Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
Conrad Grebel College
Waterloo, ON N2L3G6
THE ANTI-NUCLEAR-WAR FUND
Founded by Alan and Joyce Phillips
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND OPERATIONS PREAMBLE, NOVEMBER 1990
The Anti-Nuclear-War Fund (hereafter the Fund) was founded in
November 1990 by Alan and Joyce Phillips of Hamilton, Ontario.
They expressed their concerns and rationale for initiating the
Fund as follows:
"The very existence of nuclear weapons and particularly their
deployment ready for use, constitute an unacceptable danger to
humanity. Prevention of nuclear war between nations or alliances
with combined arsenaLs of over 100 megatons is of the greatest
urgency because such a war would probably destroy the
civilizations not only of the belligerent countries but of the
whole hemisphere. We feel that support for projects that focus on
large arsenals is therefore to be given special consideration.
For projects related to similar member countries of alliances
that have large arsenals, and projects in other countries (with
or without nuclear weapons), consideration should be given to
their possible influence in reducing the arsenals.
We believe that at present, the main reason for the arms race,
and for the continued manufacture of nuclear bombs and other
weapons of war beyond any sane concept of the need for
deterrence, is not really conflict between ideologies or between
other interests of nuclear weapons states. Rather, we believe it
is the vested interests of those who benefit from continuing arms
production, research, and development. An informed public opinion
demanding removal of this menace is needed to counteract these
vested interests.
Conversion of military production and research facilities to
civilian and socially beneficial actiVities is essential in order
to avoid determined and powerful opposition to reduction of
military Expenditure, by those with vested interests, including
careers, profits, and job security. A great change is also
required in the training of the armed forces, as there is no
purpose in planning to fight a major war which would inevitably
become nuclear and terminate our civilization. There are
peacekeeping and emergency relief functions for which the
resources of the present forces and their trained personnel would
be immensely valuable.
Our reason for not supporting attempts to survive nuclear war, or
to make it less probable while maintaining nuclear arsenals, is
that we see such actions as tending to induce public acceptance
of the weapons.
An accidental or inadvertent nuclear war seems to be far more
likely than deliberate action calculated to start a major nuclear
war by any of the countries with many nuclear weapons. The damage
that would be caused by nuclear war is so enormous that even the
slightest risk of it is unacceptable.
We are very aware of many other evils in the world, such as
violation of human rights, international injustice, racial
oppression, and damage to the environment. We see the great human
importance of work to lessen these evils, but we regard
prevention of major nuclear war as being of enormously greater
urgency. Prevention of war between nations with smaller numbers
of nuclear weapons is very important, but to a lesser degree. We
are not impressed by general arguments that, because nuclear war,
all wars, and these other evils are interconnected, opposition to
all of them should be given equal priority. If a major nuclear
war occurs, the results of all other good works will be nullified
permanently."
UPDATE TO PREAMBLE, DECEMBER 1995
In the five years since the founders' statement was written,
there have been significant changes in the international
situation. The immediate risk of a sudden end to civilization
from a major nuclear was has been reduced greatly. The founders'
view is still that nuclear weapons are the greatest danger to the
human race, although the danger is not as immediate. The largest
arsenals of weapons deployed ready for use have been
significantly reduced, but the USA, France, Britain, China,
Israel, Russia, and several states of the former Soviet Union
still have enough weapons so that any two of them at war could
cause nuclear winter. However, the warheads mounted on rockets
are said no longer to be targeted on cities, at least by Russia
and the USA; as long as this is true, an accidental major nuclear
exchange is unlikely.
Apparently the states with nuclear weaPons plan to keeP them
indefinitely, and US policy is to retain a dominant world
position in numbers of nuclear weapons. No empire in the past has
survived. The invention of nuclear weapons has made it
inappropriate to predict the future from historical.experience,
but it seems most unlikely that the USA will be able to dominate
the world forever. If it still has nuclear weapons when it is
challenged by a comparable superpower or alliance, nuclear war or
a standoff similar to the one we have just endured will result.
Until nuclear weapons are abolished, a catastrophic nuclear war
resulting in the end to human civilization, and perhaps the human
race, remains the greatest possible manmade disaster. Still, the
situation now is less urgent than it was when the founding
statement of the ANWF was written. In fact, humanity has been
lucky and has survived the "Cold War" between the USSR and the
USA.
The priorities of the ANWF are not much changed, except that the
urgency of projects directed towards immediate reduction of the
largest nuclear arsenals is less overwhelming. There will be
occasions when longer-term projects and projects towards
prevention of use of small numbers of nuclear weapons can be
considered along with those more directly aimed at the ultimate
goal of the ANWF, which is unchanged: namely, elimination of
nuclear weapons from the world.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Fund is to helP finance projects that aim to
reduce the risk of nuclear war, principally by working for an
immediate and continuing reduction of nuclear weapons made,
stored, and deployed in the world. The primary goal of the Fund
is the reduction of nuclear weapons, and its ultimate goal is
their complete elimination, worldwide.
The Fund will not support projects by organizations that plan for
surviving nuclear war, for example by advocating or planning
shelters, evacuation of target areas, interception of missiles,
or deterrence either by nuclear weapons or by other weapons of
mass destruction or slaughter. Nor will it actively support
attempts to render inadvertent war less probable while
maintaining current levels or increasing the deployment of
nuclear weapons.
GUIDELINES
Grants will be awarded to projects that advance the purpose and
goals of the Fund. The Fund primarily supports specific projects
and does not normally fund ongoing operating costs, such as staff
salaries and routine overhead expenses. Without limiting the
possible methods of working towards the stated goals, the
following list illustrates the type of projects that would be
supported.
1. Education of individuals and groups, including the general
public and decision-makers,on the medical, social, and ecological
consequences of the explosion of single or multiple nuclear
weapons. Non-violent actions against nuclear weapons or against
preparations for deployment and use of them, are acceptable modes
of education.
2. Projects to educate the public and decision-makers about
the unacceptable risk of accidental or inadvertent nuclear war.
3. Projects that work towards conversion of military
production and research facilities to civilian and socially
beneficial activities and towards a change in the training of the
armed forces to peacemaking and emergency relief functions.
4. Establishment of Nuclear-Weapons Free Zones, and
enforcement of existing ones.
5. Non-offensive defence, alternative defence, and common
security (but not military alliances) are concepts that merit
support, in so far as they favor immediate reduction of nuclear
weapons by nations now possessing them, and exclude a threat of
retaliation with nuclear weapons as a means of defending
security.
Because the situation is one of immediate danger, much lower
priority is assigned to the following two items. They can be
endorsed if they are efforts towards the ultimate goal of the
Fund, but they must be regarded as very long-term and too slow in
effect to materially reduce the present risk.
6. Projects aimed towards bringing up children with emphasis
on cooperation rather than competitiveness, provided this is not
coupled with uncritical acceptance of authority.
7. Research and Education on the causes of armed conflict,
methods of prevention other than deterrence by threat of military
retaliation, and alternative methods of resolution of conflicts.
Major criteria that can over-ride these priorities are the merits
of the project and its chances of success in achieving its
immediate goals. The committee will also consider whether support
by the Fund would or would not be critical for the initiation or
continuation of the project.
Proposals by Project Ploughshares are to be considered for grants
on the same basis as proposals from other organizations.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
1. That support from the Fund be acknowledged;
2. That copies of any published, filmed or video material bc
sent to the Fund, and public access to them be assured.
OPERATION OF THE FUND
1. APPLICATIONS
Application forms are not used. Applicants should provide
the following information:
a) Applicant Information
Name, address, telephone, and fax number of the
organization
Attach a brief statement of the purpose and
activities of your organization
Date of the application
Name, position and signature of the person
responsible for the project
b) Project Information
- Objectives (including how the project relates to the
purpose and goals of the Fund)
- Strategies and activities to achieve the objectives
- Starting and completion dates of the project
- Names and functions of the principal people involved
in the project
- Evaluation criteria and planned follow-up activities
- Written or audio-visual materials used or to be
produced
Endorsing or participating organizations (attach
letters if appropriate)
c) Financial Information
- Full project budget
- Amount of grant requested from the Fund and how it
will be used
- List of the other income sources and what amounts
are confirmed
Disbursements from the Fund are to be drawn exclusively
from its income, and not from the principal, unless otherwise
instructed by the founders.
3. COMMITTEE
Disbursements from the fund are to be decided by the
Anti-Nuclear-War Fund Committee. As it is often important to
finance new Projects promptly, the committee may act by mail or
telephone discussion. It will meet in person twice a year.
4. TIME LINES
Projects requesting $1,000 or less:
applications received during the month will be discussed
and decided by telephone during the last week of the month.
Projects requesting more than $1,000:
- application deadlines are March 31 and September 30;
- the committee will meet as soon as possible in April and
in October to review the applications received.