In 2002, SPU was awarded a $1.9 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish the original SERVE Program, which included sixteen program components supporting theological thought about vocational choices among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. Part of the national Lilly PTEV (Programs for Theological Exploration of Vocation), the SPU SERVE Program was granted a $500,000 sustaining grant from the Lilly Endowment in 2005 to continue its work for an additional three years. Currently, 12 programs fall under the SERVE umbrella.