Metanexus Institute
Metanexus Institute is a nonprofit organization that facilitates dialogue and research at the intersection of science, religion, philosophy, and wider questions about human meaning.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Metanexus Institute is a United States nonprofit organization established in 1997 to encourage informed exchange on the relationship between scientific inquiry, religion, philosophy, and questions concerning human existence. Its work developed from the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science, an initiative created by William Grassie with assistance from Peter Dodson, Soloman Katz, Andrew Newberg, and Stephen Dunning. The original center sought to improve public and academic literacy in science and religion through seminars, courses, conferences, and related educational activity. The organization adopted the Metanexus Institute name in 2000. Around the same period, its Meta-List was relaunched as a website with support from the John Templeton Foundation. The online platform helped extend the institute’s role beyond local programming by providing a venue for interdisciplinary discussion, commentary, and dissemination of work concerning science, religion, and philosophy. Metanexus subsequently organized conferences at universities and other venues, including the University of Pennsylvania event titled “Science and Religion in Context.” A major part of the institute’s activity involved supporting structured research and community-building projects. In 2000 it launched the Local Societies Initiative, described as a $5.1 million program intended to encourage local groups and networks working on science-and-religion questions. In 2003 it launched the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project, described as a $3.3 million effort to investigate spiritual transformation through scientific and interdisciplinary research. These initiatives reflected Metanexus’s preference for convening researchers, funding inquiry, and creating durable discussion networks rather than marketing a conventional consumer product. Metanexus also promoted Big History, sometimes called the Epic of Evolution. This approach interprets the development of the cosmos, Earth, life, and human societies across very long time scales and draws on multiple academic disciplines. In this context, the institute presented Big History as a framework for connecting scientific accounts of cosmic and biological development with philosophical and religious reflection. The organization’s identity is therefore best understood as that of a nonprofit intellectual and educational platform. Its principal outputs have included conferences, seminars, online publishing, research initiatives, and books rather than commercial goods. Publicly available reference material identifies it as a 501(c)(3) public charity with EIN 23-2977021. A Wikipedia summary reports that the organization claimed total revenue of $28,249 and total assets of $8,827 in 2016; those figures describe that reporting year and should not be treated as current financial information. The institute’s current operating status, leadership, and organizational scale are not established by the supplied sources.
History
Metanexus Institute originated in 1997 as the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science. William Grassie created the center with help from Peter Dodson, Soloman Katz, Andrew Newberg, and Stephen Dunning. Its initial purpose was to promote literacy in both science and religion through seminars, courses, conferences, and related educational activities. The project treated science-and-religion engagement as an interdisciplinary subject requiring public communication as well as academic discussion. In 2000, the Philadelphia center was renamed Metanexus Institute. The organization also relaunched its Meta-List as a website with support from the John Templeton Foundation. This expanded its ability to circulate ideas and connect participants beyond its original Philadelphia setting. The institute’s activities included online publishing, conferences, and the organization of exchanges among scholars and other participants interested in science, religion, philosophy, and human meaning. The renamed institute developed several substantial initiatives. Its Local Societies Initiative, launched in 2000, was described as a $5.1 million program designed to encourage local groups and networks working on related questions. In 2003, Metanexus launched the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project, described as a $3.3 million research effort addressing spiritual transformation from a scientific and interdisciplinary perspective. The organization also held conferences at universities and other locations, including “Science and Religion in Context” at the University of Pennsylvania. Another important theme in the institute’s work was Big History, also referred to as the Epic of Evolution. Big History uses an unusually broad chronological scale, linking the origins and development of the universe, Earth, life, and human societies through contributions from several disciplines. Metanexus promoted this framework as a way to connect scientific narratives with philosophical and religious interpretation. The institute’s historical role was consequently that of a nonprofit intellectual intermediary rather than a conventional commercial brand. It supported conversations, research, publications, and educational networks. Available reference material identifies the organization as a 501(c)(3) public charity. The supplied material does not establish its current leadership, current programs, or whether it remains operational, so its present status should be treated as unknown.
- 2016
Reported nonprofit financial figures
[1]The organization was reported as claiming $28,249 in total revenue and $8,827 in total assets for 2016.
- 2003
Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project launched
[1]The institute launched a research project described as having a $3.3 million budget and focusing on spiritual transformation.
- 2000
Organization renamed Metanexus Institute
[1]The Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science adopted the Metanexus Institute name, while its Meta-List was relaunched online with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
- 2000
Local Societies Initiative launched
[1]Metanexus began a program described as a $5.1 million initiative for developing local societies and networks.
- 1997
Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science founded
[1]William Grassie established the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science with assistance from Peter Dodson, Soloman Katz, Andrew Newberg, and Stephen Dunning.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit convening and publishing organization positioned at the intersection of science, religion, philosophy, and interdisciplinary education.
Online discussion and publishing platform · 2000
Meta-List
The Meta-List was Metanexus’s online venue for distributing and discussing material related to science, religion, philosophy, and interdisciplinary inquiry. It was relaunched as a website around the organization’s 2000 renaming, with support from the John Templeton Foundation. The supplied sources do not provide enough detail to establish its present availability or operating model.
Research and community development program · 2000
Local Societies Initiative
This initiative sought to encourage local societies and networks engaged with questions concerning science and religion. It was described as a $5.1 million program and represented Metanexus’s effort to build activity beyond centrally organized conferences and online publishing.
Interdisciplinary research program · 2003
Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project
Launched in 2003, this project investigated spiritual transformation through scientific and interdisciplinary research. Reference material describes it as a $3.3 million project, but the supplied sources do not specify its full research portfolio, participating institutions, or eventual findings.
Educational framework and conference subject
Big History and Epic of Evolution programming
Metanexus promoted Big History, also called the Epic of Evolution, as a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the universe, Earth, life, and human societies over very long time spans. The subject connected scientific chronology with philosophical and religious reflection and formed part of the institute’s educational and convening work.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project
United States · International research community
The institute promoted a research program examining spiritual transformation using scientific and interdisciplinary approaches.
Outcome. The supplied sources do not provide a documented final evaluation or outcome.
- 2000Local Societies Initiative
United States · International academic and community networks
Metanexus launched a large-scale network-building initiative intended to support local societies addressing science-and-religion questions.
Outcome. The supplied sources do not document the initiative’s final reach or outcome.
Brand decisions
2000
Adoption of the Metanexus Institute name and web-centered platformStrategyBackground
The organization sought to broaden the reach of the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science’s educational and convening work.
Action taken
It changed its name to Metanexus Institute and relaunched the Meta-List as a website with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
Aftermath
The institute continued organizing conferences, publishing material, and supporting interdisciplinary initiatives, although the supplied sources do not quantify the longer-term impact of the rebranding.
Recent events
- 2003
Metanexus launches Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Project[1]
Other
The institute began a research program described as a $3.3 million project examining spiritual transformation through scientific and interdisciplinary methods.
- 2000
Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science renamed Metanexus Institute[1]
Other
The organization created in 1997 as the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science adopted the Metanexus Institute name and relaunched its Meta-List website with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
- 2000
Metanexus launches Local Societies Initiative[1]
Other
The institute launched a program described as a $5.1 million initiative to support local societies and networks focused on science-and-religion dialogue.
Sources2 sources
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