Search for Common Ground

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Search for Common Ground (SFCG) was founded in 1982, and "works to transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving. We work with local partners to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to deal with conflicts constructively: to understand the differences and act on the commonalities." [1]

Common Ground Awards

"In partnership with Refugees International, SFCG began what became the Great Lakes Policy Forum. In October, it held its 100th meeting, featuring Ambassador Aldo Aiello, Special Representative of the European Union. The Council on Foreign Relations, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have now become partners in the forums, which have provided a model for other forums. In 1996, SFCG launched a similar group in Brussels. In 1999, it began the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum in Washington, along with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Conflict Management Program at SAIS, the Conflict Prevention Project of the Woodrow Wilson International Center, the Center for Preventative Action at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Partners for Democratic Change. Then, in 2002, SCFG organized the NGO Working Group on Angola that has grown into the Washington Roundtable on Angola." [1]

Examples of funding

In FY04 Search for Common Ground received $1,268,620 from the Middle East Partnership Initiative to strengthen independent Palestinian media and "build their capacity in promoting transparency, accountability, and broader political reform within Palestinian society . The program also trains and supports independent media professionals by teaching principles of free and independent journalism and offering the opportunity to apply newly acquired skills." [2]

They have received a number of grants from the National Endowment for Democracy for their work all in Africa. [3] They also received an $25,000 NED grant in 2005 for their work in Nepal: "To promote practical and cooperative strategies for resolving conflict in Nepal. SFCG will carry out a two-week-long mission to Nepal to assess the situation and provide the groundwork for the development of a long-term conflict resolution program."

Their website notes all their funders, some of which include: the Center for Middle East Peace, Funding Network, Open Society Institute, Ploughshares Fund, Rapoport Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Save the Children, United States Institute of Peace, Chevron, Nestle, US Agency for International Development, European Union. [4]

In 1994 they received a $100,000 grant from the NED to work "to initiate a comprehensive program aimed at defusing potential inter-ethnic conflict in the former-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

Funding (selected) [2]

Senior Management [3]

Directors

Source

  • Julia Pitner was a former Regional Director and then Director of Search for Common Ground’s Middle East program.

Advisory Board for Washington DC Office

Source

United States Consensus Council Roster

"The USCC serves as a steering committee for the policy consensus and related work of SFCG-USA." [http://www.sfcg.org/Programmes/us/us_consensus.html

Founding Co-Chairs

Source

Contact

Search for Common Ground Headquarters
1601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009
United States
Phone: (+1 202) 265-4300
Fax: (+1 202) 232-6718
Web: http://www.sfcg.org

Resources and articles

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. Ongoing Activities (2004), Nonviolent Change Journal, accessed January 21, 2008.
  2. Funding, SFCG, accessed July 9, 2007.
  3. Senior Management, Search for Common Ground, accessed July 8, 2007.