Peace and Security Funders Group

What Peace and Security Funders Group does

Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that connects and supports foundations and philanthropists advancing peace and security efforts globally. PSFG operates as a horizontal peer network serving private foundations, public foundations, operating foundations, individual philanthropists, and grantmaking programs whose work touches peace, nuclear security, conflict transformation, women peace and security, and locally-led peacebuilding. Notable members include Ford Foundation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Skoll Foundation, and David & Lucile Packard Foundation, alongside peace-focused organizations such as Ploughshares, Peace Direct, American Friends Service Committee, and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.

PSFG's core offerings are built around convening, research, and member services rather than proprietary technology. The product portfolio includes the Annual Meeting (multi-day in-person conference), Fall Summit (annual virtual convening), Breakfast Club (monthly small-group meetup), Brunch and Learns (ad hoc sessions), and specialized working groups including the Nuclear Funders Working Group, Leaders Circle, and Alternatives to Militarism Learning Community. These are supported by a Member Listserv and Directory, which functions as the digital networking backbone. PSFG also produces original research publications, most notably the Peace and Security Funding Index produced in partnership with Candid (formerly Foundation Center and GuideStar), along with sector reports on nuclear security philanthropy, locally-led peacebuilding, and crisis response coordination. Cross-sector collaborations include the Better Preparedness Initiative with the Human Rights Funders Network and the Social Cohesion Primer co-produced with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement and the Council on Foundations.

PSFG's business model is membership dues-based, with annual subscription fees for foundations and individual philanthropists, though pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective members are directed to staff for terms. The organization explicitly states it is not a grantmaking institution and enforces a strict non-solicitation policy to maintain an environment of candid peer exchange. PSFG supplements membership revenue through commissioned research partnerships and supplemental grants for specific initiatives (e.g., the Patient Philanthropy Fund commission for the nuclear security report, Women Donors Network support for the Women, Peace and Security report). The organization is governed by a Steering Committee comprising member representatives and operates with a small staff of 5+ led by Executive Director Alexandra I. Toma, Managing Director Cath Thompson, Director of Programs, Learning, and Systems Practice Rachel LaForgia, and Program Associate Istra Fuhrmann.

Name

Peace and Security Funders Group

Legal name

Peace and Security Funders Group

Website

https://www.peaceandsecurity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Peace and Security Funders Group is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that connects and supports foundations and philanthropists advancing global peace and security efforts through convenings, working groups, research publications, and a member listserv and directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Network Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Philanthropy peer network
• Peace and security funding
• Foundation membership services
• Funder convening programs
• Grantmaker learning community

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: PSFG operates as a membership organization for peace and security funders. Revenue is generated through membership dues and fees for participation in programs and events. The organization explicitly states it is not a grantmaking institution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

PSFG is a membership-based network organization that connects and supports foundations and philanthropists advancing peace and security efforts. It delivers value through peer convening programs (Annual Meeting, Fall Summit, Breakfast Club, Brunch and Learns), specialized working groups (Nuclear Funders Working Group, Leaders Circle, Alternatives to Militarism Learning Community), a Member Listserv and Directory, and original research such as the Peace and Security Funding Index. The organization explicitly states that it is not a grantmaking institution and operates under a strict non-solicitation policy.

Product overview

Peace and Security Funders Group operates as a networked membership organization connecting and supporting foundations and philanthropists advancing peace and security. The organization offers a portfolio of convening and networking programs including the Annual Meeting, Fall Summit, Breakfast Club, Brunch and Learns, Nuclear Funders Working Group, Leaders Circle, and Alternatives to Militarism Learning Community, supported by a Member Listserv and Directory platform. Additionally, PSFG produces original research publications including the Peace and Security Funding Index, reports on nuclear security philanthropy, locally-led peacebuilding principles, and crisis response coordination services. Together these offerings form an integrated ecosystem supporting peer learning, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing among peace and security funders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PSFG Fall Summit Annual virtual convening for the full membership to learn from global innovators and thought leaders working across systems and sectors, focusing on transformative approaches to systems-level change.
• PSFG Membership Program Annual membership program for funders in the peace and security sector providing networking, DEI support, programs, staff expertise access, and research publications. Membership is open to qualifying private foundations, public foundations, operating foundations, individual philanthropists, and grantmaking programs.
• Member Listserv and Directory Internal networking platform enabling PSFG members to engage directly with one another across issue areas, strategies, and expertise for peer exchange and collaboration. Contact information is for networking purposes only, governed by a non-solicitation policy.
• PSFG Annual Meeting Annual multi-day conference providing members opportunities to learn about peace and security philanthropy, reconnect with colleagues, design and lead sessions, and discuss peer challenges and expertise. Multi-day in-person convening held in Washington, DC.
• PSFG Breakfast Club Monthly meetup for small groups of PSFG members to share funding challenges and lessons learned in a supportive, collaborative environment.
• PSFG Brunch and Learns Ad hoc meetings where PSFG staff and members reflect on learning and share insights with the broader PSFG community.
• Nuclear Funders Working Group Working group where members share information on grantmaking and programs, and strategize around challenges and opportunities in the nuclear field.
• PSFG Leaders Circle Structured monthly dialogue convening senior philanthropy professionals to identify collaborative solutions to challenges and build a critical support network.
• Alternatives to Militarism Learning Community Member-led monthly learning journey on resourcing alternative, non-militarized visions of safety and security, spanning peace, democracy, and social justice sectors.
• Better Preparedness Initiative Cross-sector community of funders collaboration between PSFG and Human Rights Funders Network, working to ensure human rights movements and civil society organizations receive resources in times of crisis and restricted civic space.
• Peace and Security Funding Index Periodic research report published in partnership with Candid (formerly Foundation Center and GuideStar), tracking foundation investment in peace and security work across grants, funding amounts, and geographic areas.
• The Changing Landscape of Nuclear Security Philanthropy Research report commissioned by the Patient Philanthropy Fund as a guide for new funders considering entering the nuclear security philanthropy space following the MacArthur Foundation's withdrawal from the field.
• Guiding Principles for Funding Locally-Led Peacebuilding Core principles and strategies developed by PSFG's Locally-Led Peacebuilding Working Group as a practical resource for supporting locally-led peacebuilding in conflict zones worldwide.
• Supporting Local Organizations: Challenges and Opportunities Research collaboration between PSFG and Peace Direct uncovering the extent to which PSFG members fund local organizations, highlighting achievements, best practices, and challenges.
• Crisis Response Coordination Service Coordinating hub service for members, other funders, and sister networks to take collective action responding to global crises such as Afghanistan and closing civic space.

Quantifiable outcome

• 288-336 foundations engaged in peace and security funding annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Human Rights Funders NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Better Preparedness Initiative - a cross-sector community of funders working to ensure human rights movements and civil society organizations receive resources in times of crisis and restricted civic space. This is a significant partnership addressing crisis response coordination.
• Candid (formerly Foundation Center and GuideStar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership to produce the Peace and Security Funding Index since 2016. Candid provides data infrastructure and research capabilities for tracking peace and security philanthropy. The partnership has produced multiple editions of the index and the first-ever Peace and Security Funding Map.
• Peace DirectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration to uncover the extent to which PSFG members fund local organizations, highlight achievements of such funding, identify best practices, and articulate limitations and challenges. Produced the report 'Supporting Local Organizations: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Foundations'.
• Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the Social Cohesion Primer in October 2023, combining PSFG's peace and security expertise with PACE's civic engagement focus.
• Council on FoundationsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the Social Cohesion Primer in October 2023, combining expertise across peace, security, and philanthropy sectors.
• Carnegie Corporation of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted a key discussion on PSFG's Peace and Security Funding Index results and what they mean for the peacebuilding sector, bringing together over 40 funders, policymakers, and practitioners in June 2016.
• Purdue Peace ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the 2012 Colloquium on Peacebuilding Effectiveness (COPE) Summit in Washington, D.C., bringing together leaders from experienced organizations worldwide.
• Connect U.S. FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSFG shares white papers and lessons in collaboration from Connect U.S. Fund - a donors' collaborative that supported and facilitated collaboration in the peace and security field.

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Human Rights Funders Network: HRFN is the most direct peer to PSFG: a peer-funder membership network for foundations and philanthropists active in human rights. PSFG and HRFN even co-developed the Better Preparedness Initiative, signaling overlapping membership and direct partnership on shared convenings.
• Candid: Candid (formed from Foundation Center and GuideStar) is the leading philanthropic data and research infrastructure provider. PSFG's flagship Funding Index is produced in long-standing partnership with Candid, making Candid both a peer (research/data) and a key infrastructure partner for sector intelligence.
• Environmental Grantmakers Association: EGA is a cause-specific peer-funder membership network for foundations active in environmental issues. Operationally it mirrors PSFG (membership, convenings, working groups, research) but in an adjacent thematic niche — a useful template for sector-specific funder network models.
• Funders Concerned About AIDS: Funders Concerned About AIDS is a long-standing cause-specific funder membership network for HIV/AIDS philanthropy. Like PSFG, it convenes funders, publishes research, and coordinates grantmaking strategy — a structural peer even though its thematic focus is different.
• Women Donors Network: Women Donors Network is a peer funder membership organization (and PSFG supporter that commissioned its women/peace/security research). It targets a similar individual-philanthropist and foundation audience but is oriented around progressive women donors across issues.
• International Funders for Indigenous Peoples: IFIP is a niche peer-funder membership network focused specifically on indigenous peoples' philanthropy. It mirrors PSFG's cause-specific convening model for foundations and grantmakers, though in a narrower thematic niche.
• Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE): PACE is a peer funder membership network for foundations interested in civic engagement and democracy. PSFG partnered with PACE on the Social Cohesion Primer, signaling overlapping membership, shared convenings, and adjacent thematic positioning around democracy/civic space.

Broad incumbents

• Council on Foundations: Council on Foundations is the largest broad-incumbent membership association for U.S. foundations, covering all philanthropic sectors. PSFG co-produced the Social Cohesion Primer with them, and Council on Foundations represents the kind of larger, less specialized infrastructure that could absorb niche networks like PSFG.

Emerging players

• National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP): NCRP is a peer funder-advocacy organization focused on progressive and responsive philanthropy. It serves a similar audience (foundations/grantmakers) and overlaps with PSFG in promoting equity-oriented grantmaking practices, though its scope is broader and not peace/security specific.

Regional players

• African Grantmakers Network: African Grantmakers Network is a regional peer network for African foundations and grantmakers. Like PSFG, it operates a membership/peer-learning model, but its geographic and thematic scope is distinct — making it a regional structural peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peace-and-security-funders-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Peace and Security Funders Group