International Program Call for Proposals: Peacebuilding and Mediation

Scope and Opportunity

Armed conflict is now at its highest recorded level since the Second World War, and the international mechanisms built to prevent, manage, and respond to it have weakened. The Andrew Carnegie Foundation’s International Program responds to this challenge through complementary lines of work: preventing violence before it escalates, mitigating or resolving ongoing warfare, ensuring accountability for violations that have already occurred, and building the foundations for lasting peace once conflict subsides.

Inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s founding vision, the International Program is guided by a definition of peace that extends beyond the absence of armed conflict and violence to the active creation of conditions that sustain nonviolent growth and change. The International Program seeks to support organizations that, through peacebuilding and mediation work, mitigate or prevent armed conflict and political violence, build the foundations for lasting peace, and shape policy and practice. We are looking for:

• Credible diplomatic, dialogue, and mediation initiatives, from formal engagement to grassroots efforts.
• Innovative and nonconventional interventions that existing peacebuilding and mediation models have not yet tested.
• Research that is action-oriented and supports peacebuilding, with a clear connection to policymakers and practitioners.
• A clear theory of change for shifting conditions that lead to violence.
• Organizations that have strong relationships with local and regional actors, and whose access and expertise position them to shape the processes that lead to durable peace.
• Work in which the U.S. is a central party to peacebuilding and mediation efforts. (Note: this is a preference but not a requirement.)
• All regions, prioritizing violent conflicts where conditions create a genuine window of opportunity.

Objectives

To address these challenges and opportunities, Carnegie is seeking promising ideas that generate new insights, practical solutions, and policy-relevant approaches. We are especially interested in work that translates research, policy analysis, and knowledge exchange into concrete actions capable of shaping peace and conflict outcomes in tangible ways.

We are open to early-stage and pilot initiatives where the potential impact is high. However, organizations should have a strong track record of credible leadership and delivery, even when a particular program or approach is new. We are also open to organizations partnering to leverage each other’s strengths, for example, combining on-the-ground access with research or policy expertise.

While we recognize that successful work takes many years and does not always lead to results over a single grant, we are also looking for a clear intended impact, which can include:

• Measurable progress on the organization’s theory of change for shifting conditions that lead to violence.
• Learning and insights that are documented and shared with practitioners and policymakers.
• Demonstration that the project’s findings or lessons learned reach and affect their intended audience.
• For pilot or early-stage initiatives, a clear assessment of what worked, what did not, and what should inform future efforts, regardless of whether the initiative itself continues.

This call is not intended for academic research or service delivery (e.g., humanitarian assistance, direct legal aid, or program implementation without a mediation or dialogue component). Please do not submit proposals for work in these areas.

Requirements

Applications must be submitted via the linked Google form. Initial concept notes must clearly and concisely address the following questions per the character limits:

Organizational Background:

• Provide an overview of the organization and why it is well-placed to carry out the proposed work, including track record of leadership and delivery, experience in the proposed context, and relevant relationships. (1,800 characters)
• Are there any collaborators or partner institutions, and what are their roles? (750 characters)

Project Description:

• What is the proposed project title?
• What is the project’s anticipated duration?
• What is the amount requested from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation?
• Provide a high-level budget. Outline the major categories of anticipated spending: personnel, travel, events and workshops, research expenses, subcontracting, overhead/indirect costs rate, etc. Include details of any expected cost-share or co-funding. (700 characters)
• What specific problem and window of opportunity does the project seek to address? (1,125 characters)
• Provide an overview of the project’s activities and intended impact. (3,000 characters)
• Who is the project’s target audience, and how will the organization or project engage them? (1,500 characters)
• How does your proposed approach differ from or build upon existing efforts in the peacebuilding field? (1,125 characters)
• What are the potential risks to this project, including risks to safety and successful completion, and how will your organization mitigate them? (1,500 characters)

Grant Size and Duration

• Grant Value: $500,000–$1.5 million
• Grant Term: 12 to 36 months
• Grants are anticipated to begin in the second half of 2027
• This call is also intended to help the International Program build a pool of potential future partners; concepts not funded in this cycle may be reconsidered as new opportunities emerge.

Eligibility

United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity

• Applicants must be legally registered as a nonprofit public charity and have current tax-exempt status as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
• Please note that Carnegie cannot provide grants directly to individuals for this work.

Fiscally sponsored projects:

• Applicants without their own 501(c)(3) public charity tax-exempt status are eligible to apply but must be fiscally sponsored by a legally registered U.S.-based nonprofit public charity that has a current tax-exempt status as defined by the IRS.
• Applicants and their fiscal sponsors are responsible for ensuring their arrangement complies with all applicable and future federal requirements governing fiscal sponsorship.

Non-U.S. organizations:

• Due to limitations in our Charter on direct awards to non-U.S. organizations, Carnegie can only issue grants to organizations registered in the U.S. and the countries listed in Annex A. However, we encourage partnerships between non-U.S. and U.S. organizations.

Application Timeline

• November 8, 2026: Concept notes due no later than 11:59 p.m. ET
• February 2027: Selected applicants notified to submit full proposals
• March 2027: Full proposals due
• June 2027: First round of grantees notified
• Other applications will be considered for the remainder of 2027

Apply Now

Please note that a Google Account is required for submission. If you encounter any issues or have questions regarding the RFP, please contact internationalprogram@carnegie.org.

For other questions, please contact internationalprogram@carnegie.org.

Annex A

Africa

Botswana
Eswatini
The Gambia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Nigeria
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

The Americas

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Canada
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands

Asia

Bangladesh
Brunei
Hong Kong
India
Malaysia
Maldives
Pakistan
Singapore
Sri Lanka

The Atlantic

Falkland Islands
Saint Helena

Mediterranean

Cyprus
Gibraltar
Malta

Middle East

Bahrain
Kuwait
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Oceania

Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
Kiribati
New Zealand
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu