For immediate release: January 19, 2011
Press contact: Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director, (202) 463-8270 x 107
(Washington, D.C.) The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced today that the Arms Control Association has been selected as a recipient of their Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
"We are honored to receive the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions," said Arms Control Association Executive Director Daryl G. Kimball. "The award recognizes institutions around the globe that are leaders on critical issues and challenges. We are very proud to be recognized as one of these high-impact organizations," said Kimball, who has worked in the nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament field for more than twenty years and has led ACA for the past decade.
The 2010 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions recognizes 11 exceptional Foundation grantees and helps ensure their sustainability with capacity-building grants. All of the recipients' annual operating budgets are less than $5 million.
"These exceptional organizations effectively address pressing national and international challenges and they have had an impact that is disproportionate to their small size," said MacArthur President Robert Gallucci. "The MacArthur Foundation is proud to recognize them. It is our hope that these Awards will help position them for long-term growth and even greater impact in the years ahead," said Gallucci, who worked for 21 years in the U.S. government on arms control, nonproliferation, and international security.
The nonpartisan, member-supported Arms Control Association was founded in 1971 and is based in Washington, DC. With fewer than a dozen full-time staff in Washington plus an international representative in Berlin, the organization works to promote public understanding of and support for effective arms control solutions to strengthen U.S. and global security.
ACA is unique in that it combines widely respected arms control research and policy analysis with timely media outreach, plus effective working relationships with senior administration, congressional, and diplomatic officials. Through its monthly journal, Arms Control Today, ACA provides a forum for new ideas and a venue for raising awareness about overlooked issues. ACA is among the most frequently cited sources in the media on nuclear, chemical, biological, and conventional weapons-related security challenges.
The MacArthur Award follows on the heels of ACA's high-profile role in explaining the value of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which was approved by the Senate last month. In November, The New York Times described ACA as "one of the most vocal supporters of the treaty."
Over the past several years, ACA has raised public awareness and influenced public policy in several key areas. Some highlights include:
* In 2005, ACA launched the "Campaign to Strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty" and rallied bipartisan support for a comprehensive U.S. nonproliferation strategy ahead of the 2005 NPT Review Conference;
* From 2006-2008, ACA led a diverse national and international coalition of NGOs and experts against exempting India from U.S. and international nuclear trade restrictions that helped change the course of the national and international debate;
* In 2008, ACA hosted a debate on nonproliferation and disarmament involving representatives of the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns. Arms Control Today later published an extensive Q & A with president-elect Barack Obama on his views and policies on nonproliferation and disarmament;
* In 2009, ACA launched the Project for the CTBT to coordinate public and policy education efforts on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and started a new project to improve understanding of the threats from and policy responses to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear and missile programs.
* In 2010, ACA organized a series of conferences in Brussels, Warsaw, Ankara, and Washington on revising NATO's nuclear policy and the future U.S. tactical nuclear bombs in Europe. Throughout the year, ACA was a leading source for in-depth analysis and information on New START and its impact on U.S.-Russian relations and U.S. nonproliferation efforts. ACA worked closely with a diverse coalition of bipartisan national security experts, faith-based organizations, and ordinary citizens to explain the national security value of the treaty.
"The Arms Control Association has long held a reputation for delivering a 'big bang for the buck,'" said former Ford Foundation program officer Christine Wing who currently serves on the ACA's Board of Directors. "The award will provide important seed money for the future of the organization," Wing added.
The Arms Control Association will use its $500,000 award to establish an operating reserve and to develop and execute a communications and strategic plan for public outreach. The grant does not support ACA's ongoing program activities.
Additional information about the MacArthur Creative and Effective Institutions Award is available at www.macfound.org For more information on ACA and Arms Control Today visit www.armscontrol.org. To contribute or join ACA, visit www.armscontrol.org/supportaca/