Baylor University returns $643,000 LGBTQ+ grant, calling it 'inconsistent' with values

Baylor University is returning a $643,000 grant to study women and LGBTQ+ people in the church just two weeks after receiving it.

The Baptist college in Waco, Texas announced on June 30 that it had been awarded the grant by the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, a Christian nonprofit foundation focused on inclusivity and social justice. The grant, which has been removed from the university's website, was meant to "help us better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change."

Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said in a statement Wednesday that she, Dean Jon Singletary, and principal investigator Gaynor Yancey made the decision because the grant's work "extended into advocacy for perspectives on human sexuality that are inconsistent with Baylor’s institutional policies."

Livingstone cited the school's Statement on Human Sexuality, which claims, "Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm. Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior.”

"We recognize that this situation has caused concern and confusion for many within the Baylor Family and among our broader community of churches, partner organizations, and supporters," Livingstone said. "This has been a learning opportunity for many involved in this situation, and we aim to work alongside our college and school leaders, faculty, and research community, particularly during these challenging times for higher education."

The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation told NBC News that it is "deeply saddened by Baylor's decision to cancel the recent 'Courage from the Margins' research grant following an online campaign of fear and misinformation." It emphasized that "we do not solicit grants" — the school instead applies for them, and "administrators outside of the applying department are well aware of grant applications and provide sign off before submission and before financial awards are made."

"Baylor has solicited and accepted our funds for multiple projects, including this line of research, over many years," the foundation said. "We believe this is following a pressure campaign from groups with a political agenda, which has been very public. This not only abandons this research project, but Baylor’s own faculty and the churches this research could serve."

"This was an opportunity to answer the Christian call to care for the marginalized by creating resources and providing important research for faith communities," it continued. "Our hearts break for the professors, research fellows, and, especially, the students who will receive this message from Baylor, loud and clear."