faith-aligned giving in Asia is still limited despite a sizeable, and growing, community of faith-aligned givers.
• — The region is the birthplace of several of the world’s most influential and enduring faith traditions and remains a focal point for several religious communities, with a vast majority of its population claiming to be religiously affiliated across Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and other folk or traditional religions.
• — Asia is home to more than one-third of the world’s billionaires and is witnessing the largest transfer of wealth between first- and second-generation wealth-holders in history.
• — This convergence of growing wealth and faith alignment is consequential as these faiths—and the philosophies and principles derived from them—continue to guide the generosity, charity, and social responsibility of billions in the region.
• — Unlike the more visible and vocal philanthropic endeavours often seen in the West, Asian funders, both faith-aligned or otherwise, tend to prefer discretion, often giving without seeking recognition or publicity.

Download the full report here.

The role of faith and spirituality in providing meaning at work

By Brian Grim

This month a Wall Street Journal headline declared Young People Are Taking Over the Workplace, and That’s a Problem for Bosses. The article, noting that Gen Z workers are expected to outnumber baby boomers in the U.S. workforce this year, asserts “If only their bosses could understand them. Companies find their youngest employees the most difficult to work with, surveys show.”

Of the top reasons managers find GenZ difficult to work with, two are related to spiritual health: lack of effort and lack of motivation.

McKinsey Health Institute’s survey of 41,000 people worldwide finds that — regardless of age, country, or religious beliefs — spiritual health matters to many.

According to McKinsey, “Spiritual health. enables people to integrate meaning in their lives. Spiritually healthy people have a strong sense of purpose. They feel a broad sense of connection to something larger than themselves, whether to a community, a calling, or to a form of divinity. Spiritual health helps people feel rooted and mindful in the present moment. … We note that strong spiritual health does not necessarily imply the adoption of religious beliefs, in general, or any specific dogma.”

Indeed, “having meaning in one’s life, a sense of connection to something larger than oneself, and a sense of purpose” is not only associated with strong mental, social, and physical health, strong spiritual health is also associated with increased motivation and effort.

Related to GenZ’s, McKinsey Health Institute’s 26-country survey found the vast majority of respondents said  that spiritual health is “somewhat” to “extremely” important to them. However, based on statements about purpose and meaning. GenZ is the generation with the lowest level of spiritual health by significant margins.

Among Millennials, GenX and Baby Boomers, GenZ is the least likely to report having meaning in life (63%), finding purpose in work (58%), and having personal beliefs that give the strength to face difficulties (57%).

By comparison, more than 70% of Millennials, GenX and Baby Boomers report having meaning in life; more than 60% find purpose in work, and have personal beliefs that give strength to face difficulties.

McKinsey Health Institute argues that social, public, and private stakeholders can and should find ways to “help people find purpose and space to reflect on their lives.” This not only includes employers finding ways to help people find meaning in their work, but meaning in life which gives meaning to work.

This is a consequential issue, as my daughter, Melissa, and I found in our widely-cited research on how faith is indispensable in preventing and recovering from substance abuse. Key findings from our study include:

• — Faith Reduces Risk, Helps Long-Term Recovery, Saves Lives
• — Provides $316 billion annually in savings to U.S. economy
• — Authors Warn that Declining Religiosity is National Health Concern 
• — Perception that Religion Can’t Answer Today’s Problems Don’t Match Reality

Businesses that adopt faith-friendly policies and provide opportunities for employees to form formal affinity groups around faith and belief, provide chaplains to provide compassionate care, as well as provide designated spaces for reflection, meditation and prayer are best equipped to address the management problem the Wall Street Journal identifies.

Fortunately, religiously inclusive, faith-friendly workplaces are on the rise.

America’s biggest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at a faster pace than ever before, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF).

The REDI report finds that 429 (85.8%) Fortune 500 companies now mention or illustrate religion as part of their broader commitment to diversity, more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). The study also found a 68% increase in the number of Fortune 500 companies showcasing that they have faith-oriented employee business resource groups (EBRGs), rising from 37 companies in 2022 to 62 in 2024.

This is not only good for employees and employers but also for society. Stay tuned as we continue to monitor these trends in 2025.

India’s Jamia Millia Islamia gives diversity and inclusion institutional legs

By Brian Grim

“Without freedom there can be no progress,” said former US Ambassador to the UN Andrew Young. My first contact with Andrew Young was just after he was mayor of Atlanta. He hosted the first group of young Kazakh entrepreneurs that I helped send to the US soon after the USSR was dissolved.

I was there as the new Kazakh president Nazarbaev embraced religious freedom at the founding of that new country (see end of my TEDx Talk), but India embraced religious freedom at its founding and in its Constitution, resulting also in the embrace of institutions such as Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI or Jamia University). Both Kazakhstan and India have had challenges to religious freedom in the intervening years, but institutions like JMI in New Delhi provide added institutional resilience.

Indeed, Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) is not only a national university, but it is a top one, securing a place as one of the top three universities of India in the coveted 2024 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. JMI not only has been recognized for its diverse academic offerings and strong emphasis on research, but also the university’s efforts in fostering an inclusive and innovative academic environment.

Just as the rankings were released last month, I had the opportunity along with Dr. Farha Iman to meet Prof. Mohammad Shakeel, JMI Vice Chancellor, to discuss a partnership between our Dare to Overcome initiative and the university (he’s second from right in the picture). A key project of interest is piloting a human rights and business skills training course that could eventually be supported by India’s widespread Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

A first step in the partnership was a webinar lecture I gave on September 5th to the students preparing for careers in Human Resources Management from JMI’s Department of Social Work on corporate religious equity, diversity and inclusion.

Diversity, equity and inclusion will be featured at the global edition of our annual Dare to Overcome business and peace symposium and awards in New Delhi, December 8-9, 2024, with a special roundtable on the CSR human rights initiative.

You can see a brief history of Dare to Overcome below, as well as a video synopsis of last year’s inaugural event in India.

Please join us if you’re able to come to New Delhi!

• — Panel: Faith and Belonging in the Workplace
• — When? 17 September 2024
• — Time? 10am UK/Ireland | 11am Central Europe
• — Join? zoom

The UK Faith@Work monthly call in September had a fascinating discussion with chaplains Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra and Shaykha Saleha Islam Bukhari serving all the companies in London’s Canary Wharf. You can watch the full recording above.

The REDI Index is the premier benchmarking measure of an organization’s commitment to including religion & belief as part of its overall diversity initiatives.

In this session, RFBF president Brian Grim gave an overview of the 2025 REDI Index survey with examples of best practices, followed by an update by Liz Healey and Ellen Fraser of Baringa, and ending with Q&A.

The 2025 survey will have the same 11 questions as in the 2024 survey, each worth 10 points, for a total of 110 points. Scoring for each point will be based on (a) answering in the affirmative with some evidence (5 points), and (b) demonstrating that the efforts are substantial (up to 5 additional points). The “b” part of each question offers the same “tick” lists as in 2024, which were based on company open-ended responses from the 2022 REDI Index survey.

As in previous years, there will be a BONUS question. This year, we encourage participating companies to share the ways that their efforts in creating a religiously inclusive culture and workplace have had an impact in the company and stakeholders, including any metrics tracking impact.

How many do you think your company would meet? Here’s the REDI Index list:

1. 1. Religion is featured on company’s main diversity page
2. 2. Company sponsors faith and belief employee resource groups (ERGs)
3. 3. Company shares best practices with other companies
4. 4. Religion is clearly addressed in diversity training
5. 5. Company provides spiritual care and/or chaplaincy services
6. 6. Attentive to how religion impacts stakeholders
7. 7. Accommodates religious needs of employees
8. 8. Clear procedures for reporting discrimination
9. 9. Employees attend religious diversity conferences
10. 10. Company matches employee donations to religious charities
11. 11. Company equitably celebrates or honors holy days of employees
12. — Bonus marks for: Other ways company promotes religious inclusion

A federal court paused CDCR’s no-beard policy for peace officers (POs) and ordered the department to do more for POs who wear facial hair for religious reasons. (See on DOJ website.)

The REDI Index is the premier benchmarking measure of an organization’s commitment to including religion & belief as part of its overall diversity initiatives.

In this session, RFBF president Brian Grim will give an overview of the 2025 REDI Index survey, with examples of best practices, followed by Q&A.

• — Tuesday, October 29
• — 12-12:45pm ET / 9-9:45am PT
• — Registration required (free)

The 2025 survey will have the same 11 questions as in the 2024 survey, each worth 10 points, for a total of 110 points. Scoring for each point will be based on (a) answering in the affirmative with some evidence (5 points), and (b) demonstrating that the efforts are substantial (up to 5 additional points). The “b” part of each question offers the same “tick” lists as in 2024, which were based on company open-ended responses from the 2022 REDI Index survey.

As in previous years, there will be a BONUS question. This year, we encourage participating companies to share the ways that their efforts in creating a religiously inclusive culture and workplace have had an impact in the company and stakeholders, including any metrics tracking impact.

Join the Faith and Work initiative on Friday, September 13th, for Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs with Steve Cuss! The following will be discussed.

• – Walking into any room and noticing anxiety in 4 spaces.
• – The Nature of Chronic Anxiety vs Acute Anxiety and how to notice chronic anxiety.
• – How our ‘false needs’ keep us bound.
• – The big 5 core false needs of every human.
• – How we can relax into God’s presence and develop a life giving list.

Steve Cuss is the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs and The Expectation Gap and also a columnist and host of Christianity Today’s Being Human podcast. Steve founded Capable Life to help people lower anxiety, break stuck patterns and increase wellbeing in the work place, home place and in your faith.

Steve was first exposed to Family Systems Theory when he was a chaplain and he later studied it in graduate school. Steve holds sixteen hundred hours of supervised ministry in Clinical Pastoral Education and is a Spiritual Care Professional in the ACPE. He holds a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel Christian Seminary with a thesis focusing on the dignity laws of Leviticus and Exodus and how a suburban church can move beyond charity to address systemic poverty.

Steve has served in a variety of pastoral roles for 26 years, the majority of those years as a lead pastor. He married Lisa and they have two sons and a daughter, in whom they take great delight. When Steve is not working, you can find him laughing with his family, knee-deep in a trout stream, or trying a guitar he cannot afford at a local music store.

What role does faith play in corporate success? Embracing religion in DEI initiatives fosters belonging and progress.

Brian Grim is the founder of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, an organization that works to help companies see the value in including religion in their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He took some time to sit with Public Square Magazine and talk about the foundation.

Public Square Magazine: I would really love to hear a bit about your backstory and how you came to form this organization as well as its mission and purpose.

Brian Grim: I was working at the PEW research center and developed measures for religious freedom for countries around the world. PEW has carried that on for the last few years since I started it in 2006 or something like that. Once I measured religious freedom or restrictions on religious freedom coming from either governments or social constructs, then I could see how it relates to other things like sustainable development, global competitiveness, and GDP growth. What I found was that where you have more religious freedom, you have more of the good things. You have more of other kinds of freedoms, fewer conflicts, more peace, more economic progress, sustainable development, and so forth. As a person of faith, I looked at that and thought, “This is a good argument for religious freedom.” Not just for people of faith, but people without a religion or faith. Religious freedom covers everyone’s right to believe, change their belief, or have no belief at all. I thought that someone should be working on this and I felt like it was a call from God for me to leave PEW and start the foundation to start making that case. We look for ways for businesses to be an ally in a culture where everyone is respected, everyone belongs, and their beliefs and faiths are included just like other identities.

PSM: It seems like you are noticing that there is a lot of talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, specifically within business. What I’m hearing you say is, “Yes, diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and religion is included in that, and if so, how can we create an environment for all of these things to coexist, which promotes better business? Do I have that right?

… read full interview here.