General
New Interfaith Leadership Network Will Support Local Changemakers
New Interfaith Leadership Network Will Support Local Changemakers
Interfaith Alliance’s Interfaith Leadership Network will provide faith leaders with resources to convene local interfaith coalitions.
WASHINGTON — Interfaith Alliance, a national organization that advocates for inclusive democracy and healthy boundaries between religion and government, has brought together a select group of diverse faith leaders from across the country who applied to participate in the first Interfaith Leadership Network (ILN). The organization will support these local leaders with practical skills, financial resources, expert coaching, and a strong, collaborative network to advance civil rights and religious freedom across the country.
Every member of the 2024 Interfaith Leadership Network cohort will focus on a significant local project, mobilizing people of diverse faiths and beliefs to strengthen interfaith relationships and positively impact their communities. Each will receive a grant of up to $5,000 alongside mentorship, training, and media support to uplift their work.
“With extremism and hate-based violence on the rise, now more than ever we need to support those who are working to unite their communities and strengthen our multi-faith democracy,” said Maureen O’Leary, Interfaith Alliance’s Senior Director of Field & Organizing. “The impressive members of the first class of the Interfaith Leadership Network are each pursuing critical projects to achieve a more just, equitable democracy in their communities.”
The members of the 2024 Interfaith Leadership Network are:
- Hussayn Abdul-Qawi; Los Angeles, California
- Matthew Anderson, Boston; Massachusetts
- The Rev. LaNesha (Lynn) DeBardelaben; Seattle, Washington
- Kyle Evans; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Rabbi Steven Philp; Chicago, Illinois
- The Rev. Dr. Anna Piela; Evanston, Illinois
- Rabbi Scott Shafrin; St. Louis, Missouri
- The Rev. Kimble Sorrells; Atlanta, Georgia
- The Rev Dr. Neil G. Thomas; Dallas, Texas
Each of these ILN leaders is available to discuss the significance of this network and the work they are doing in their own communities.
Transcript
Announcing the 2025-2026 Interfaith Leadership Network Fellows
Interfaith Alliance is proud to announce the 2025–2026 cohort of the Interfaith Leadership Network, an extraordinary group of clergy, pro-democracy advocates, and community leaders advancing civil rights, inclusive religious freedom, and democracy in communities across the country. Through practical support, funding, and a powerful peer network, these fellows will mobilize interfaith collaboration to confront urgent local challenges and strengthen a pluralistic democracy.
One Year of The Trump Administration’s Attacks on Faith Communities and Abuse of Religion
Over its first year, the Trump administration has weaponized religion to advance a white Christian nationalist agenda, attacking faith leaders, houses of worship, immigrants, and religious minorities while undermining core principles of religious freedom. Even as federal power has been used to intimidate and exclude, faith communities across traditions have mobilized to defend democracy, pluralism, and the right of all people to practice their beliefs.