AAA-ICDR Foundation® Supports Domestic--and Global--Initiatives for Resolving Conflict and Strengthening Diversity/Equity/Inclusion

Organization's Board Approves $1.1M+ in Grants Focused on Bridging Community Conflict and $100K in Rapid Response Grants for Ukraine; Creates Two Diversity ADR Scholarships at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation^® (AAA-ICDR Foundation) announces that its Board of Directors has approved financial support for a variety of initiatives to bridge community conflict, prevent and reduce violence, extend access to justice to vulnerable and underserved communities, and support diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in the U.S. and internationally. These grants reflect Board initiatives outside of the Foundation's regular grant cycle, and grantees were identified by the Foundation and invited to apply.

"We believe in the power of constructive dialogue, and other aspects of alternative dispute resolution, to change society for the better," said India Johnson, President and CEO of the AAA-ICDR, Chair of the AAA-ICDR Foundation. "We feel privileged to be able to financially empower nonprofit organizations and initiatives that seek to reduce conflict and violence—and expand access to justice—in at-risk communities across the country, and around the world."

The AAA-ICDR Foundation Board has approved $1,129,047 in special initiative grants focused on bridging community conflict, with a focus on civil discourse that seeks to mend societal divisions. These grants are also focused on supporting initiatives that look to prevent and reduce violence by concentrating on vulnerable and underserved communities and police/social service partnerships. The grantees include:

• Cure Violence Global, which will receive $542,000. The organization takes a rigorous, scientific, and data-driven approach to helping communities implement violence prevention programs that are effective in significantly reducing violence with a focus on maintaining worker safety, based on the latest understanding of the risks and challenges frontline workers face and the field's response to these risks. Cure Violence Global treats violence as a public health issue, and that community partners and strategic partnerships are key to success in reducing it. For more information, visit https://cvg.org/.
• National Conference on Citizenship, which will receive $187,047. The Congressionally chartered nonprofit will use this grant to promote and measure civility by producing a Civility Index, working with three pilot communities to embed civil discourse practices into public settings, and convening local leaders to refine and disseminate these tools and practices. To learn more, visit https://ncoc.org/.
• National Institute for Civil Discourse, which will receive $200,000. The non-partisan organization, based at the University of Arizona, seeks to promote healthy and civil political debate, so that people with different values and political preferences can discuss their differences in a civil and productive manner. This grant will be used to increase the scale and impact of the CommonSense American Program, ultimately used to engage members of Congress to work on bipartisan action. For more information, visit https://nicd.arizona.edu/.
• Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy, which will receive $200,000. The institute's mission is to further Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's legacy and lifetime devotion to advancing civics education, civic engagement, and civil discourse. This grant will support Civics for Life becoming the "go to" online destination for civil discourse and civics education with nonpartisan, fact-based content and interactive activities. For more details, visit https://oconnorinstitute.org/.

The AAA-ICDR Foundation has approved $100,000 in rapid response grants focused on utilizing mediation to assist Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The grantees include:

• Mediators Beyond Borders International, which will receive $75,000 towards its work in partnership with the National Association of Mediators of Ukraine on trauma awareness for mediators and dialogue facilitators. That partnership is dedicated to not only reducing conflict and violence, but also to improving access to justice in Ukraine and helping displaced Ukrainians. For more information, visit https://mediatorsbeyondborders.org/ and http://namu.com.ua/en/.
• Project Kesher, which will receive $25,000 towards its programs on the ground in Ukraine. The grant purpose is to empower Ukrainian women leaders with the knowledge and skills to get a seat at the table and impart mediation based practices in negotiations to promote gender equality and a post-war vision that inspires hope. The grant will also go towards mentoring participants in integrating mediation tools in their community building work. To learn more, visit https://www.projectkesher.org/.

In addition, the AAA-ICDR Foundation has established diversity scholarships at Howard University and North Carolina Central University, two historically Black colleges and universities that offer certificates in dispute resolution programs in their law schools.

Both scholarships involve a three-year commitment to provide $50,000 annually to a second- or third-year law school student enrolled in these universities' certificates in dispute resolution programs. Each scholarship represents a total commitment of $150,000. Scholarship recipients will be selected in September 2022.

"Support for diversity, equity, and inclusion has always been a major area of focus for our Foundation," said Ms. Johnson. "Our diversity scholarships will help create a more diverse pool of arbitrators who can facilitate equitable resolutions to disputes through the arbitration process."

The AAA-ICDR Foundation has awarded more than $5 million since its inception in 2015. The Foundation's 2021 Annual Report, which includes more information about its mission and the grants it has funded, can be viewed here.

The American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation (AAA-ICDR Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is able to solicit donations and provide grants to fund a range of worthy causes that promote the Foundation's wide-reaching mission, which is to support the prevention and resolution of conflicts by expanding access to alternative dispute resolution.

Its priorities includes fostering measures that prevent and reduce violence, bridge community conflict, and support diversity, equity, and inclusion with a focus on access to justice.

The Foundation is not involved in any way in the oversight, administration or decision making of the AAA-ICDR^® cases or in the maintenance of the AAA-ICDR's various rosters of arbitrators and mediators.

For more information on the AAA-ICDR Foundation, please visit: www.aaaicdrfoundation.org.

SOURCE AAA-ICDR Foundation