Funders seek proposals for visionary leadership

July 31, 2008

The Connect U.S. Fund, a coalition of five major U.S. foundations, has begun the second phase of a two-year program of grantmaking to press for more effective leadership on critical global, foreign policy and national security issues, including climate change, nuclear proliferation, human rights and foreign assistance.

Known as the Global Security and Cooperation Initiative, the program wants to build support from policymakers and the public, in the context of the upcoming presidential election, for a broad vision of responsible U.S. engagement in solving some of the world's most compelling problems.

The coalition includes the Ford Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Open Society Institute and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Coalition members believe that while the U.S. has in the past been a leader in forging alliances and brokering common solutions, its capacity to play that role has been undermined by unilateral approaches that have failed to garner support among friends and allies.

Letters of inquiry are being sought with a focus on advocacy between Nov. 5, 2008, and Nov. 5, 2009 -- the post-election transition period and the first 10 months of a new administration.

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