Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the U.S. Institute of Peace?
The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created by Congress to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Established in 1984, the Institute meets its congressional mandate through an array of programs, including research grants, fellowships, professional training, education programs from high school through graduate school, conferences and workshops, library services, and publications. The Institute's Board of Directors is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

Who selects members of the Board of Directors?
The Board of Directors is comprised of twelve members from outside federal service appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate, in addition to the secretary of state, secretary of defense, and president of the National Defense University, who serve as ex-officio members. (Ex-officio members may designate Senate-confirmed officials from their agencies to serve in their place.) The president of the Institute serves on the board as a nonvoting member. The board is prohibited by law from having more than eight voting members of the same political party.

What are the responsibilities of the Board of Directors?
The Board of Directors actively oversees the activities of the United States Institute of Peace—setting long-term goals and priorities for the Institute as well as monitoring the Institute's financial, administrative, and personnel policies. The board approves major new program initiatives and makes final decisions in the selection of Institute grantees, fellows, and winners of the Institute's National Peace Essay Contest for high school students. To accomplish these tasks, the board meets numerous times each year in regular and special meetings. Day-to-day operations of the Institute are supervised by the president of the Institute.

Is the president of the United States Institute of Peace a political appointee?
No, in keeping with the Institute's congressional mandate as an independent and non-partisan federal institution, the president, vice president, and other officers of the Institute are selected by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. In September 1993, Richard H. Solomon became the third president of the United States Institute of Peace, succeeding Samuel W. Lewis. Robert F. Tuner was the first president of the Institute.

Is the Institute a nonprofit organization or a federal agency?
The Institute was created by Congress as an "independent, nonprofit, national institute." It is chartered as an independent nonprofit corporation governed by a bipartisan Board of Directors who are appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

How is the Institute funded?
Funding for Institute operations, activities, and programs comes from the Institute's annual appropriation from Congress. The Institute may, however, receive gifts and contributions from private agencies, organizations, corporations, or other legal entities for use in program hospitality and for the purchase, construction, furnishing, and maintenance of its permanent headquarters building, now being planned.

How large is the Institute's staff?
The Institute has approximately 70 permanent full-time staff. In addition, each year 10 to 15 senior fellows and guest scholars work at the Institute, along with their part-time research assistants. Current employment opportunities at the Institute can be found online.

What does the Institute do?
Congress has directed the Institute to explore the broadest possible agenda-from examining basic questions of war and peace to dissecting specific conflicts and developing options for their non-violent resolution. To fulfill this mandate, the Institute actively pursues six interrelated activities:

• Expanding society's knowledge about the changing nature and conduct of international relations and the management of international conflicts—identifying the best practices of conflict prevention, management, and reconciliation and of peaceful statecraft.


• Supporting policymakers in the Legislative and Executive Branches—mobilizing the best national and international talent from research organizations, academia, and government and providing independent and creative assessments of how to deal with international conflicts by political means.


• Facilitating the resolution of international disputes—organizing and supporting dialogues within and among parties to conflicts and providing technical assistance addressing emerging, ongoing, and recent disputes in areas of high priority to the United States.


• Training international affairs professionals from the United States and abroad in conflict prevention, management, and resolution techniques—working with U.S. and foreign diplomatic and military personnel and selected officials of international organizations and non-governmental organizations.


• Strengthening the education of emerging generations of young people in the United States and in foreign zones of conflict—by building the capacity in educational institutions from high school through graduate education in the United States and in zones of conflict to teach about and practice peacemaking and conflict management.


• Increasing public understanding about the nature of international conflicts, as well as approaches to their prevention, management, and resolution—using radio, publications, the Internet, and other electronic forms of outreach.

Does the Institute advocate specific policies?
No, in keeping with the Institute's establishing legislation, the Institute does not advocate specific policies or take policy positions.

Does the Institute sponsor activities surrounding specific subjects or regions?
Since its inception, the Institute has sponsored activities on a wide variety of subjects related to its mandate and in most regions of the world. Among the current activities are conceptual projects on cross-cultural negotiation, human rights implementation, integrated civil-military decision-making, and political violence. Ongoing regional projects focus on the Asia-Pacific (including the Korean Peninsula, China-Taiwan, and Indonesia), the Middle East, East and Central Africa, and Russia.

How do I get in touch with Institute specialists?
Contact the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at (202) 457-1700 or usiprequests@usip.org. For an online list, check our Guide to Specialists, which includes permanent staff members and senior fellows, and gives areas of specialization (geographic and functional) and biographical information.

Does the Institute offer funding to the public?
Yes, there are several programs that offer funding:

• Senior Fellowships support practitioners and scholars who conduct projects in Washington for up to a year.


• Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowships are awarded to outstanding doctoral students at U.S. universities for dissertation research and writing.


• Research Assistantships for graduate students studying in the Washington area are available through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan area.


• Grant support for research, educational activities, training, and the dissemination of information is available through the Solicited and Unsolicited Grant programs.

What about scholarships for college?
The Education Program holds an annual National Peace Essay Contest for high school students. State winners are invited to Washington for five days of activities related to international conflict resolution. National winners receive scholarships for college study worth $10,000, $5000, and $2500 for first, second, and third place respectively.

How do I find out more about the National Peace Essay Contest?
Complete information on the contest, including the guidebook and registration forms, is available on our web site.

Where is the Institute located?
By statute, the Institute's headquarters must be located in Washington, D.C. It currently resides in the heart of downtown Washington within a short walk from the White House, Brookings Institution, National Geographic Society, and Washington's Embassy Row. In recognition of the Institute's accomplishments, in 1996 the Congress transferred a three-acre site at the northwest corner of the National Mall for a permanent home for the Institute. Located at 23rd Street and Constitution Ave NW, the site is a short distance from the U.S. State Department, the Organization of American States, and the nation's most important war memorials.

What is the purpose of the Capital Campaign?
In 1996, Congress authorized the transfer to the United States Institute of Peace of a three-acre site of land adjacent to the National Mall for its permanent headquarters. Heading up the design of the Institute's new home is the architectural firm of Moshe Safdie and Associates. To raise the necessary funds to design, build, equip, operate, and maintain the new facility, Congress directed the Institute to seek private sources of funding. George Shultz, former secretary of state, and the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, currently serve as the honorary chair and co-chair of the Institute's fundraising effort. For more information please contact Kay King, director of the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs.