About Our Work

The arc of our work --

Even in the midst of the most brutal circumstances, we can find powerful and persistent acts of goodness. Sometimes people act with the conscious intention of trying to transform something bad into something good. Sometimes they act from the simple impulse to care, to do for another what you would want done for yourself.

A modern eye often misses these stories. Searching instead for something bigger or more flashy, more sophisticated or more forceful -- we miss the pulse of the genuine as it courses courageously on. The extraordinary is often situated in what is most ordinary.

• How can we SEE these stories more clearly?
• How can we LEARN from them more fully?
• How can we BUILD on them, support and be supported by the good that exists, and make room for its hidden potential to grow and flourish?

Nuts and bolts —

Based in Portland, Maine, Catalyst for Peace identifies and supports community based peacebuilding initiatives around the world. We actively look for and help share the stories of this work, and we provide a platform for program design and implementation for projects pioneering in this arena. The Catalyst platform includes, as needed, support in design and evaluation; capacity-building to achieve objectives; networking; and financial resources.

Our current work focuses on two primary tracks -- post-conflict reconciliation in Africa, and also on the ways religious voices and actors are challenging extremism and mobilizing for peace.

We are committed to finding the stories that aren’t being told, learning from the lessons of local cultures, supporting their role in peacemaking, and building on and disseminating these lessons to a global audience.