Have you ever wondered if your investment in peace really makes a difference?
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THE cost of war:
$2.4 trillion spent on war and militarized approaches.
(2.3% of global GDP)
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= $ spent on war
= $ spent on peace
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= $ spent on war
= $ spent on peace
Search's investment IN PEACE:
$70 million.
The blue dove equals
= $ spent on war
= $ spent on peace
181,000+ leaders and community members building agency.
44 million people to create the future they want to see.
Up to $138 in social return on investment per $1 invested.
38% reduction in people believing violence is necessary.
25.5 million people facing food insecurity now with increased access to food and supplies.
of Search’s investments in 2024:
The result
213,203 conflict-related deaths.
1 in 8 people worldwide are exposed to violent conflict.
of the Cost of War:
The result
80 million people remain displaced due to conflict or natural disasters.
13% of the global economy lost to violent conflict.
Conflict-ridden countries suffering devastating economic decline.
Sources: Tian, Nan, Diego Lopes da Silva, Xiao Liang, and Lorenzo Scarazzato. "Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2023." SIPRI Fact Sheet, April 2024. ACLED, “Conflict Index: December 2024,” 2024. Institute for Economics & Peace. Economic Value of Peace 2021: Measuring the global economic impact of violence and conflict, Sydney, January 2021.
Today, $2.4 trillion annually flows into militarized approaches rather than human potential. Where communities struggle to rebuild, economies falter, and one in eight people worldwide navigate life amid conflict. This is the reality unfolding before us.
Right now, war consumes 2.3% of the global GDP directly and costs 13% of the global economy. Communities that are living through conflict face declining prosperity, mass displacement of families, and the collapse of sustainable futures. These are the consequences of our current investment.
Now, imagine a world where this same investment goes to peacebuilding. What if the same urgency, coordination, and resources were directed towards building peace? What if we funded dialogue the way we funded defense? What if we prioritized preventing violence with the same intensity with which we responded to it?
A Letter from Our Team
We stand at a crossroads.
The landscape of peacebuilding is shifting. With the 2025 US Government’s foreign aid funding reduction, which resulted in the termination of many of Search’s programs, organizations face unprecedented challenges. This moment demands bold action—and rather than shy away from the challenge, we are answering the call to help transform the lives of people living in conflict for the better, as we have done for 40 years.
We can choose to accept the world as it is—or we can choose to build a world of our own making. At Search for Common Ground, we've seen what happens when we invest in peace. When we commit resources to dialogue, understanding, and collaborative solutions, transformation follows.
In 2024, our $70 million investment has engaged 44 million people in building peace from the ground up. We've witnessed communities once divided by conflict now planning shared futures. Economies begin to heal. Communities thrive. People discover their power to solve their problems without violence.
After engaging with us, the percentage of individuals who believe their actions can create positive change rises from under 50% to over 75%.
The need has never been greater.
We refuse to let this funding crisis derail our progress. Instead, we are using it as a catalyst, driving innovation and locally led solutions. Conflict does not exist in isolation; neither do we. Every act of peace creates new possibilities for our shared future.
As you explore this report, you'll hear the voices of resilient global peacebuilders on the frontlines of change. They have answered the call with courage and conviction because they know that when you invest in peace, transformation happens.
With the critical funding at risk, your investment in peace ensures this work continues in communities worldwide. Join the 44 million global voices who believe humanity is meant for more than endless war. Together, we can create a world where we don’t just survive, we thrive together in a world of our own making.
Belief in violence as a necessary means to an end drops by 38%.
Emergency relief food distribution, South Sudan
Our Stance
Rooted in empathy and collaboration, multipartiality underpins how we work, centering human dignity above all else. Because our diverse teams on the ground are from the divided communities where we work, they understand the complexity of conflict dynamics first-hand and are trusted by the parties in conflict. Multipartiality creates the space for trust and collaboration to flourish despite differences in our individual beliefs.
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/ Multipartial
Our Approach
Common ground is not a compromise. The Common Ground Approach (CGA) invites leaders from every dividing line in conflict to gather, identify one goal everyone wants to achieve, and collaborate to reach that goal. Successful collaboration builds trust, which fosters further collaboration. Since all parties in conflict want the same goal, they maintain trust and collaboration, creating lasting results.
/ Multipartial
our approach
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We work alongside local communities to identify and implement sustainable solutions to conflict.
/ Local First
We engage diverse groups across dividing lines, from youth and women to governments and businesses, to find common ground.
/ collaboration over competition
Whether through media, dialogue, or training, our methods are adaptive and results-driven.
/ practical innovation
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Measuring What Matters
Traditional conflict measurements focus primarily on violence, but our Peace Impact Framework takes a more comprehensive approach. Across 164 projects in 37 countries, we measure interconnected vital signs that reveal the full picture of societal health. This innovative approach allows us to strengthen the often invisible foundations of peace.
In 2024, our data showed remarkable progress. The data proves what we've long known: when people gain agency, legitimacy increases and polarization decreases—creating a powerful cycle of positive change that makes violence less likely and peace possible.
Beyond Violence: The Vital Signs of Peace
Our Impact
Measures of peace
2023
2024
change
Percent of the population of communities rebuilding after violent conflict that feels safe walking alone around the area they live.
Violence
56%
58%
3%
Percent of our participants that believe they can make a positive difference in their community.
agency
48%
77%
61%
Percent of our participants in communities rebuilding after violent conflict who are satisfied with services they seek from authorities.
legitimacy
65%
100%
54%
Percent of the population who believe it is acceptable to use violence to support/defend beliefs.
polarization
21%
13%
38%
Agency:
People's ability to positively influence their communities
61%
61% increase in participants' belief that they can make positive change in their communities.
80%
80% increase in the agency of individuals in active conflict settings.
Traveling Museum, Sri Lanka
sri lanka
Youth Leading Change
Investing in youth leadership doesn't just improve community dynamics, it opens vital pathways to solving some of the most pressing community issues. Our team in Sri Lanka supported young people in actively engaging with their government and creating solutions to key challenges.
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Other communities have adopted similar approaches, creating lasting change in how young people participate in governance and communities.
Sustainable Impact
Youth initiatives united previously divided religious communities, building trust across lines that had separated people for generations.
Breaking Down Barriers
From Overlooked to Essential
93% of youth participants became active changemakers, and 86% reported increased confidence in driving positive change.
Young leaders secured clean drinking water for 400+ families, reducing waterborne diseases and improving daily life in divided communities.
Clean Water & Better Health
What if:
we invested in youth leadership programs in every community—giving young people the power to solve critical problems, create economic opportunities, and build healthier, more prosperous communities across divides?
91%
27 institutional stakeholders now planning to invest in women and youth participation in peace and security, representing a 91% increase.
54%
An $11.80 investment per person led to a 54% improvement in satisfaction with services from authorities among 68,000 youth.
Legitimacy:
Trust in institutions and inclusive governance
Women peacebuilders, Sudan
SUDAN
Women Leading the Path to Peace
Amid one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, Sudanese women stand at the forefront of peacebuilding. In 2024, Search for Common Ground supported a group of Sudanese women leaders at the Geneva Peace Talks, where their voices shaped the 2024 Code of Conduct under the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan initiative.
Through their persistent advocacy and negotiation, these women leaders achieved life-saving results amid one of the world's worst humanitarian crises:
What if we invested in youth leadership programs in every community— giving young people the power to solve critical problems like water access and healthcare, create economic opportunities, and build healthier, more prosperous communities across divides?
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Policy
Breakthroughs
At the Geneva Peace Talks, their participation led to formal commitments in the 2024 Code of Conduct that prioritize civilian protection, prevent violence against women and girls, and establish accountability frameworks.
They successfully negotiated the reopening of multiple blocked humanitarian corridors, allowing essential medical supplies and food to flow to people in desperate need.
Opening Critical Supply Routes
What if:
we invested in amplifying women's leadership in peace processes globally—rebuilding legitimacy by centering the voices of those most affected, fostering trust between communities and authorities, and multiplying these life-saving achievements across conflict zones.
58,000
A $10 investment per person supported positive behavior change for over 58,000 people in Mali, who began treating marginalized groups with more dignity and respect.
Polarization:
Social cohesion and acceptance across dividing lines
394,000
A $5 investment per person supported an estimated 394,000 adults to no longer view violence as necessary to achieve their goals, marking a 38% decline.
79%
79% of community members in Mali, an estimated 2.1 million people, reported increased positive behavior toward marginalized groups.
All We Share Campaign, USA
USA
Bridging Political Divides
In a time of intense political division in the United States, our "All We Share" campaign in Pennsylvania demonstrates that meaningful connection across party lines is not only possible—it's measurable.
The campaign brought together unlikely allies in five counties, resulting in a 4.3-point increase in positive feelings toward political opponents and a significant 6.5-point drop in polarization. Stanford University's Strengthening Democracy Challenge recognized our approach as one of the most effective interventions for reducing political hostility:
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Elected officials showed courage by crossing party lines to support vulnerable communities.
Courage Across Lines
Truth Champions
Community leaders collaborated to combat misinformation.
Political opponents appeared together in media to find common ground.
Collaboration in Media
What if:
this proven approach was brought to every state, transforming the US political landscape, replacing division with the shared understanding that all our communities need to thrive.
Niger
In Niger, effective mediation by Search restored safety, re-enabled merchant trading, and inspired local ownership of conflict resolution.
5% to 82%
5% to 82% increase in cooperation in Mboko, Lulenge, Bidjombo, Bibokoboko, and Kamombo, DRC, leading to reduced violence.
Violence:
Direct physical conflict and perceptions of safety
Youth programming, Israel & Palestine
israel & palestine
Bridging Divides
Women who have lost everything in this war found the strength to sit in the same room, united by the hope for a future that values all lives. Two mothers—Amira from Palestine and Yael from Israel—transcended deep-rooted fear and suspicion through Search's Women Lead Together project. What began as a tense encounter between enemies transformed into a recognition of their shared humanity as fellow mothers caught in circumstances beyond their control. Even within the most entrenched conflicts, genuine connection and trust can flourish when people courageously confront their preconceptions and embrace their common hopes for a peaceful future.
Our joint Israeli and Palestinian team has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, creating safe spaces amid devastating circumstances:
Secured investments in our Middle East Emergency Fund, which supports immediate violence prevention and laying the groundwork for sustained peacebuilding.
Increased
Investment
Delivered essential trauma healing and psychosocial support to vulnerable communities in conflict zones, including recreational programs for youth.
Aiding
Communities
Women Leading Together
Established a 50/50 Israeli-Palestinian women's leadership network, driving joint advocacy and creating "cathartic" dialogue spaces during active conflict.
Mobilized an inter-communal network in mixed Israeli-Arab cities, including neighborhood watch initiatives and coordination between religious leaders to prevent violence.
Community Protection Networks
What if:
instead of escalating, communities had the tools to de-escalate? Or we invested in solutions that didn’t just respond to harm but prevented it? Creating pathways for dialogue, reducing physical threats to communities, and building a foundation for safety where people no longer believe violence is necessary to achieve their goals.
Middle East Emergency Fund
Launched a Middle East Emergency Fund to fund crisis response and drive transformational change for communities across the region impacted by conflict.
For every $1 invested, up to $138 in social value was created.
$138
Investments:
Resources dedicated to building sustainable peace
In 2024, WINS was Search's flagship global program to equip women peacebuilders to make change. With support from the Secretary's Office on Global Women's Issues (S/GWI) at the U.S. State Department and in partnership with the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego, the project connects local changemakers to the resources that they need to realize their vision of peace.
Support programs in 20 Countries in fragile and/or affected by conflict
21 Partner Organizations, women-led and women-serving
$654,304 Disbursed to local partners
$1.5 Million signed in new contracts
Over 4,800 direct beneficiaries
SHE WINS Rapid Response Fund:
Strengthening Indigenous Women's Leadership in Guatemala: The WINS Rapid Response Fund provided support to Plataforma de Mujeres Indigenas (PMI), led by Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Laureate, to support Indigenous women's representation in decision-making spaces. Their project has trained and mobilized 90 indigenous women in Guatemala as election observers, monitoring violence, discrimination, and racism during elections, leading to two high-profile presentations advocating for reform.
Field visit to Plataforma de Mujeres Indigenas (PMI), Guatemala
Supporting Women-Led Peacebuilding:
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Women's Involvement in New Security (WINS)
What if:
every woman had the power to shape her own future—without barriers, without fear—not just included in leadership but recognized as the driving force behind it, empowering thousands more women leaders in conflict zones and creating sustainable peace that delivers economic and social benefits for future generations.
Emergency Relief & Crisis Response
Children & Youth Engagement
Provided critical humanitarian aid to 2,346 people in conflict-affected regions, including South Sudan, Mexico, and Venezuela:
- Reached 800 people through a food distribution in an IDP camp in Juba, South Sudan.
- 8,520 hot meals delivered to 52 children in a vulnerable community located in Zulia State, Venezuela, through our Mobile Canteen.
- 200 hygiene kits distributed in Chihuahua, Mexico.
- 48 migrants in El Paso received water assistance.
- 1,192 people in Tapachula, Mexico, and 550 people in Juarez, Mexico, were provided food assistance.
- 356 children in Juarez, Chihuahua, received school supplies.
- Reached over 10 million people in Israel, Palestine, and the Sahel region through digital peace campaigns countering hate speech and fostering dialogue online.
- Created safer online environments by developing targeted digital campaigns in Kenya addressing technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
- Digital advocacy has empowered women and youth to engage in peacebuilding despite security constraints.
Pathways to Peace
- 8 in 10 people in Timbuktu, Mali, now show greater acceptance of marginalized groups.
- Established youth-led networks in 18 countries working to prevent extremist recruitment.
- 92% of youth participants actively engaged in community actions after engaging with Search.
- 86% of youth participants reported increased confidence in creating positive change.
- In Mali, the Youth 360 program empowered young women and secured funding for community initiatives.
Digital Peacebuilding
- Interfaith collaboration increased from 58% to 81% after our Freedom of Religion or Belief programming in Nigeria.
- 30% increase in positive behavior toward marginalized groups in Mali.
- 89% reported improved attitudes toward those with different religions.
- 58% to 81% increase in interfaith collaboration in Nigeria.
Religious Engagement
Love Anyway Shop
In 2024, your purchase at Love Anyway Shop had a global impact, supporting vital peacebuilding around the globe:
“Invest in Peace” Petite Market Bag
Bangladesh
With an “Invest in Peace” Petite Market Bag, you not only carry your goods– your purchase helps break a poverty cycle. The mothers who handcraft your bag receive Fair Trade wages, annual profit dividends, and a retirement fund to help them achieve their dreams, thanks to the Bangladesh Project. These purchases support artisans selling for a larger fair trade export market.
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Resettled Refugees in the United States
Travel Tin Peace Candles
Every purchase of a Beaded Peace Bracelet invests in the future of South Sudan's youth and supports a movement towards peace and reconciliation. For over ten years, our team has been committed to understanding South Sudan’s local context, engaging with communities, and fostering peace. Our Beaded Peace Bracelets symbolize resilience and unity, crafted by young individuals who have witnessed the ravages of war yet refuse to be defined by it.
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Beaded Peace Bracelets
Illuminate the path to peace with Our Travel Tin Peace Candles - with each purchase supporting resettled refugees in the US and peacebuilding around the globe. Each candle is carefully crafted by these refugee artisans, representing our shared journey towards a world where differences unite us, not divide us.
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