The Peace Development Fund is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

public foundation, based in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

. Its mission statement describes it as working "to build the capacity of community-based organizations through grants, training, and other resources as partners in the

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

movements.Mission Statement, Peace Development Fund. Reprinted in ''PeaceDevelopments'', Peace Development Fund, spring 2007, p.4. The fund was co-founded in 1981 by Bob Mazer and Meg Gage, and originally focused on funding grassroots

anti-nuclear organizations Anti-nuclear organizations may oppose uranium mining, nuclear power, and/or nuclear weapons. Anti-nuclear groups have undertaken public protests and acts of civil disobedience which have included occupations of nuclear plant sites. Some of the mo ...

. They soon expanded to fund groups opposing the

Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...

's policies in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and later to low-income community organizing not necessarily related to war-and-peace issues. This last led to a broadened board of directors: as Meg Gage put it in 2007, "…to build a strong peace and social justice movement, you have to connect with

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

… I'm very proud of the large, diverse board we built.""Building a Strong Foundation," ''PeaceDevelopments'', Peace Development Fund, spring 2007, p.4.

History

Grants and Programs

Grant Applications and Reporting

What Peace Development Fund Funds

The Peace Development Fund makes grants to organizations and projects working to achieve peaceful, just and equitable relationships among people and nations. They believe that the change in values needed to establish a more just and peaceful world can come about only if it is strongly rooted in local communities that value the importance of building movements to create systemic social change. These are communities that view everyone, especially young people, as a vital force in the transformation of society. The Peace Development Fund is committed to supporting organizations and projects that recognize that peace will never be sustained unless it is based on justice and an appreciation of both the diversity and unity of the human family. They understand peace to be a consequence of equitable relationships—with our fellow human beings and with the natural environment of which we are a part and on which we depend.

Notes

{{Authority control Foundations based in the United States Anti–nuclear weapons movement Community organizing Organizations established in 1981