Ploughshares Fund has substantially increased our operations and investments in efforts to achieve the peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons. Combining high-level advocacy, an enhanced grant-making capacity and our own expertise, we believe we can help to fundamentally change U.S. and global nuclear weapons policies.
President Obama has begun that change with his historic
April 2009 speech in Prague. Our job now is to overcome obstacles to the implementation of this nuclear security agenda. To do so, we need to accomplish six key objectives:
- Leverage the Nuclear Posture Review for increased transparency and reduced roles/numbers of nuclear weapons
- Achieve ratification of the New START treaty
- Encourage and shape US-Russia negotiations for deeper reductions down to ~1,000 weapons total for each and common approach to missile defense
- Achieve ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
- Increase global leaders’ support for the goal of a nuclear weapons-free world
- Shape the U.S. debate on Iran and North Korea policy to promote diplomatic solutions to contain nuclear programs
- Demonstrate improved relations between conflicting parties in South/Southwest Asia
Ploughshares Fund will orient our resources toward achieving these objectives. We will reduce the total number of grants, but increase the amount of some grants in order to strengthen the organizational effectiveness and analytical capability of our grantees. We will work closely with key partners to network organizations to maximize impact. In order to achieve these six objectives, we will support organizations, projects and individuals who seek to influence the policy debate in the U.S. and other key countries on three major themes:
Promote the Goal of Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: Our investments will support policy-oriented research, policy advocacy, lobbying, media outreach and rapid response, and organizing aimed at reorienting the nuclear posture of the United States; making deep cuts in global nuclear stockpiles, achieving ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and developing and promoting specific steps towards a nuclear weapon-free world. We will consider grants primarily in the U.S., Russia and the United Kingdom.
Prevent the Emergence of New Nuclear States: Our key focus is to influence U.S. policy so that it will emphasize effective diplomacy and engagement grounded in well-informed and strategic analysis. We support a variety of approaches, including civil society engagement, policy-oriented research, track two dialogue, policy advocacy, lobbying, and media outreach and rapid response. Our investments are geared to help make U.S. policy toward Iran and North Korea more effective in limiting and ultimately rolling back their nuclear programs. We will consider grants primarily in the U.S., but also those based elsewhere that make sense to achieve improved U.S. policy.
Build Regional Security In Key Areas of Concern: Our investments support fact-finding missions, on-the-ground analysis, track two dialogue, confidence building measures, policy advocacy and media outreach to advance the transformation of conflicts in regions where nuclear weapons are factors, specifically in South and Southwest Asia. We will consider grants primarily in the U.S., India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Although our strategies and policy goals are focused and specific, we place very few restrictions on our grantmaking. We give where our grants can have the greatest impact. Last year our grants went to nine countries around the world. We often make emergency grants and, unlike most foundations, we fund individuals as well as organizations.
We are currently not funding projects that focus on space security and conflict regions not associated with the South Asian nuclear context.
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