Cypress Fund

The Cypress Fund "is a new foundation, seeking to increase safety and stability in the post-9/11 world."


 * "At a time when organizations countering deadly violence require more support than ever, the philanthropic community has pulled back dramatically from issues of nuclear non-proliferation and peacebuilding. Since 2000, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, the Merck Foundation, and the Starr Foundation have all discontinued their funding in the area of non-proliferation. In the same period, the Hewlett Foundation (the field’s major funder), the Soros Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Winston Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the MacArthur Foundation have all either disbanded or dramatically reduced their programs in areas related to conflict resolution and peacebuilding. There are remarkably few foundations still giving substantial grants in these areas, meaning that academic institutions and NGOs must scramble for funds, without the ability to conduct long-term projects or effective strategic planning. While governmental funding from USAID, the Department of Defense, and European programs does exist, the administrative requirements of these grants are overwhelming for all but the largest organizations, and a governmental provenance can compromise the perceived neutrality of NGOs working in the field."

Executive Board
Accessed November 2007:


 * Thomas Graham, Jr. (board chair)
 * Melanie Greenberg (ex officio)
 * Rosemarie Forsythe, Vice President, ExxonMobil Russia, Inc.
 * Katherine Hope Gurun, Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Bechtel Corporation
 * David Hamburg, DeWitt Wallace Distinguished Scholar, Weill Medical College, and president emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation;
 * David Holloway, Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History, Stanford University;
 * Eliza Klose, Founder and Former president of ISAR: Institute for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia;
 * Nancy Lampton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American Life and Accident Insurance Company of Kentucky, Inc.;
 * Nancy Lindborg, President, Mercy Corps
 * Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb
 * Seth Shaw, Officer, Thorium Power, Inc.

Advisory Board
Accessed November 2007:


 * Jan Eliasson, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Minister of Sweden
 * B. Stephen Toben, President, Flora Family Foundation
 * Christopher D. Jones, The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, at the University of Washington
 * Hrach Gregorian, President, Institute of World Affairs
 * Johanna Mendelson-Forman, Director of Peace and Security Programs, The United Nations Foundation

Staff
Accessed November 2007:


 * Thomas Graham, Jr., as board chair, serves as Chief Executive Officer, and plays a strong role in all foundation programs.
 * Melanie Greenberg, as President, runs the foundation’s programs and works jointly with Ambassador Graham on all strategic planning.

Contact
Cypress Fund for Peace & Security 1601 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20009 Phone: (202) 777-2250 Web: http://www.cypressfund.org