Ploughshares Fund
Encyclopedia
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| Established | 1981 |
| Exec. Dir. | Naila Bolus |
| Founder | Sally Lilienthal Sally Lilienthal An artist and lifelong activist for human and civil rights, Sally Lilienthal founded the Ploughshares Fund in 1981 during the Cold War in the belief that the threat of nuclear war overshadowed everything else. Ploughshares Fund continues to provide grants to individuals and organizations... (1919 - 2006) |
| President | Joseph Cirincione Joseph Cirincione Joseph Cirincione is the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grant-making foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy and conflict resolution. He was appointed to the presidency by the Ploughshares board of directors on March 5, 2008... |
| Chairman | Roger Hale |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Homepage | http://www.ploughshares.org |
The Ploughshares Fund is a public grantmaking foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear, biological
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
and chemical weapons and other weapons of war, and to prevent conflicts that could lead to the use of weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
. Ploughshares is a 501(c)(3) foundation that pools contributions from individuals, families and foundations. With over sixty million dollars awarded in grants since its founding in 1981, Ploughshares Fund is the largest U.S. philanthropic foundation focused exclusively on peace and security grantmaking.
History
Concerned about the world’s burgeoning nuclear arsenals, San Francisco philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and activist Sally Lilienthal
Sally Lilienthal
An artist and lifelong activist for human and civil rights, Sally Lilienthal founded the Ploughshares Fund in 1981 during the Cold War in the belief that the threat of nuclear war overshadowed everything else. Ploughshares Fund continues to provide grants to individuals and organizations...
founded the Ploughshares Fund in 1981. Ploughshares enables individual contributors to pool resources and provide support for the most effective initiatives to prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons. Sally's ability to draw people in and motivate them to act fueled the organization's early growth. Under her guidance, Ploughshares Fund made grants whose impact far exceeded their size. In the twenty-seven years since it was founded, Ploughshares has made grants totaling nearly $60 million to hundreds of people and organizations around the world, becoming the largest grantmaking foundation in the U.S. whose exclusive mission is peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
funding.
During this time, as nuclear dangers have evolved, Ploughshares Fund has responded to new threats to global security
International security
International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security...
as they have emerged: the vulnerability to theft of nuclear weapons and fissile material following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991; the changing nature of armed conflict after the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
; emerging challenges to the nonproliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
regime; and the geopolitical
Geopolitics
Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
upheavals in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
Ploughshares Fund works to directly influence public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
on weapons and security. The Fund’s strategies include providing start-up funding for peace and security entrepreneurs; granting emergency funding to meet urgent needs; supporting advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
programs; influencing public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
through the media; making grants internationally; and building grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
leadership.
Sally Lilienthal died in October 2006, at the age of 87, while still serving as Ploughshares Fund's president. Naila Bolus joined Ploughshares Fund in 1997 as executive director and has overseen the expansion of the Fund's grantmaking capacity and its role as a convenor of the peace and security community. In 2008, recognizing the unique political opportunities that were unfolding to achieve Sally's original vision of a world without nuclear weapons, the Board of Directors appointed Joseph Cirincione
Joseph Cirincione
Joseph Cirincione is the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grant-making foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy and conflict resolution. He was appointed to the presidency by the Ploughshares board of directors on March 5, 2008...
as Ploughshares Fund's president, tasked with leading the organization's expansion and elevating its profile and policy impact.
Issue areas
Ploughshares Fund’s grantmaking is focused on the following issues:- Nuclear Weapons
- Nuclear Materials
- Missiles and Space
- Conflict Prevention
Notable grants
In addition to many other grants over 27 years, Ploughshares has funded the following work:- Support for a coalition of groups lobbying against including nuclear weapons in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2009 saved a billion dollars from the package.
- Ploughshares Fund was one of the earliest and most consistent supporters of the International Campaign to Ban LandminesInternational Campaign to Ban LandminesThe International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working for a world free of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives.The coalition was formed in...
, which has led to the destruction of 38 million mines, yielded an international treaty in record time, and earned the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
for its proponents.
- An early grant enabled scientists at the Natural Resources Defense CouncilNatural Resources Defense CouncilThe Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
and the Soviet Academy of Scientists to prove a nuclear test ban could be verified, thereby removing one of the last hurdles standing in the way of a test ban treaty.
- A coalition of grassroots organizations supported by Ploughshares Fund led environmental challenges that halted the production of nuclear weapons in the U.S.
- The Arms Control Advocacy Collaborative, co-founded by Ploughshares Fund and the Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation, led a legislative advocacy campaign to stop the development of a new generation of nuclear weaponsNuclear bunker busterBunker-busting nuclear weapons, also known as earth-penetrating weapons , are a type of nuclear weapon designed to penetrate into soil, rock, or concrete to deliver a nuclear warhead to a target. These weapons would be used to destroy hardened, underground military bunkers buried deep in the ground...
.
- Grants to Search for Common GroundSearch for Common GroundSearch for Common Ground is an international non-profit organization operating in nearly 30 countries whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict – away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with the majority of...
and the United Nations Association of the United StatesUnited Nations Association of the United States of AmericaThe United Nations Association of the United States of America or UNA-USA is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and work of the United Nations among the American people. Its education, policy and advocacy programs emphasize the...
for initiatives to maintain communication and engagement with Iran aimed at a peaceful, mutually acceptable resolution to the dispute of Iran’s nuclear program.
- The Peace and Security Initiative, involving members of advocacy organizations, think tanks, funders and activists, increased members' capacity to influence U.S. policy to promote a more secure, peaceful and just world.
Board of directors
- Edie Allen
- Reza AslanReza AslanReza Aslan is an Iranian-American activist, a nationally acclaimed writer of religions. He is on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and is a contributing editor for The Daily Beast...
- Doug CarlstonDoug CarlstonDoug Carlston is the founder and current CEO of Tawala Systems based in San Rafael, California. He was previously CEO, chairman, and co-founder of Brøderbund Software, a major software publishing firm that produced such hit titles as Myst, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and Prince of...
- Joseph CirincioneJoseph CirincioneJoseph Cirincione is the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grant-making foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy and conflict resolution. He was appointed to the presidency by the Ploughshares board of directors on March 5, 2008...
, President - Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
- Gloria DuffyGloria DuffyGloria Charmian Duffy is a former US defense official and a non-profit executive. Currently she is the President and CEO of the Commonwealth Club of California, the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States....
- Mary Lloyd Estrin
- Angela Foster
- Senator Chuck HagelChuck HagelCharles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002...
- Roger Hale, Chair
- David Holloway
- John Hoyt
- Robert A. RubinsteinRobert A. RubinsteinRobert A. Rubinstein is a cultural anthropologist whose work bridges the areas of political and medical anthropology, and the history and theory of the discipline. He is Professor of Anthropology and International Relations at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.-Education and...
- Cynthia Ryan
- Gail Seneca
- Robert E. Sims
- Patricia F. Sullivan, Treasurer
- Brooks Walker III, Secretary
- Philip Yun
Board of Advisors
- J. Brian AtwoodJ. Brian AtwoodJohn Brian Atwood is a diplomat and former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. From 2002 to 2010, he was dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota...
- Lloyd AxworthyLloyd AxworthyLloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
- George BunnGeorge BunnGeorge Lincoln Bunn was an American lawyer, judge, and academic from Minnesota. He served as a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and dean of William Mitchell College of Law.Bunn was born in Sparta, Wisconsin...
- William S. Cohen
- Jayantha DhanapalaJayantha DhanapalaProfessor Jayantha Dhanapala is a member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a governing board member of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Dr. Dhanapala was Sri Lanka's official candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations,...
- Susan EisenhowerSusan EisenhowerSusan Elaine Eisenhower is a consultant, author, and expert on international security and relations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America. She is the daughter of John Eisenhower, and the granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower...
- Scilla ElworthyScilla ElworthyScilla Elworthy is the founder of the Oxford Research Group, a non-governmental organisation which seeks to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics...
- Leslie H. Gelb
- Hal Harvey
- Steve KirschSteve KirschSteven Todd Kirsch is an American serial entrepreneur who has started six companies: Mouse Systems, Frame Technology, Infoseek, Propel, Abaca, and OneID. He invented and owns a patent on an early version of the optical mouse. After bringing multiple successful startup companies through IPO and...
- Lawrence KorbLawrence KorbLawrence J. Korb , is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information...
- Admiral L. Ramdas
- William Matson Roth
- George P. ShultzGeorge P. ShultzGeorge Pratt Shultz is an American economist, statesman, and businessman. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970, as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1972 to 1974, and as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989...
- Jeffrey SkollJeffrey SkollJeffrey Skoll is a Canadian-born engineer and internet entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles, California. With an estimated net worth of $US 3.2 billion , Skoll was ranked by Forbes as the 7th wealthiest Canadian and 347th in the world.He was the first employee and also first president of internet...
- Frank N. Von Hippel