Candid, the leading source of philanthropy worldwide, compiles grants data from IRS Forms 990 and 990-PF, foundation websites and other public sources, as well as through direct reporting by grantmakers. The data included on the site and in the report is based on grantmaking by a set of the largest U.S. foundations, whose grants data is publicly available. It also includes foundations based in the U.S. and other countries that have provided grants data directly to Candid.

Because much of the grants information is collected from IRS forms or relies on direct reporting by foundations, there tends to be a several-years lag from the time a grant is made to when the data is made available to Candid. Grants are then loaded to Candid databases, cleaned, and indexed before researchers can develop the comprehensive dataset of peace and security funding.

Peace and security grantmaking includes all grants that aim to prevent and resolve conflict and to support stable, resilient societies. For the purposes of this project, PSFG’s definition of conflict includes recurrent violence involving multiple perpetrators and victims that takes place in locations where there is a partial or complete breakdown in the state’s monopoly on violence or perpetrated by the state itself against a civil population.

For the 2017 Index, we refined our taxonomy and coding strategies in order to present a more precise picture of the peace and security funding landscape. Based on feedback we received from foundations, policymakers, and grantees, the website now displays data by 24 specific issue areas, rather than the five main issue categories that were used to organize the data on the site at the time of the initial launch. You can now see the regional breakdown, top funders, and strategies for each of these 24 issues. Website data from 2012 and 2013 have been mapped against this new taxonomy, though the associated key findings report based on 2013 data has not been updated and reflects the original taxonomy. In 2018, we added an additional issue category for cybersecurity.

Grants data from 2018 are still in the process of being indexed. Complete data will be added to the site once it’s ready in 2020.

The increase in amount is largely due to grantmaking by several funders:

1. 1. Buffet’s grantmaking was up $40 million over 2016
   2. Kellogg appears in the top ten (unlike in previous years) due to a lot of grantmaking for ‘racial healing and reconciliation’ in a U.S. context. These grants are coded for conflict resolution and peacebuilding (new under PCS II)
   3. Open Society Institute ranks quite high as a funder for 2017 (compared with 2016) and the largest grants are to other OSF entities in Eastern Europe. Foundation to Promote Open Society is down in the rankings, but together OSI and FPOS’ combined total is similar to 2016.
   4. Other prominent funders with increased totals in 2017 are Oak Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Rockefeller, and Wellspring

Foundations can help to increase the timeliness and accuracy of the Peace and Security Index by submitting recent grants data with detailed descriptions identifying each grant’s purpose and goals via Candid's eReporting program. Our ability to provide a nuanced and up-to-date picture of the funding landscape depends on your support.

Please contact Rachel LaForgia rlaforgia [at] peaceandsecurity [dot] org or Inga Ingulfsen inga.ingulfsen [at] candid [dot] org.

Funders included in the 2017 Peace and Security Index: