Encouraging Support for the US Institute of Peace

Dear ISA members,

As you may know, the House of Representatives in the US Congress voted recently to eliminate funding for the US Institute of Peace.  I'm writing in my personal capacity, as a private citizen, to encourage  you to contact your Congressional representatives to express your concern about the House action and request that Congress support the reinstatement of the Institute's budget.

ISA members may be aware of the Institute's role in support of research, training, and education on conflict resolution and peacebuilding.  According to a recent publication by the Peace and Security Funders Group, the Institute  is ranked 10th in terms of  overall grant making in the field, just behind foundations with substantial endowments, such as MacArthur, Carnegie, Ford, and Hewlett.  The Institute’s investment in specific subfields has exceeded that of many large foundations, including the Mott Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The contribution of USIP is even more visible when grant making is broken out by thematic focus.  USIP is ranked 5th among all foundations nationally in the category of “Funding for Promoting International Security and Stability;” 6th in “Addressing Transnational Threats;” 7th in the category of “Funding for Preventing and Reducing Violent Conflict;”, and 10th in “Supporting Diplomacy and International Institutions.”

Through our Senior Fellows program, we have supported the work of hundreds of scholars and practitioners to conduct long-term studies on the causes and consequences of conflict and how to prevent it.  The Institute has also supported hundreds of Ph.D. students through our Peace Scholars program. The Grant Program has provided over 2,000 grants since 1986, a majority of which have supported the work of individual scholars around the world.  Many leading members of the Association have benefited from the support of the Grant Program.

The loss of USIP support would be a significant blow to the academic community, and to ISA members in particular.  We hope you will recognize the importance of the Institute's work and contact your representatives in Congress.  The matter is quite urgent.  The Senate returns from recess next Monday, February 28, to begin work on its version of a budget for the remainder of FY11.  We hope you will act now to express your support for USIP.

Following is a link to an article that appeared recently in Inside Higher Ed.  Also included is a URL for a FaceBook page containing information on how to contact representatives, and on how members of Congress voted on the USIP budget bill.

Additional information about USIP can be found at www.usip.org. 

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/02/2/house_wants_to_end_federal_support_for_peace_institute

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dont-defund-the-United-States-Institute-of-Peace/191913630829950

Many thanks for your help.

Steven Heydemann