About
What We Do
For over four decades, Ploughshares has supported the most effective advocates and organizations in the world to reduce and eventually eliminate the danger posed by nuclear weapons.
Ploughshares has a unique, time-tested approach to grantmaking. It has been crafted and refined over the last four decades and we believe Ploughshares has been the most effective organization dedicated to the eventual eradication of nuclear weapons.
We act as the hub of a diverse set of thought leaders, innovators, and campaigners. Through our grant-making, we facilitate advocacy efforts to maximize the collective impact of our grantees’ work to avert and eventually eliminate nuclear threats. Our team brings widespread attention to the nuclear threat, while also providing seed funding and support to explore strategies by our well-vetted grantees, allowing innovative ideas and initiatives to take root, grow, and thrive.
While our grantees and partners have made significant progress in reducing risk and nuclear stockpiles over the last four decades, the threat of nuclear war remains very real. The clearest example being Russia’s unprompted war against Ukraine and frightening threats and ability of Russian President Vladmir Putin to use nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons have once again pierced the public consciousness, and people are turning to Ploughshares and its partners for answers.
- Dr. Emma Belcher, President, Ploughshares
Leadership
Ploughshares is led by Board Chair Gretchen Hund, President Dr. Emma Belcher, and Executive Director Elizabeth Warner. A core tenet of Ploughshares is encouraging a more diverse group of people into the nuclear field with differing backgrounds, identities, and perspectives because diversity is an essential component for challenging assumptions and status quo thinking at a critical time for our world’s safety and security.