MRG’s Peace Fund strengthened Oregon’s peace movement by funding groups that are building connections between peace and social justice; drawing new people into the movement; and organizing to direct policy and resources away from war and into peace and social justice.

The fund prioritized work that fosters deep thinking, broad-based leadership development and the cross-organizational collaboration that is necessary for strategic peace movement building.

To learn more about the groups that received grants, take a look at this list of Peace Fund grantees.

The Peace Fund supported groups that are:

• Organizing effective opposition to US national security policies. Examples include protecting the rights of young people to attend school without the pressure of on-campus military recruitment, supporting conscientious objectors within the military, ending the persecution of immigrants and refugees in a post 9/11 world, and protecting against the erosion of civil rights through the USA PATRIOT Act.
• Opposing unjust international wars & military actions.
• Developing peaceful alternatives to highly militarized foreign policies.
• Countering nuclear arms proliferation.
• Advocating for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the appropriate disposal of nuclear waste.

The maximum single grant award was $5,000

Summary of Funding Criteria

While the Peace Fund is no longer active as of Summer 2010, our funding criteria were:

1. Located in Oregon. Proposals must be submitted by groups located in the state and must be directed toward Oregonians.

2. Limited access to mainstream funding. MRG Foundation funds groups that do not receive funding from more traditional sources -- because they are too radical or they are too small or they just don't know the "right" people. Also, your operating budget must be below $300,000.

3. Grassroots organizing for peace. We define organizing as the effort to bring people together to use their collective power to challenge the political, social and economic institutions and systems that perpetuate war and injustice. Within this criteria, we prioritize:

• Groups that are creating a power base that can hold leaders accountable to the people who are most affected by their decisions.
• Groups whose membership or constituents take the lead in planning and decision making.
• Groups that clearly outline their vision, goals and strategies and the specific activities that will accomplish the goals of the project.

4. Strategic peace movement building. We define movement building as a collaborative process that explores the root causes of injustice and war, develops a long-term vision of peace and social justice, defines a political agenda or campaign to move toward that vision, and implements a specific strategy for achieving that agenda. Within this criteria, we prioritize:

• Groups that are developing the networks, collaborations and infrastructure needed to move a common political agenda.
• Groups that are expanding the peace movement by effectively reaching out to new constituencies that haven’t traditionally been involved in peace activism.
• Groups that have an analysis of the interconnectedness of social justice issues and constituencies.

5. Dismantling oppression. Institutionalized oppression such as racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism and ableism are primary tools used to perpetuate injustice. Dismantling oppression refers to the proactive process of confronting privilege and challenging the institutional structures - both internal and external to the organization - that perpetuate oppression. Within this criteria, we prioritize:

• Groups that demonstrate a clear commitment (through analysis, accomplishments and/or concrete plans) to sharing power across lines of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Groups that are lead by those who are most impacted by issues of war and peace, specifically people of color, low-income people, immigrants and refugees, veterans, youth, and military personnel and their families.