More than $19 Million in Grants from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation Will Fund New Approaches to Advance International Peace 

New York, New York, July 15, 2026 — The Andrew Carnegie Foundation today announced $19.4 million in grants to examine how mass movements of people and the role of non-state actors are influencing regional stability and global politics. Twelve institutions will each receive philanthropic grants ranging from $1 to $2 million to study and respond to the movements of people and the expanding power of non-state actors — from building early-warning systems and safe migration pathways to disrupting criminal and disinformation networks.   

The forced displacement of tens of millions of people worldwide has become a defining political issue across the Global North and South. At the same time, non-state actors — including armed militias, criminal networks, nonprofits, and the private sector — are playing an increasingly influential role in driving or resolving conflicts. The selected grantees will address the growing salience of these issues and provide better tools and evidence to shift thinking and policymaking related to peace, conflict prevention, and governance.  

“The unprecedented scale of forced migration and the growing influence of non-state actors are reshaping political landscapes across the world, fueling violence and instability but also creating new opportunities to advance peace,” said Jonathan Tepperman, Carnegie’s vice president, International Program. “These shifts call for renewed investment in peacebuilding and new thinking about how to avoid war.” 

The United Nations estimates that there were 117.8 million displaced individuals worldwide — or one in 70 people — by the end of 2025. In the same year, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program reported that the number of armed conflicts between states was the highest since World War II. Together, these figures underscore the deteriorating state of global security that the new grants aim to address.  

“In the early years of the 20th century, Andrew Carnegie described war as ‘the foulest blot upon our civilization’ and sought to use his wealth and influence to avert the outbreak of war. We continue that work today, but the threats to peace and the nature of warfare are changing, while the monopoly on force long enjoyed by states is being eroded,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie. “We congratulate these grantees for their work developing new instruments of peace and helping us to understand the changing nature of war.”  

The request for proposals was announced in October 2025, reflecting a new grantmaking strategy for Carnegie’s International Program focused on preventing and managing conflict, non-state actors, and movements of people. More than 400 submissions were received, and projects were assessed based on their ability to generate new insights, rigorous analysis, innovative applications, and practical solutions.

Selected Grantees

African Institute for Development Policy, Nairobi, Kenya ($1.8 million)
To examine how migrant and displaced youth in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone can access economic opportunity, and to identify policies that are working. 

Center for European Policy Analysis, Washington, D.C. ($1.7 million)
To develop a network of non-state actors that will share information and coordinate responses to autocratic governments and threats to democracy.  

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York ($1.5 million)
To build an early-warning system that tracks and forecasts how non-state armed groups acquire knowledge about the use and manufacture of drones and how drone components circulate through legal and illegal supply chains in Africa. 

Danish Refugee Council, Copenhagen, Denmark ($1.75 million)
To use machine learning to anticipate conflict-driven displacement in Nigeria and Colombia. 

Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Washington, D.C. ($1.8 million)
To help governments and non-state groups detect and respond to harmful online narratives that endanger migrants and fuel social polarization. 

Inter Mediate, London, England ($1.5 million)
To work with governments and leaders of armed groups to prevent and de-escalate conflicts driving displacement, with a current focus on the Rohingya crisis. 

Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. ($2 million)
To assess how expanding legal migration pathways can reduce human trafficking and organized crime and weaken the ability of armed groups to recruit and operate.  

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois ($1.2 million)
To build an AI-powered platform to map safe corridors for civilians fleeing violence by armed groups in the Sahel. 

Refugees International, Washington, D.C. ($1.12 million)
To produce policy guidance for the voluntary, safe return of refugees after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. 

The ONE Campaign, Washington, D.C. ($1.2 million)
To provide policy research on the economic drivers of migration from Africa to North America and to engage U.S. and Canadian decision-makers on needed economic reforms.  

University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois ($2 million)
To build an International Crime Lab that analyzes organized criminal networks in cities including Medellín, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro, and develops strategies that city governments can use to reduce criminal activity.  

Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, New Haven, Connecticut ($1.8 million)
To build a satellite-based system to track people displaced by conflict and share real-time data on the scale of violence and its impact on victims with UN agencies, NGOs, the media, and other decision-makers.

About the Andrew Carnegie Foundation

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New York, works to reduce political polarization through grants that support ladders of opportunity and a more peaceful world. Its funding provides individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to improve their lives, participate fully in society, and advance peace.