The famed investor established the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1972. Its first recipient was Mother Teresa. It's been awarded each year since then to someone whose "achievements harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind's place and purpose within it." Today, the prize is worth $1.6 million.
After retiring in 1992, he devoted his efforts to philanthropy.
Templeton died in 2008, but his legacy lives on through the three charitable organizations he founded: the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Templeton Religion Trust.
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