At the United Nations Peace Foundation, we believe a shared future is within our reach, and that our shared identity and common aspirations as members of the human family establish the basis for sustainable peace.
Our History
Founded in 2012, United Nations Peace Foundation (UNPF) is an international non-sectarian, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peace building. UNPF engages and organizes a global network who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation.
our Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Our mission is to contribute the building of global peace by supporting organizations and projects that restore, rebuild, and transform broken relationships due to prejudices, stereotyping, hatreds, and fears which may have accumulated over generations.
Our Vision
The United Nations Peace Foundation’s unique vision to peacebuilding includes three essential aspects: interfaith leadership, empowering families and youth, and building a culture of service.
What Sets Us Apart …
Our Differences
UNPF has evolved over the past ten years to establish its unique place in the peace and security grant-making field through the following:
Grassroots Approach
UNPF supports peace building activities that operate at the local, or community level. The key premise is that lasting peace can and must be built from the bottom up by ordinary citizens. We believe that power resides not just with high level decision makers, but at the grassroots level as well. Each individual can make a difference.
Contact Theory
UNPF operates under the Contact Theory, a central tenet of peace building, based on the belief that separation and unfamiliarity between conflicting groups can, and often does, breed negative attitudes such as stereotyping and prejudice which can potentially escalate into hostility and violence. The Contact Theory believes that these negative attitudes can be reduced by promoting contact and familiarity between conflicting groups.
Long-term focus and approach
As both a fundraiser and a grant maker, UNPF is uniquely committed to long-term investment in the peacebuilding process. Rather than following a short-term and quantitative results-driven approach, UNPF focuses on long-term goals, supported by qualitative results. UNPF realizes that it will take many generations to undo the hatred, fears and violence that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Our aim is to break this cycle and contribute to the building of sustainable peace all children deserve.
Innovative business model
UNPF continues to develop an innovative model that combines advocacy, due diligence, and Precision Micro-Granting ($500 to $1,000 grants earmarked for specific programs or projects) to increase awareness of the culture-transforming work currently underway among ordinary citizens. Our model also provides donors with an opportunity to create their own impact through financial contributions.
Commitment to attitudinal change
Governments sign treaties and aid organizations spend billions of dollars a year, but only people can make peace. The change in attitude and beliefs, which happens in the formative stage of a young person’s life, creates the conditions necessary for youth to form lasting relationships built on mutual trust and respect. Amid complex and shifting landscapes, this trust is the bedrock for sustainable peace.
Operating without geographic limitations
This allows UNPF to adopt a pure approach when selecting grantees and carrying out our core programming. We support organizations that operate locally, regionally, nationally, and globally so long as they can demonstrate a continuing commitment to our criteria, regardless of where their operational base is.
Our Impact …
- UNPF, as a smaller grant maker, serves as an example that peace and security philanthropy is accessible to everyone and small donors can have out-sized impact.
- UNPF raised self-funded events during the 10-year operating period (2012 to 2022). More than $5,000 was spent on Core programs (Seminars), while $10,000 was spent on administrative expenses including travel and accommodation expense.
- Since 2010, UNPF has issued $4,500 Micro-Grants to Peace Players in India, which has helped Hundreds of young Indian Women and Protestants use social acts to break down barriers, bridge divides and develop friendships and peaceful lives.
- From 2017, UNPF issued $2,500 in Precision Micro-Grants to Promote life quality and public awareness of hundreds of homeless people to participate in normal life.
- Conducted seminars to teacher and students about peace making honor and respect, treat others carefully, improve self-confidence, and communicate and accept others even if they are different.