Antillean Adventist University Awarded Large Grant for Faith-Based Media Project

Lilly Endowment funding will support digital storytelling among young adults in Puerto Rico and Central Florida.

January 22, 2026 | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | Antillean Adventist University and IAD News Staff

Antillean Adventist University (AAU) has become the first institution in Puerto Rico and the only one selected in the Inter-American Division territory, to receive a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of the foundation’s 2025 National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life, university leaders announced recently.

AAU was selected among 60 organizations across the United States chosen since 2024 to participate in the national initiative, explained university officials. The five-year grant will support a project titled “Enduring Faith in the Face of Life’s Storms,” which will highlight authentic, faith-based stories of Puerto Ricans born between 1990 and 2009, using multiple digital storytelling formats.

The project will document how young adults live out their faith amid cultural, social, and economic challenges, including the long-term effects of hurricanes Irma and María, migration to Central Florida, and the influence of Adventist, Catholic, and evangelical traditions.

Sharing Stories of Faith and Resilience

According to project leaders, the initiative will produce testimonies shaped by Puerto Rico’s rich cultural identity and the experiences of its diaspora, especially in the Orlando, Florida, area. The stories will emphasize courage, hope, authenticity, and a living relationship with God.

“This initiative represents a unique opportunity to present to the world the spiritual strength that distinguishes the Puerto Rican people,” said Dr. Edwin Hernández, president of Antillean Adventist University. “Our communities have faced extraordinary challenges, and yet their faith remains firm. This project will allow us to document and share stories that affirm life, hope, and purpose, stories that inspire and strengthen new generations.”

Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative supports projects that strengthen Christian faith and public understanding of religion through high-quality storytelling. The private philanthropic foundation, established in 1937 in Indianapolis, Indiana, supports programs in community development, education, and religion, with a focus on strengthening congregational life and faith leadership.

Organizations receiving funding include media groups, denominational bodies, religious networks, publishers, educational institutions, congregations, and nonprofit organizations.

Strategic Plan Focused on Excellence and Mission

AAU’s strategic plan for the initiative is built around three core actions: identifying authentic faith stories, producing them with excellence, and sharing them strategically with local, national, and diaspora audiences, according to Lorell Varela, communication and marketing director of AAU co-directing the project.

“The university’s media center, working with partners and collaborators, is implementing a multi-year production schedule focused on stories of lived faith, resilience, personal growth, and community transformation,” she said.

Project team leaders estimate that more than 20 primary stories per year will be produced, along with complementary digital content designed to expand reach across social media, community events, and church platforms.

This approach, Varela said, will ensure narrative consistency, spiritual depth, and alignment with the university’s mission and the goals of the national initiative.

Shared Leadership Model Guides Production

All productions are led directly by AAU through a shared leadership model, which integrates strategic planning, creative production, and spiritual sensitivity, ensuring institutional coherence and high-quality execution. In addition, some collaborators will produce stories within their own communities under the project’s editorial vision, explained Varela.

A team of experts in evaluation, production, and communications is also advising throughout the process to ensure narrative quality, effective messaging, and alignment with project objectives, university officials said.

“We received this opportunity with deep gratitude to God and with a strong sense of responsibility,” said Varela. “In a highly competitive process among many national institutions, our proposal was selected, and Antillean became the only university in Puerto Rico included in this initiative. We approach this project with humility and commitment, knowing these faith stories must be treated with respect, spiritual depth, and fidelity to the communities they represent.”

Co-director Juan Alberto Ovalles emphasized that authenticity is central to the storytelling approach.

“Our focus is to tell stories that grow out of people’s real-life experiences, using contemporary and authentic language without losing spiritual depth,” Ovalles said. “These are faith narratives that connect generations and communities because they speak about God from everyday life.”

Grant Supports Full Storytelling Ecosystem

Leaders said the $5 million grant supports a five-year, multi-layered initiative that includes content creation, training, distribution, and long-term sustainability. Stories will be produced in Puerto Rico and Central Florida with support from the Puerto Rican Union and local churches, while training programs will equip members to use storytelling as a tool for faith, community connection, and mission.

Content will be shared through institutional platforms, social media, churches, community events, and partner networks to expand its reach across Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.

University leaders said the approach is designed to help faith stories be embraced and multiplied within the communities they serve.

Lorell Varela contributed to this article.