Why Donate?

It is essential that the United States play an active part in international peacebuilding. The challenges we face are many: fragile states, ethnic and religious strife, extremism, competition for scarce resources, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction all pose significant challenges to peace. The resulting suffering and destabilization of societies make effective forms of managing conflict imperative. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is meeting this imperative in significant and innovative ways. | More about USIP

Making an investment in this building will help the Institute fulfill its crucial mission. Specifically, the new building will be a national center for advancing the study and practice of conflict management and peacebuilding. Steps away from the Lincoln, World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans memorials—the facility will house working space for the Institute’s staff, a Public Education Center, classrooms, a research library, and a world-class conference center. It will also be a powerful and lasting affirmation of the American people’s commitment to building a more peaceful world.

Few philanthropic opportunities allow donors to contribute in such a concrete way to so important a cause. This investment will help prevent conflicts from turning violent—and when fighting does occur, it will help ensure that the country does not send its sons and daughters to war without the capacity to win the peace.

Fast Facts - Why the work of the Institute is so important

There are approximately 100 nascent, active, or post-conflict situations in the world today.
In the 20th century, an average of 940,000 people died due to conflict every year.
Since the start of this century, an average of 2,738 people have been driven from their homes by conflict every day.
The average economic cost of a civil war is $64 billion.
Over the past decade, 2 million children have been killed by armed conflict, 1 million orphaned, 6 million disabled, and 10 million impacted with severe psychological trauma.
For every violent death in conflict, there are an estimated 10 “indirect deaths” due to war-exacerbated factors such as malnutrition.
In 2006, 64.5% of the world’s population felt the effects of armed conflict.
We are living in a period marked by extraordinary ethnic, political, and religious strife, all the more destabilizing because of globalization and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Billions of dollars are invested annually to sustain our capacity for warfare. We need a comparable investment in peacefare. Investing in USIP is a good start.