JAMS Foundation Awards More than $100,000 in New Grants

May 19, 2011

Irvine, Calif. – The nonprofit JAMS Foundation announced that it approved five new grants to organizations using innovative ways to promote and advance conflict prevention and dispute resolution. The foundation will distribute the money in the form of two Foundation Grants, which provide financial support up to $50,000 for ADR initiatives with national impact, and three Opportunity Grants, which award up to $10,000 for smaller scale and more localized projects.

“This quarter’s grant recipients are tremendous organizations making a real impact in their communities,” said Jay Folberg, JAMS Foundation executive director. “It’s an honor to support them in their mission to institutionalize mediation, provide dispute resolution training and teach problem-solving skills.”

The JAMS Foundation will provide Foundation Grants to the following initiatives:

Search for Common Ground (Washington, DC) – Institutionalizing Social and Family Mediation in Morocco- Building on SCG’s current efforts to develop community-based and commercial mediation in Morocco, and with the express support of the country’s Ministry of Justice, this $50,000 grant will fund a project to help institutionalize social and family mediation in Morocco. With the participation of relevant stakeholders and decision makers, the project will lay the foundation for effective legislation officially recognizing social and family mediation as an alternative to litigation, and creating a public directory of organizations, mediators, and centers providing ADR education, training and services.

Washington Heights-Inwood Coalition (New York, NY) – Spanish Language Peer Mediation Training Video and Manual- $27,000 to fund the creation of a Spanish-language peer mediation training video and manual addressing unique elements of Latino youths’ language, culture, needs and experience. The video and manual will be distributed at no cost to interested organizations nationwide.

The JAMS Foundation has also awarded $10,000 Opportunity Grants for these three programs:

Dispute Resolution Education Resources (Lansing, MI) – Cost Analysis of Mediation v. Litigation in Michigan- $10,000 to help underwrite a professional analysis on Michigan’s Community Dispute Resolution Program. It seeks to determine whether early and systematic use of mediation reduces the cost of conflict resolution for the state’s executive branch agencies. The study will be used to promote funding for dispute resolution programs for which cost savings can be demonstrated.

Peacemaker Program (Utica, NY) – Playing Peacemaker Interactive Instructional Software- $10,000 to fund the development of an interactive software program teaching conflict resolution and problem solving skills to students in several different age groups. The program will be comprised of four separate components that can be used independently or in combination, including a lecture-style presentation with virtual instructor, a video-role play library of conflict scenarios, an interactive ‘build your own adventure’ game, and a catalogue of experiential learning activities exploring dispute resolution and team-building skills. The project will include a comprehensive teacher’s guide and student workbook for each age group, and is intended to be easily integrated into existing school curricula.

Center for Civic Mediation (Los Angeles, CA) – Developing Partnerships for Expanding Use of Words Work Curriculum- Building on a prior JAMS Foundation grant funding the creation of  Words Work, a unique curriculum for middle and high school youth combining leadership, communication and conflict resolution skills, this $10,000 grant will support the development of a model to engage law firms in supporting the use of Words Work at schools in their locality and promoting its increased use nationwide.

About the JAMS Foundation (www.jamsfoundation.org)
The nonprofit JAMS Foundation is the largest private provider of ADR-related grants in the world. The Foundation was established in 2002 by JAMS, The Resolution Experts, the nation’s premier provider of alternative dispute resolution services, and is funded by JAMS mediators, arbitrators and employee associates who contribute a percentage of their income. The JAMS Foundation has provided more than $3.3 million in grant funding since its inception. Founded in 1979, JAMS and its more than 260 full-time mediators and arbitrators are responsible for resolving thousands of the world’s most important cases. JAMS is online at www.jamsadr.com.