Funding will Provide Alternative Dispute Resolution in Vulnerable and Underserved Communities; 2020 Focus Areas to Include Restorative Justice and Access to Justice in Arbitration

NEW YORK, N.Y.—June 27, 2019—The American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation® (AAA-ICDR Foundation) awarded more than $475,000 in grants for the 2019 cycle, funding a broad mix of initiatives in furtherance of its mission to support the use and improvement of dispute resolution processes in the United States and internationally.

The AAA-ICDR Foundation is also now accepting Initial Descriptions of Grant Requests for its 2020 cycle. In its review, the Foundation’s primary focus will be on innovative and replicable proposals that specifically focus on one or more of the following areas, priority will be given to grants that focus on restorative justice and access to justice in arbitration:

• Restorative justice
• Access to justice in arbitration
• ADR for vulnerable and underserved populations
• ADR for community focused dispute resolution
• Providing opportunities for dialogue in situations involving racial, ethnic and religious conflict

Beyond these specific focus areas, the Foundation remains committed to funding high-quality, innovative programs dedicated to mediation and arbitration/other non-binding ADR processes. All proposals accepted must further the Foundation’s broader mission: www.aaaicdrfoundation.org/about-us.

Interested organizations or individuals should submit a one-to-two-page Initial Description of Grant Request no later than October 11, 2019. Go to www.aaaicdrfoundation.org/grants for links to application information.

The Foundation will be hosting a brief Q&A call in September regarding the initial description process to answer any questions from potential grantees. Call-in details will be posted on the Foundation website in early September.

“We are proud to provide funding to so many outstanding organizations,” said AAA-ICDR Foundation Chair Edna Sussman. “By supporting these organizations, we strive to make ADR widely available and accessible to communities in-need, here at home and around the world.”

Founded in 2015, the AAA-ICDR Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 million since inception. For the past cycle, the Foundation supported both new and established initiatives.

Among the recurring grants in 2019, the AAA-ICDR Foundation gave $17,400 to ACR Elder Justice Initiative on Eldercaring Coordination, a conflict-resolution process aimed at families where elder care and safety is an issue.

For the third year in a row, the Foundation awarded a $45,000 grant to Divided Community Project/The Ohio State University Foundation to provide training and post-event support to leaders across the nation, equipping them with tools to strengthen democratic engagement and address civil unrest and community division.

The AAA-ICDR Foundation also provided $21,000 to the Institute for Communication & Management of Conflicts D.U.C.K.S to expand the Prison of Peace program in Greece. The Foundation initially funded this program in California and is now helping to expand the program for a second year in Greece.

Among its new awards, the AAA-ICDR Foundation gave $24,500 to Resolutions Northwest for a project to establish a network of 20 mediators of color in Oregon to provide greater equity, and racial and social justice to the state’s historically racially imbalanced ADR standards, practices and institutions.

About the AAA-ICDR Foundation

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 use and improvement of dispute resolution processes in the United States and internationally.
 
Its focus includes fostering measures that reduce potential escalation, manage and resolve conflicts; increasing access to justice in and through alternative dispute resolution; and encouraging collaborative processes to resolve public conflicts.

The Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization from the AAA®, and 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.