Equity Rises
Equity Rises: A top priority for Ploughshares Fund
When Ploughshares Fund launched the Women’s Initiative in 2017, the need was urgent and clear.
“If we are to solve the world’s biggest problem of nuclear weapons, we must include more women and more diverse perspectives,” the foundation announced at the time. “Conversations about nuclear weapons have historically been dominated by the singular perspective of men and taken place behind closed doors. But nuclear war is a threat to everyone – generations of men, women, children and the very planet itself.”
The Ploughshares Fund Women’s Initiative grew to be much more than a conversation changer.
In four years, the Women’s Initiative validated and catalyzed new gendered thinking among funding partners in the nuclear policy field. It championed the contributions of women working in the field, supported data-rich studies that explored third-rail issues such as sexism and racism, changed the way panelists are elevated on public platforms – and reached gender parity in Ploughshares Fund grantmaking.
“In looking forward and in listening to the voices and concerns of those working in the nuclear policy community today, it was clear that there is a need to expand our scope with one that aligns with the value of bringing multiple perspectives to the peace and security table,” said Dr. Emma Belcher.
As a key strategic component in her first year as president of Ploughshares Fund, Belcher is proud to announce Equity Rises as the new, evolved and expanded name and approach for the Women’s Initiative.
“Equity Rises aims to increase equity and justice in nuclear policy by empowering diverse voices, cultivating inclusive spaces and collaborating with new partners inside and outside the field,” said Cara Marie Wagner, senior program officer at Ploughshares Fund.
Programmatically, Equity Rises will serve as a core, structural component of the Ploughshares Fund mission to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons, by expanding its scope of inclusivity to gender, race and disability.
“Equity Rises reflects the underlying values, scope and scale our community needs for deep, transformational and systematic change,” said Terry Greenblatt, senior advisor at Ploughshares Fund, who, along with Wagner, was instrumental in launching the Women’s Initiative.
Building off of the momentum and progress by the Women’s Initiative, Equity Rises will continue to disrupt assumptions on how and who has a say in the matter of making the world a more safe and secure world for all.
