Stanley Foundation

For the foundation started by Victorian inventor William Stanley (now the William F. Stanley Trust), see William Stanley (inventor) § Legacy.

Stanley Foundation

File:Stanley Foundation Logo.jpeg
Formation	1956
Type	Public Policy Think Tank
Location	Muscatine, Iowa
President	Keith Porter
Website	www.stanleyfoundation.org

The Stanley Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation. Foundation programming is focused on promoting and building support for principled multilateralism in addressing international issues. The foundation was founded in 1956 by C. Maxwell Stanley, a professional engineer, businessman, and world citizen, and is headquartered in Muscatine, IA. According to its mission statement, “The Stanley Foundation promotes public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues,” while recognizing, “ the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.” The foundation's current work includes specific actions toward policy change in the strategic areas of nuclear security, human protection, and the evolving global system, in addition to educational efforts.

History

C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley created the Stanley Foundation in 1956. Policy dialogue work started in 1960 with the Strategy for Peace Conference, and the first conference on the United Nations of the Next Decade was held in 1965. Project Enrichment, the initial community education program, began in the Muscatine schools in 1971. Following Max Stanley’s death in 1984, Richard H. Stanley became president of the Foundation. Like his father, Dick is a professional engineer, businessman, and world citizen. In 1989, a two-tier governance structure was established to facilitate Foundation continuity and greater family involvement. From 2007 to January 2013, Vladimir P. Sambaiew served as the Foundation's president, capping a distinguished 30-year career as a Foreign Service Officer in the US Department of State. After his retirement he was replaced on January 11, 2013 by Keith Porter, who had been with the Stanley Foundation for 24 years prior to his election. Dick Stanley continues as Board chair. Foundation staff has increased in numbers and capabilities, and the foundation continues active interactions with governments, international institutions, and non-state actors.

Programming

Over the years, programming has grown, changed, and expanded, with periodic reviews and adjustments to update priorities and sharpen focus. In addition to a diverse series of events and programs, the Stanley Foundation has historically been recognized for his media. From 1974 to 2004, the foundation published the influential international news magazine World Press Review. Common Ground, an award-winning weekly radio program on world affairs, ran from 1980 to 2004. The Stanley Foundation's current work includes specific actions toward policy change in the strategic functional areas of the evolving global system, nuclear security, human protection, as well as educational efforts. The foundation continues to supplement its policy work by gathering and producing its own audio, video, and photographic resources from around the world.

Global leadership

Foundation efforts support an expansion of G-8 and G-20 summit agendas—as well as focused diplomacy to bridge differences, follow-through on policy initiatives, and complement relationships with the United Nations and other multilateral institutions. It is the foundation’s position that these reforms will help the summits contribute to more effective global governance and tap the international community’s capacity.

Nuclear material security

The Stanley Foundation promotes US and international policies that lead to the security of nuclear material around the world. It participates in and supports the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG), a coalition of more than 40 nuclear nonproliferation groups and experts. The FMWG has made a series of policy recommendations, is tracking the nuclear security summit process from DC to Seoul, and works to engage policymakers and media on the issue.

As part of its efforts toward nuclear security, the Stanley Foundation advocates specifically for the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors. Policy dialogues and regional workshops examine the challenges and opportunities to implementing the resolution, as well as the importance of recognizing how the resolution can also meet regional security and capacity needs.

Preventing genocide

To prevent the next mass atrocity, the Stanley Foundation engages UN officials, diplomats, and policymakers to support full implementation of the Responsibility to Protect—particularly as a preventive framework. The foundation also works to maximize the potential of the Peacebuilding Commission, which can provide an integrated and coherent approach to capacity building and reconciliation.

Community partnerships

The Stanley Foundation partners with community organizations to provide educational opportunities and support in the local community. These opportunities include presentations of the Earth Awareness Portable Classroom in Iowa and the immediate Quad Cities area, the chance for local educators to study and travel internationally through The Catherine Miller Explorer Awards, and various international events, such as the Iowa Student Global Leadership Conference.