Little-Known Network of Higher Ed Institutes Has Roots in Anti–Gay Marriage Fight and Opus Dei

The Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education touts its proximity to prestigious universities: Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale—even the University of Oxford. It’s right there on its website: “Established in 2012 as an independent, nonpartisan, grant-making organization, FEHE funds and advises programs at elite universities where the next generation of cultural leaders are formed.” The foundation says it supports a growing network of more than 25 institutes or programs based on or near the campuses of top universities, which also include Johns Hopkins University, Rice University and the Universities of Chicago; Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh; California, Berkeley; and Texas at Austin. These entities promote the study of a range of topics: civil discourse, civics, ethics, theology, Catholic thought, Western thought, family, human flourishing, living “the good life” and exploring deep human questions. The network teaches, funds and places numerous scholars in its various programs.