WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A program at a private North Carolina university is giving nearly $1 million to more than a dozen theologians and philosophers in the U.S. and Great Britain who study the essence of human character.

Wake Forest University said Monday the effort to better understand virtue and vice called The Character Project has awarded 16 grants to scholars.

Wake Forest philosophy professor Christian Miller oversaw the review for the philosophy awards, and he says the winners should contribute to our understanding of morality and character.

The Character Project is supported by $4 million from the John Templeton Foundation, named for the American-born investor and mutual fund pioneer .