Possible Interventions

A philanthropist could fund research or advocacy aimed at reducing nuclear arsenals, preventing nuclear proliferation, or securing nuclear materials from terrorists.

Who else is working on this?

Several major U.S. foundations fund approximately $30 million/year of work on nuclear weapons issues, with most of this work supporting U.S.-based policy research and graduate/post-graduate education.

The initiative asked Redstone to help it clarify its outcomes, metrics, and spending decisions after it received new funding and experienced sharp changes in political conditions. The resulting focus emphasized three goals: 1) helping prepare US nuclear policy, particularly to promote dialog between the US and China, 2) increasing the voice of non-nuclear emerging states, especially Turkey and Brazil, and 3) working on nuclear fuel markets, waste management, and codes of conduct.

Redstone worked closely with program staff, and the resulting recommendations sought to identify the most effective niche for Hewlett given its interests, expertise, and available funding. The results were based on interviews with external experts, papers and background material, program officer input, and practical concerns such as limited staff resources and spending by other funders.
The report is also cited in GiveWell’s overview of nuclear security.