UNA Professor Receives Louisville Institute Grant
May. 15, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Dr. Ansley Quiros, a Professor in the Department of History at the University of North Alabama, has received a grant from the Louisville Institute through its Grants for Researchers program for the 2026-2027 academic year. Dr. Quiros, a historian of race and religion in the modern United States, received $55,000 for her work on her second monograph, Committed: Charles and Shirley Sherrod as a Model for Civil Rights Activism.
“I am grateful for the Louisville Institute and their robust support of work that furthers our collective knowledge and nurtures religious communities,” Dr. Quiros said. “This project, telling the stories of civil rights activists Charles and Shirley Sherrod, has been many years in the making, but speaks profoundly to our current moment. The Sherrod’s lives, works, and commitment to one another offer us an example of radical faithfulness and durable hope as they sought racial justice and beloved community over many decades in Southwest Georgia. I am so thankful to have the support and time, provided by the Louisville Institute and UNA, to share their remarkable story.”
The Louisville Institute grants, totaling approximately $1.33 million and funded through the generous support of Lilly Endowment, Inc., will support scholarly research at the intersection of Christian faith, the life of the church, and the broader social landscape of North America.
The Louisville Institute, based at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, was founded in late 1990. As a program funded by Lilly Endowment, the Louisville Institute builds upon the Endowment’s long-standing support of both leadership education and scholarly research on North American religion, Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox communities, and historic African American churches. It focuses on grantmaking, convening, and fellowships in theological education that strengthen the church and the academy.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.