A professor at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is the recipient of a large and prestigious federal grant. 

A five-year, $93,000 federal grant through Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) was awarded to CMU Associate Professor of History Dr. Brian Froese. The grant is for a research project "addressing the intersection of conservative religion and politics in Western Canada from the 1880s to 1960s," CMU said in a release.

"It's exciting," Dr. Froese said in a statement. "Getting the grant affirms for me that the research I am doing is important and that it is of significance to people beyond scholars in my field."

The project examines Canadian and American religious and political networks. Dr. Froese says people are asking what role, if any, religion should have in Canadian politics. He hopes that understanding how they worked in the past will help with the present.

The SSHRC grant will help fund research trips to Indiana, Utah, Southern California, and Western Canada, as well as help train promising students by having them help in archival research, writing, and conference presentations.

Dr. Froese has been with CMU since 2006 and will spend his sabbatical year (2018-19) working on his project.