First Peace and Security Funding Index Launched

Despite making up only one percent of giving, peace and security funders have donated over $283 million across 2,000 grants.

 

Despite making up only one percent of giving, peace and security funders have donated over $283 million across 2,000 grants.

The recent launch of the Peace and Security Funding Index: An Analysis of Global Foundation Grantmaking, by the Peace and Security Funders Group, details the various donors working to build a safer, more peaceful, and more cohesive international community. The Index’s corollary report breaks down funding and initiatives by foundation, issue, and number of grants, and outlines the various peacebuilding strategies employed by each donor. It provides a comprehensive overview of the field, and highlights the diverse array of projects undertaken by the donors– everything from nuclear security and arms control to democracy building and gender issues.

Hillary Wiesner, director of the Transnational Movements and the Arab Region program at Carnegie Corporation of New York, found immense value in the report, especially in light of the current global climate. “With complex global trends like the proliferation of militant groups and the decline in state functionality, we are increasingly turning to the experts in these conflict-affected regions to illuminate the drivers of violence and expand upon diverse methods of peacebuilding," she said.  "This report highlights the creative actions undertaken to avert conflict and mass atrocities.”    

The analysis, the first of its kind, puts peace and security into perspective, and shines a light on exactly what types of projects are funded and who is funding them. It highlights successful grant strategies, features specific programs that have garnered success, and breaks down the data in a multitude of ways. The index was created to “allow funders to identify new partners and areas of opportunity,” with the overarching goal being that it “serve as the primary source for funders, nonprofits, policymakers, and the general public to learn more about the peace and security sector, so that we can all help to build a better future.”