About the Fund

The Abe Keller Peace Education Fund was organized in 1998 to address peace-education needs in the Puget Sound community through fund-raising and grant-making for worthy peace-education activities. There are many worthy individuals and organizations in the region who are working on some aspect of peace education, but appropriate assistance does not currently exist. Peace education work is intensely interactive, and it flourishes when there is a sense of energy and empowerment within a community. The Fund aims to increase community engagement with peace issues by providing resources and recognition to promising peace-education endeavors.

Our Mission

The mission of the Abe Keller Peace Education Fund is to recognize, stimulate, and provide financial support for projects and activities that have high potential for advancing peace education in Puget Sound communities.

The Scope

The potential scope of peace education is enormous, and focus is needed to foster progress in such a large field. The initial scope of the Abe Keller Peace Education Fund is in two areas that were both close to Abe's heart: Conflict resolution in our communities, and fostering peace leadership by the United States in international affairs. It is recognized that peace issues and issues of economic, racial, and environmental justice are intimately linked, and the focus of the Fund may shift over time to embrace these other issues as needs and opportunities arise. The fund does not intend to conduct peace education activities itself, but prefers to support the ongoing work of other organizations. It intends to contribute to activities that are promising but not yet self-sustaining.

Fund Organization and Leadership

The Abe Keller Peace Education Fund is unique in its regional function to provide financial support for peace education and assure the competent use of funds. It is a non-profit organization, achieving status as a 501C(3) corporation late in 2000.

The work of the Fund is done primarily through the officers and members of the Board of Directors. We desire to expand board membership and participation from diverse communities and group affiliations.

Public Meetings

The Abe Keller Fund holds two public meetings a year in Seattle, its Annual Meeting and the Wine and Cheese Fun(d) Raiser. The Annual Meeting is held in the spring, and the Fun(d) Raiser occurs in late November or early December each year. Typically each meeting consists of a social time, announcements, and a speaker or panel addressing a relevant peace and justice issue. In addition, elections for the Board of Directors occurs during the Annual Meeting.

Annual Meeting Invite PDF  |  2007 Meeting Transcript DOC