Ploughshares: Grants for a Nuclear Weapon-free World

Overview

Ploughshares is committed to investing in the smartest people with the best ideas to reduce and ultimately eliminate the threats posed by nuclear weapons, and build a more peaceful future. Our grantees are on the cutting edge, developing fresh, innovative strategies to do just that.

It’s a simple sentence, but it's supported by complex work.
How do we do it? By funding organizations and people who drive policies and activities that help eliminate nuclear threats or address regional conflicts, create a stronger and more resilient nuclear field, build new partnerships with intersecting issues, and support transformational thinking and activities. This portfolio supports essential near-term steps to counter nuclear policy regression, advance arms control and diplomacy, and resolve nuclear-related regional conflicts.

In line with Ploughshares’s organizational goals and priorities, our grantmaking and programmatic activities are focused on the following areas:
Near-Term Steps
Drive policies and activities that help eliminate nuclear threats or address regional conflicts.

Strengthened Community

Create a stronger, more resilient nuclear field.
This portfolio supports core organizations in the nuclear field and targeted projects that aim for a more dynamic, inclusive, and effective community.

Shared Purpose
Build new partnerships with intersecting issues.
This portfolio develops a broad power base by aligning with social justice movements and exploring intersections between nuclear topics and other issues.

Bold Futures
Support transformational thinking and activities.
This portfolio creates favorable terrain for long-term policy change by investing in transformational approaches that fundamentally challenge the nuclear status quo.

Please note that we do not fund the production of films, videos, books, art projects, provide scholarships or the research and writing of academic dissertations.

Before you apply for a grant, please connect with us to answer any questions you might have and to make your application process easier. Please contact Kaite Lower at klower@ploughshares.org to arrange a meeting.

In between the three annual board meetings, Ploughshares staff have the ability to make discretionary grants up to $50,000. These discretionary grants are used to support time urgent projects related to our highest priority funding areas. If you believe your project aligns with these guidelines, please submit an inquiry with a brief description of you project. We will let you know if a full proposal is appropriate.