At Risk Populations

Access Youth (Washington, D.C.) – Victim/Juvenile Offender Training Manual and Video. In collaboration with Howard University School of Law, $10,000 to fund the creation and dissemination of a community-oriented victim-juvenile offender mediation training manual and video promoting the use of mediation in a juvenile justice context. www.accessyouthinc.org

California State University, Fullerton (Fullerton, CA) – Taking Conflict Out of the Community Project. $10,000 to support the implementation of a program employing conflict resolution education, assertiveness training, and peer mentoring to reduce gang violence in a predominantly low-income Hispanic community. Trained university graduate students will be employed to train high school students, who in turn introduce these same skills to elementary and middle school students through after school programs. www.fullerton.edu

Center for Citizen Peacebuilding (Irvine, CA) – Training Materials for Gang-Intervention Workers.
$48,000 to develop a training manual and DVD of simulated mediations for counselors and other dispute resolution providers working in communities with high levels of gang violence. The materials will offer constructive approaches to addressing violent conflict between gangs, at-risk youth, and other individuals in troubled areas. www.peacebuilding.uci.edu/pb_gangs

Community Mediation Center (Independence, MO) – Road to Restoration Project. In collaboration with the Kansas City Health Department's Aim4Peace program, $35,000 to support a multi-pronged, community-based training and education program introducing mediation and restorative justice to several at-risk communities, including an online conflict resolution certification program for members of CeaseFire, Aim4Peace's national partner. www.communitymediationkc.org

Community Mediation Maryland (Glen Burnie, MD) – Prisoner Re-Entry Mediation Program (2 years). $20,000 to support the development and expansion of a prisoner re-entry program providing mediation services to inmates preparing for release from prison, their families, and other interested parties, and helping them develop mutually agreeable plans for inmates' release back into the community.  mdmediation.org

Elna B. Spaulding Conflict Resolution Center (Durham, NC) – Prisoner Re-Entry Mediation Program. Building on the success of a related JAMS Foundation-funded program in Maryland, this $10,000 grant funds a pilot re-entry program for incarcerated persons preparing for release from North Carolina prisons, providing mediation services to inmates, family and community members in order to facilitate inmates' successful reintegration into their communities. www.crc-mediation.org

Prison of Peace (Calabasas, CA) – Peacemaker Training Program. $10,000 to support a training program designed to embed conflict resolution and peacemaking skills into prison culture. Based at Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, CA, among the largest women's prisons in the world, the program focuses on inmates serving life terms or very long sentences, preparing them to serve as leaders, mentors, trainers and mediators to other inmates, and providing all inmates with access to more constructive forums for addressing and reducing conflict. www.prisonofpeace.org

Volunteers of America, Western Washington (Everett, WA) – Conflict Resolution Training and Re-Entry Mediation Program. $10,000 to help strengthen and expand an existing program providing mediation skills training and re-entry mediation services to inmates preparing for release from prison. www.voaww.org

Community Mediation

Central Oregon Mediation (Bend, OR) – Resilient Habitat for Humanity Family Project. $10,000 to help fund a regional pilot program providing low-income Habitat for Humanity families and Habitat staff with conflict resolution and communication skills training, as well as providing no-cost mediation services to Habitat families and communities in appropriate cases. www.centraloregonmediation.org

Community Boards (San Francisco, CA) – Taking Mediation to the People: Conflict Resolution Clinics. $10,000 to fund an innovative effort to reach underserved communities by establishing ongoing, on-site Conflict Resolution Clinics at several population-dense and high-need locations, providing outreach, intake, and case development to those in need of mediation services, with a focus on low-income, Spanish- and Chinese-speaking communities. www.communityboards.org

Conflict Resolution Center (Minneapolis, MN) – Conflict Consulting Project. $50,000 to fund the development of a Conflict Consultant's Handbook and training workshop, offering conflict management assistance to parties involved in community disputes when mediation with other parties is not an option, helping them to communicate more effectively and to develop constructive approaches for moving forward. www.crcminnesota.org

National Association for Community Mediation (Mesa, AZ) – (1) Educational and Training Materials for Community Mediation. $50,000 to fund the revision and national distribution of several core community mediation publications as well as a series of nationally-broadcast webinars on important topics of interest to community mediation center leaders and participants. (2) Online Clearinghouse. $50,000 to develop and administer an online clearinghouse of community mediation resources and customizable templates, including thousands of downloadable and translatable documents collected and vetted from community-based programs and centers worldwide. (3) Training Resource Center. $50,000 to fund the development and administration of a field-wide Training Resource Center for all community mediation centers and affiliated volunteer mediators, providing a centralized, accessible repository of video and audio training materials collected over many years from multiple sources worldwide. www.nafcm.org

National Association for Community Mediation (Washington, D.C.) – (1) Training/Educational Materials. $30,000 to revise and publish a series of educational materials both for community mediation groups and the general public, including a handbook for establishing and managing community mediation centers and a consumer's guide to collaborative conflict resolution. (2) AmeriCorps Program. $50,000 to help expand the availability and delivery of conflict resolution training and services in community mediation centers throughout the U.S., using training and resource materials developed through a prior JAMS Foundation grant. www.nafcm.org

Recourse Mediation Services (Santa Rosa, CA) – Recruitment/Training of Spanish-Speaking Mediators and Outreach to Latino Communities. $10,000 to support the recruitment and training of Spanish-speaking mediators and development of bilingual educational materials to serve the region's Latino community. www.recoursemediation.com

SEEDS Community Resolution Center (Berkeley, CA) – (1) Peaceful Communities Project. $10,000 to help launch a community-wide initiative to prevent and address conflict in underserved neighborhoods through a series of conflict resolution training workshops involving neighborhood residents, school administrators, university partners, parents, police, and youth service agencies. (2) Court Mediation and Advanced Mediation Training Program. $10,000 to help expand a successful court mediation program in conjunction with a new advanced mediation training and certification program, providing experienced volunteer community mediators with advanced training and opportunities to practice their skills by mediating small claims and other court-referred disputes. www.seedscrc.org

Court ADR

Academy of Court-Appointed Masters (Minneapolis, MN) – Special Master Handbook. $2,000 to support the production of a comprehensive guide to the appointment and use of special masters and other court-appointed adjuncts, providing guidance to both special masters seeking to improve their skills and to judges and court officials who employ them. www.courtappointedmasters.org

American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – ADR Handbook for Judges. $8,000 to develop and publish a comprehensive guide for judges, court administrators, and others interested in developing or refining their court-based ADR programs. The handbook provides detailed information about establishing ADR processes in a number of different court settings and a wide variety of case types. www.abanet.org/dispute

Center for Analysis of ADR Systems (Chicago, IL) – Database on Court-ADR. $22,000 to refine and expand an extensive database of up-to-date information on court-based ADR in the U.S., providing a comprehensive resource for evaluating court-ADR forms and formats for a variety of court settings and case types. www.aboutrsi.org

Federal Judicial Center (Washington, D.C.) – Research Conference on Court ADR. $15,000 to sponsor a conference focused on developing a research agenda for court-based ADR, establishing research priorities and determining the most effective methods for analyzing results and implementing recommendations. www.fjc.gov

Resolution Systems Institute (Chicago, IL) – (1) Court ADR E-Newsletter. $7,800 to fund the design, implementation, and promotion of a free monthly electronic newsletter for court administrators and others in the field, providing up-to-date news and research related to court ADR. (2) Court-ADR Compendium. $50,000 to support the development of a 50-state compendium on court-ADR, providing comprehensive, up-to-date information and analysis on court-ADR programs, guidelines, and practices in state and federal courts nationwide. (3) Website Assessment. $6,300 to fund the collection and analysis of user data and feedback from target users of RSI's court-ADR websites in order to develop an effective plan for upgrading the sites to better meet user needs. (4) Website Upgrade. $49,000 matching grant to redesign, update, and expand RSI's CourtADR.org website providing comprehensive information and resources on court-ADR, including improvements to its database, visual appearance, search capability and site navigability. www.aboutrsi.org

Western Justice Center Foundation (Pasadena, CA) – Federal Court ADR Education. $30,000 to develop and distribute a menu of ADR program modules for use by federal judges, court administrators, and lawyers engaged in federal practice. The modules include program outlines, training materials, and lists of available ADR resources. www.westernjustice.org

Diversity

Association for Conflict Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – Interpreter for ACR Conference (2 years). $900 to fund Spanish-language interpreter services for ACR's annual conferences in San Diego and New Orleans, facilitating the participation of Spanish-speaking communities and furthering ACR's mission to encourage diversity in the field. www.acrnet.org

Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (Greenbelt, MD) – (1) Roots of Diversity in Dispute Resolution. $10,000 to research the history of diversity in the dispute resolution field. In collaboration with John Jay College, City University of New York, the project will study the evolution of diversity in ADR, survey current diversity initiatives, and propose next steps for expanding diversity in the field. (2) Access ADR. $25,000 to support a program to increase the number of ADR professionals from traditionally underrepresented ethnic and racial groups by exposing users of ADR services to qualified neutrals of color. www.natlctr4adr.org; www.jjay.cuny.edu

Practitioners Research and Scholarship Institute (Riverdale, GA) – Anthology: Diverse People, Diverse Practices. $20,000 to produce and distribute an anthology of writings covering a wide range of cultural approaches to conflict and conflict resolution, expanding the institutional wisdom of the ADR community by featuring the insights and practices of minority communities. www.prasi.org

Documentary Films

Harry Bridges Project (Los Angeles, CA) – Documentary Film on Sam Kagel. $10,000 to support the production of a documentary film about Sam Kagel, widely recognized as a founding father of American labor arbitration and mediation. www.theharrybridgesproject.org

Promises Film Project (Harriman, NY) – Educational Program Outreach. Promises, an Emmy Award-winning documentary film, takes an intensely personal look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the eyes of seven children from different sectors of Israeli and Palestinian society. This $15,000 grant helped fund outreach efforts and distribution of the film and accompanying study guide to schools, youth organizations, teaching conferences, and other educational groups. www.promisesproject.org

Seattle University (Seattle, WA) – Documentary Film. $40,000 to help fund the production of Out of the Ashes, a documentary film about the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund. The project has received the enthusiastic support of Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master of the Victim's Compensation Fund and recipient of the JAMS Foundation's first Distinguished Public Service Award. www.law.seattleu.edu

Seven Tepees Youth Program (San Francisco, CA) – Documentary Film. $35,000 to produce and distribute a documentary film profiling a unique program providing life-skills training to at-risk youth, including academic tutoring, leadership training, mediation skills training, career guidance, and expressive arts therapy.

Extraordinary ADR/Court Needs

Association of the Bar of the City of New York (New York, NY) – Volunteer Legal Assistance. This first JAMS Foundation grant provided $50,000 in funds to support the efforts of volunteer lawyers assisting victims of 9/11 and their families in filing claims and sorting through other legal issues arising from the attacks. www.nycbar.org

Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund (New Orleans, LA) – Assistance for Federal Court Employees. This $25,200 grant provided emergency financial assistance to Federal Court employees in New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. The fund provided financial relief to employees who sustained substantial or total losses of their homes and personal property, helping them to get back on their feet and return to their work administering justice through the courts. www.laed.uscourts.gov

Family ADR

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (Madison, WI) – (1) Family Law Education Reform Project. $8,000 to develop an interdisciplinary family law curriculum for law students, integrating dispute resolution training into family law education, and preparing future lawyers for contemporary family law practice. (2) Stakeholder Meeting on ADR in Civil and Family Courts. In collaboration with Resolution Systems Institute and Marquette Law School, $10,000 to support a meeting of national leaders in civil and family court dispute resolution, exploring current challenges facing court-ADR programs and innovative approaches for addressing them. www.afccnet.org

Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz Country (Santa Cruz, CA) – Family Law Affordable Mediation Project. $10,000 to support the regional expansion of a program providing mediation services to low- and middle- income families going through divorce. Employing a law clinic model with a supervising attorney overseeing a trained group of volunteer mediators, the program offers low-cost mediation to underserved populations regarding issues not addressed by court-based programs, including asset/debt division, child and spousal support. www.crcsantacruz.org

Echo Parenting and Education (Los Angeles, CA) – Mediation Program for Families and Caregivers. $10,000 to support the implementation of a pilot mediation program for families and caregivers, promoting mediation as a vital component of the organization's existing family support services. www.echoparenting.org

Kids' Turn (San Diego, CA) - Conflict Resolution Workshops for Rural Families. $10,000 to fund a series of psycho-educational workshops for rural families going through divorce or other family conflict, providing conflict resolution and communication skills training to parents and children. www.kidsturnsd.org

Kids' Turn San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) – Online Version of 'Kids Turn Way' Curriculum. $30,000 to fund the development of an interactive, online version of its successful and newly revised curriculum providing conflict resolution and communication skills education to parents and children in reorganizing families. www.kidsturn.org

Queens Legal Services (Jamaica, NY) - Family & Divorce Mediation Pilot Project. $10,000 to help fund a pilot program providing mediation services to low-income families and divorcing couples. Augmenting the organization's existing legal services, the mediation program will include consultation with pro bono family law attorneys, as well as mediations conducted by experienced attorney-mediators. http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/

Governmental/Public Policy ADR

Institute for Local Government (Sacramento, CA) – Inter-Governmental Dispute Resolution Project. $44,000 to fund an educational and promotional campaign to encourage and develop public sector demand for the mediation of inter-governmental disputes involving local and state government agencies and other public entities. www.cacities.org/index.jsp?zone=ilsg

Policy Consensus Initiative (Portland, OR) – Educational Materials. $32,000 to update the organization's core educational materials on the use of collaborative problem-solving and dispute resolution to address public policy issues, including a guide to consensus-building and training materials on the use of collaborative processes in public policy settings. http://www.kitchentable.org/

International ADR

American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – International Mediation Leadership Conference. $10,000 to fund the compilation, publication, and distribution of papers and articles resulting from a 2008 international summit in the Hague, involving leading international ADR organizations and practitioners exploring new developments, new collaborations, and opportunities to advance the field.

Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution (Sacramento, CA) – Peace Education Training and Curriculum Development in Nigeria. $50,000 to provide conflict resolution and peer mediation training, including development of specialized curriculum, to secondary school teachers and students in the Niger Delta region. https://www.csus.edu/center/african-peace-conflict-resolution/

Hamline University School of Law (St. Paul, MN) – "Second Generation" Global Negotiation Education Project (3 years). $95,000 to support a series of international conferences on negotiation, providing members of the international business, legal, and academic communities with state-of-the-art training in the theory and practice of cross-cultural and trans-national negotiation. This grant funds the publication of three years of post-conference writings, including contributions from leading scholars and practitioners around the world. Year 1 of the conference held in Rome, Year 2 in Istanbul, Year 3 in Beijing. https://www.hamline.edu/

Hands of Peace (Glenview, IL) – Mediation Training for Palestinian-Israeli-American Youth. $10,000 to help fund an intensive Summer Program providing mediation, peace-building and leadership skills training to Israeli, Palestinian and American youth, including educational and social activities promoting tolerance and cross-cultural understanding and ongoing Alumni Club programs in the U.S. and Middle East. www.handsofpeace.org

Harvard Kennedy School of Government (Cambridge, MA)/International Bar Association – Dispute Resolution Resource and Learning Network. $23,000 to help fund a pilot project to facilitate access to ADR worldwide through the development of a 'wiki' style online resource and learning network for businesses and vulnerable populations affected by their activities, improving access to global conflict resolution mechanisms and addressing environmental and human rights disputes involving companies and external stakeholders. www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/ga/access_to_remedy

International Senior Lawyers Project (New York, NY) – Technical Assistance for Lagos Court of Arbitration. $15,000 to provide technical assistance to the Lagos Court of Arbitration to develop ADR services in Nigeria, including capacity-building administrative support as well as specialized training for Nigerian judges regarding arbitration and the enforcement of arbitral awards. www.islp.org

Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (Jerusalem, Israel) – Cross-cultural ADR Center. $15,000 to foster communication and trust between Israeli and Palestinian communities by establishing a cross-cultural forum to resolve business and personal disputes arising between them. www.jiis.org

Mediators Beyond Borders (New York, NY) – Capacity Building in Ecuador (2 years). $80,000 to support for a collaborative effort between the Ecuadorian judiciary, government agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, and practitioners to develop ADR capacity in Ecuador, including creation of an online virtual resource, a series of symposia providing continuing ADR education for professionals, and a public education campaign promoting the use of mediation. www.mediatorsbeyondborders.org

Partners for Democratic Change (Washington, D.C.) – (1) Symposium on Corporate-Community Diplomacy. $20,000 to help fund an invitational symposium bringing together corporate and government leaders to explore opportunities for managing conflict and resolving disputes in evolving democracies. (2) Symposium on Corporations and Democracy. $34,250 to fund an invitational symposium for government and business leaders highlighting the role of corporations in fostering democratic institutions in developing countries, including mechanisms for conflict prevention and conflict management. www.partnersglobal.org

Penn State Law (Carlisle, PA) – Teach-In in Ramallah. $2,000 to help fund the first in a series of initiatives aimed at providing education, training and capacity-building for Palestinian judges, lawyers and businesspeople in order to promote their effective participation in the Jerusalem Arbitration Center, a neutral forum for addressing commercial disputes between Palestinians and Israelis. law.psu.edu

Pepperdine University School of Law (Malibu, CA) – Mediation Training for International Judges. $7,000 to help fund a multi-day mediation training program for international judges, hosted by the University's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. www.law.pepperdine.edu/straus

Rockrose Institute (San Francisco, CA) – World Forum, Youth Dialogue Project. $25,000 to fund the production of a video showcasing the Youth Dialogue Project, part of a larger event, the World Forum, exploring both the nature of cross-cultural conflict and providing youth from around the world with opportunities for addressing and resolving it. www.rockroseinstitute.org

Search for Common Ground (Washington, D.C.) – 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. www.sfcg.org

UC Hastings College of the Law (San Francisco, CA) – Court-ADR Training Institute (3 years). $123,000 to fund a series of weeklong intensive training institutes on court-ADR systems design for non-U.S. lawyers, judges and court administrators, including both practical and theoretical instruction as well as opportunities to observe court-based ADR programs and to meet with local ADR judges, practitioners and scholars. www.uchastings.edu

Weinstein International Fellowship Program. One of the JAMS Foundation's most significant initiatives to date, providing opportunities for individuals from outside the United States to visit the U.S. to learn more about dispute resolution processes and practices in order to advance the resolution of conflicts.  Since 2008, the Foundation has provided over $750,000 in Fellowship funding to 51 Fellows from 44 countries. www.jamsadr.com/weinstein-fellowship

Professional ADR Education

Cardozo School of Law (New York, NY) – Symposium/Journal on Environmental Dispute Resolution. $19,700 to help fund a symposium on environmental conflict resolution and the publication of a special issue of the Cardozo Journal of Dispute Resolution devoted to the subject. www.cardozo.yu.edu

Pepperdine University School of Law (Malibu, CA) – ADR Teaching Symposium. $10,000 to help fund a two-day ADR teaching symposium for law professors and ADR instructors, reviewing current best practices for teaching a variety of ADR courses and seeking to bridge the divide between the classroom and professional ADR practice. www.law.pepperdine.edu

Suffolk University Law School (Boston, MA) – (1) Mediation Training Video. $10,000 to fund the production of a training video demonstrating specific mediation techniques used by professional mediators at each stage of the mediation process. (2) Mediation Advocacy Training Video. $10,000 to fund the creation of a training video demonstrating advocacy techniques for effectively representing clients in mediation, employing realistic case scenarios to present a full array of techniques used by skilled advocates to advance the interests of clients in legal and commercial disputes. (3) ADR Training Videos. $10,000 to fund the creation of a series of ADR-related training videos including separate modules on (1) effective ADR teaching, (2) complex negotiation of employment disputes and (3) effective mediation advocacy in government disputes. Available at no-cost to law professors and ADR instructors. www.law.suffolk.edu

UCLA School of Law (Los Angeles, CA) – Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Colloquium. $15,000 to co-sponsor an annual Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Colloquium, bringing together nationally recognized experts in conflict resolution to share their work with students, faculty, alumni, and the legal community. www.law.ucla.edu

Willamette University School of Law, Center for Dispute Resolution (Salem, OR) – Simulation Bank Augmentation. $6,000 to create additional ADR case simulations and role-play exercises for use in academic classes and dispute resolution trainings. www.willamette.edu/wucl

Public Education

ABA Section of Dispute Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – Public Service Announcement. $25,000 to produce a public service announcement educating the general public about mediation and encouraging its use for interpersonal and business disputes, to be made available through public, cable, satellite and commercial television outlets. www.abanet.org/dispute

American Board of Trial Advocates (Dallas, TX) –Civility Matters Program (2 Years). $65,000 to support a nationwide program addressing incivility in the legal profession by providing law students and lawyers with vivid examples of uncivil behavior and highlighting the need for more constructive approaches to resolving disputes. www.abota.org

Bluffton University (Bluffton, OH) – Public Awareness and Education Project. $10,000 to support a public education campaign to complement existing programs and services, focusing on mediation and restorative justice in a variety of court-referred and community-based settings. www.bluffton.edu

CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium (New York, NY) – (1) Make Talk Work Bookmarks (2 years). $59,000 to fund the creation and production of 24 colorful bookmarks featuring expert tips on conflict prevention and resolution, part of a larger effort to increase public awareness about dispute resolution processes and techniques. (2) Make Talk Work Video Competition (2 years). Building on the success of the Make Talk Work bookmark project featuring tips on conflict prevention and dispute resolution, $80,000 to fund two international video competitions for short videos based on bookmark themes, with winning submissions posted on YouTube and other online resources. http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/dispute

Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA) – Bystander Awareness Program. $10,000 to support a campus-wide initiative to develop a sustainable Bystander Awareness program, providing university students and staff with information and resources for intervening constructively and effectively in order to prevent or reduce harm. www.lmu.edu

Public Conversations Project (Watertown, MA) – (1) Guide to Community Dialogue. $25,000 to develop, translate, and publish a comprehensive guide to coordinating and conducting dialogues between individuals and groups seeking to resolve ongoing or long-standing disputes. (2) "Bridging Divides" Training Videos. $50,000 to support the creation of a series of online training videos on fostering and facilitating dialogue in a variety of settings, as well as offering practical guidance to organizations and underserved populations seeking to address conflict in their communities. https://www.nonprofitlist.org/det/49504_public-conversations-project

Quabbin Mediation (Orange, MA) – Training Active Bystanders Program. In partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other local colleges, $10,000 to fund the pilot expansion of a Training Active Bystanders program, teaching skills for safely intervening to prevent harm, developing bystander awareness, and encouraging positive action from others, from elementary and middle schools into institutes of higher education. www.quabbinmediation.org

Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) – Conflict Resolution Education Website. $43,130 to design, implement, and manage a conflict resolution education (CRE) website providing national and international access to CRE instructional materials. The website serves as a clearinghouse for the posting and dissemination of CRE information, providing no-cost or low-cost training materials, discussion forums for CRE educators and practitioners, and links to other available CRE resources. www.temple.edu/education

University of Colorado, Conflict Information Consortium (Boulder, CO) – Website Upgrade. $31,000 to update and upgrade a comprehensive online conflict resolution information website, CRInfo, including the addition of social networking tools to foster a web-based learning community and integration with a companion website, Beyond Intractability, focusing on long-standing ethnic, religious, and political conflicts. www.beyondintractability.org

Research

Dispute Resolution Education Resources (Lansing, MI) – Cost Analysis of Mediation v. Litigation in Michigan. $10,000 to help underwrite a professional analysis to determine whether early and systematic use of mediation through Michigan's Community Dispute Resolution Program 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. www.mediationmichigan.org

Rand Institute for Civil Justice (Santa Monica, CA) – Conference on Transparency in the Civil Justice System. $15,000 to support a conference and related research regarding transparency in the civil justice system, including issues affecting public policy, data availability, and legal reform. www.rand.org/jie/research/civil-justice/about.html

Specialized ADR Programs

American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – (1) Pro Bono/Legal Services ADR Project (2 years). $70,000 to fund several "mini-grants" to pro bono and legal service agencies seeking to integrate ADR processes into their existing programs, including training and technical assistance to expand the range of ADR options available to indigent and low-income parties. (2) Pro Bono ADR Guide. Based on experience with a previous series of JAMS Foundation-funded mini-grants, this $10,000 grant funded the development and distribution of a "myth-buster" guide addressing some of the misconceptions preventing pro bono and legal service providers from using ADR more effectively. www.abanet.org/dispute

California Lawyers for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) – Pro Bono Mediation Program for IP Disputes. $10,000 to help fund a pilot program to create a specialized intellectual property panel to mediate arts-related IP disputes referred from federal courts, U.S. Copyright and U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices, and to provide pro bono mediation services to low-income participants and non-profit arts organizations. www.calawyersforthearts.org

Center for Human Development (Pleasant Hill, CA) – Guardianship Mediation Training Program. $10,000 to fund the development of an in-depth training program to prepare experienced volunteer mediators to mediate guardianship disputes. Targeting contested probate guardianship disputes typically involving unrepresented low-income parties, the program's specialized training and curriculum will be made available to Superior Courts throughout California. www.chd-prevention.org

Community Dispute Settlement Center (Cambridge, MA) – Domestic Workers Mediation Program. $10,000 to support the expansion of a unique program providing mediation training and services to domestic workers and their employers. In collaboration with the Massachusetts Coalition for Domestic Workers, CDSC will develop and conduct a series of train-the-trainer programs to build capacity and sustainability, and provide domestic workers and employers with a safe and constructive forum for addressing disputes. www.communitydispute.org

Consensus Building Institute (Cambridge, MA) – Mediation Screening Program for Land Use Disputes (2 years). $50,000 to develop a multi-level screening program for land use disputes, evaluating cases at local, regional, and statewide levels to determine their appropriateness for mediation and developing best practices for addressing these disputes. www.cbuilding.org

Creative Mediation (San Luis Obispo, CA) – Elder Mediation Pilot Project. $10,000 to help establish an elder mediation pilot program providing specialized training to service providers and no-cost mediation services to seniors, families, and others involved in disputes regarding elder care. www.creativemediation.net

D.C. Appleseed (Washington, D.C.) – Special Education Mediation Project. $20,000 to fund several pilot programs in Washington, D.C. schools to improve services to special education students by providing mediation services and training to parents, teachers, and school administrators seeking to address the unique needs of special education students. www.dcappleseed.org

Direction Services (Eugene, OR) – Video Resources from National Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Special Education. $10,000 to fund the production and distribution of video resources resulting from a fifth annual national symposium on dispute resolution in special education, including recordings of keynote address and concurrent sessions, and interviews with dispute resolution system coordinators and program participants describing user experiences and defining exemplary practices. www.directionservice.org

Golden Gate University (San Francisco, CA) – Conference and Working Group on Business Bankruptcy and White Collar Crime. $10,000 to help support a conference and working group on white collar crime and business bankruptcy, developing protocols for handling conflicts involving commercial bankruptcy and civil and criminal forfeiture proceedings, including the potential role of professional neutrals in resolving these disputes. http://law.ggu.edu/

Home Share Now (Barre, VT) – Staff Mediator for Home Share Program. $10,000 to help support a unique program providing conflict resolution assistance to participants in a home sharing program for low-income seniors and disabled persons through employment of a full-time mediator offering conflict coaching and dispute resolution assistance on an ongoing basis. www.homesharenow.org

Indian Dispute Resolution Services (Sacramento, CA) (2nd Year) – Tribal Dispute Resolution Training (2 years). $42,000 to fund a series of 3-day training workshops for Native American tribal leaders seeking to include mediation and peacemaking into their tribal justice systems, providing extensive training in cross-cultural communication, negotiation, peacemaking, and advanced mediation techniques. www.indiandispute.com

Karamah: MuslimWomen Lawyers for Human Rights (Rockville, MD) - Muslim Mediation Initiative. $10,000 to support a pilot project to educate Muslim communities about the benefits of mediation to resolve marital and family disputes, connecting experienced mediators with underserved Muslim American populations and incorporating culturally relevant approaches to dispute resolution based on Islamic principles. www.karamah.org

Mediation Center of Greater Green Bay (Green Bay, WI) – Mobile Mediation Clinics for Seniors. $5,375 to support the development of a mobile mediation clinic for seniors, addressing some of the physical limitations and psychological barriers preventing elderly clients from participating in mediation by establishing revolving mediation clinics at several senior centers around the state. laurasmythe.mediationggb@ymail.com

Morris K. Udall Foundation/U.S. Institute for Environmental Dispute Resolution (Tucson, AZ) – Native Skills Exchange Workshop (4 years). $74,700 to support a continuing series of training workshops for ADR practitioners and parties involved in environmental, land use, and natural resource disputes involving Native American communities, part of a wider effort to create a centralized, multi-cultural referral network for ADR practitioners and parties engaged in these disputes. www.udall.gov

National Association for Community Mediation (Washington, D.C.) – National Guard/Reservist Mediation and Training Program. $50,000 to support the development of a specialized mediation training and service program for National Guard and Reservist troops returning from combat and facing challenges reintegrating into their communities. www.nafcm.org

National Association of Senior Legal Hotlines (Sacramento, CA) – Telephone Mediation for Seniors (2 years). $36,000 to fund an innovative program to provide telephone mediation services to indigent and low-income seniors in appropriate cases.

Public Conversations Project (Watertown, MA) – Community Partnerships for Addressing Conflict Between Immigrant and Host Communities. $10,000 to fund a pilot project helping underserved urban communities develop processes for addressing and resolving conflicts between U.S.-born residents and more recent residents from diverse immigrant and refugee populations. www.publicconversations.org

Volunteers of America, Northern New England (Brunswick, ME) – On-Site Mediation Clinics/Conflict Resolution Training for Seniors. $10,000 to fund the development of on-site mediation workshops and mediation clinics at several low-income senior residences, providing conflict resolution education and services for disputes involving residents, family members and staff. www.voanne.org

Western Justice Center Foundation (Pasadena, CA) – Biased Policing Mediation Project. $10,000 to support the development of a pilot project to mediate disputes arising from incidents of biased policing and racial profiling. www.westernjustice.org

Student/Youth Initiatives

American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – Words Work Program. $37,000 to develop a unique curriculum for middle and high school youth combining leadership, communication, and conflict resolution skills, teaching them how to turn information into power and conflict into an opportunity for greater understanding. www.abanet.org/dispute

Asian Pacific-American Dispute Resolution Center (Los Angeles, CA) – Peer Mediation Program Start-Up Kit. $36,000 to fund the creation and distribution of a peer mediation program start-up kit for schools and non-profit organizations, providing all the resources necessary to initiate, administer and evaluate a peer mediation program, including instructions for creating a program, student training manual for peer mediators, trainer's manual, instructional PowerPoint presentation, video of exemplary live training, and online access to continuing education courses on peer mediation. www.apadrc.org

Association for Conflict Resolution (Reston, VA) – Youth Day Resources for Annual Conference. $3,500 to fund Youth Day activities and materials for ACR's annual conference, including expert facilitators, peace tools and educational resources for youth to bring back to their communities and schools. www.acrnet.org

Association for Conflict Resolution (Washington, D.C.) – (1) Peer Mediation Program Guide. $22,000 to support the development and distribution of peer mediation program resource material emphasizing the practical aspects of implementing and managing peer mediation programs and empowering student participants. (2) Peer Mediation Youth Conferences. $10,000 to help support two regional youth conferences bringing together peer mediators from throughout the region and successful professional mediators attending ACR's annual conferences in Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA. (3) Teachers Calendar. $7,000 to fund the production and distribution of a full-color calendar featuring activities and educator tips for promoting conflict resolution in schools, including significant conflict resolution events, peacemaker birthdays, and links to additional learning modules and reference materials. Available in hard-copy and downloadable online versions. www.acrnet.org

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 combining leadership, communication and conflict resolution training for youth, $10,000 to fund the development of a model to engage law firms and businesses in supporting the use of Words Work at schools in their locality and promoting its use nationwide. www.centerforcivicmediation.org

Community Boards (San Francisco, CA) – (1) Anti-Harassment Training Program for LGBT Youth. $10,000 to support the development of a specialized conflict prevention and anti-harassment curriculum and training program regarding Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender (LGBT) youth. (2) Peer-Mediation Manuals. $47,000 to revise, update, and distribute a comprehensive series of age-appropriate peer mediation training manuals for use by students, educators, and youth service providers. www.communityboards.org

Community Justice for Youth Institute (Chicago, IL) – Restorative Justice Hubs. $10,000 to help fund the establishment of Restorative Justice Hubs, safe spaces providing conflict resolution and restorative justice education and services for at-risk youth, families, schools and other community members. www.cjyi.org

Community Mediation Services (Jamaica, NY) – Intercultural Peacemaking Project for Youth. $10,000 to help fund a program providing communication and conflict resolution training to youth from diverse cultural backgrounds and assisting them in becoming trainers of diversity and conflict resolution education to others. www.mediatenyc.org

Consensus Building Institute (Cambridge, MA) – Workable Peace Teachers Guide DVD and Website. $50,000 to develop a training DVD preparing teachers to teach conflict management and dispute resolution using the organization's Workable Peace curriculum, integrating conflict resolution training into existing history, social studies, and humanities curricula. www.cbuilding.org

Creative Response to Conflict (Nyack, NY) – Conflict Resolution Curricula. $50,000 to update and expand CRC's successful conflict resolution curriculum for elementary school students, including a new curriculum combining conflict resolution education and literacy. www.crc-ny.org

CRU Institute (Bellevue, WA) – (1) Peer Mediation Videos. $60,844 to produce and distribute two peer-mediation videos, with accompanying teaching guides, to elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Each video features a simulated peer-mediation session dealing with issues relevant to each age group. (2) Peer Mediation Video for Inner-City Youth. Complementing previous JAMS Foundation-funded peer mediation materials for elementary and middle-school students, $50,000 to produce a training video and teaching guide focusing on inner-city youth and specifically, on conflicts involving African-American students and other students of color. (3) Anti-Bullying Video and Teaching Guide. $50,000 to fund the creation and distribution of a documentary-style video and leader's guide targeting issues of bullying, harassment and intolerance and presenting a variety of constructive approaches to resolving the conflicts arising from them. (4) Conflict Resolution Story Books. $10,000 to produce a series of animal stories teaching conflict resolution, cultural awareness, and anti-bullying lessons to pre-school through first grade students, printed in full color to appeal to young children. www.cruinstitute.org

Educators for Social Responsibility (Cambridge, MA) – Expansion of Conflict Resolution Education Program. $50,000 to fund a series of training institutes introducing educators nationwide to ESR's successful conflict resolution curriculum for elementary school students. The revised curriculum includes linkages to national learning standards and an introduction to principles of social and emotional learning. www.esrnational.org

Mass Transit Street Theater and Video (New York, NY) – Peer Mediation/Conflict Resolution Training in Bronx Public Schools. $10,000 to expand a model program providing peer mediation and conflict resolution education to students at a large public high school in the Bronx. The program combines peer mediation training, arts education and workshops for parents and students in an effort to create a 'peace first' culture in urban public schools. www.mtstv.org

Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility (New York, NY) – Peace Helper Program. $10,000 to support the development of a Peace Helper program, introducing K-2 students to conflict resolution by partnering with older peer mediators to learn and apply the basics of mediation. Classrooms in participating schools establish a 'peace corner' where students go if they are upset or have a conflict, with Peace Helpers available to listen and, in appropriate cases, mediate disputes. www.morningsidecenter.org

Mosaic Project (Oakland, CA) – Companion Curriculum for Conflict Resolution CD. $10,000 to support the creation and distribution of a curriculum book to accompany an award-winning music CD. The songs and accompanying materials provide experiential, music-based lessons in conflict resolution to elementary school students. www.mosaicproject.org

Peace Learning Center (Indianapolis, IN) – Peace Navigator. $20,000 to develop and launch an online learning tool for children aged seven to twelve, incorporating live action video, animation and gaming to provide peacemaking and conflict resolution education that is interactive, accessible and fun. www.peacelearningcenter.org

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, including separate components that can be used independently or in combination: a lecture-style presentation with virtual instructor, a video-role play library of conflict scenarios, an interactive 'build your own adventure' game, a catalogue of experiential learning activities exploring dispute resolution and team-building skills, and a comprehensive teacher's guide and student workbook for each age group. www.thepeacemakerprogram.org

Quack & Wabbit Puppet Theatre (Eureka, CA) – Bullying Prevention Puppet Theater. $10,000 to fund the completion of a new bullying prevention puppetry program to complement existing programs, teaching K-6 children skills for addressing differences, dispelling stereotypes, managing anger and resolving conflict. http://quackandwabbit.com/

Rational Games (Cambridge, MA) – Cool School Game Project (2 years). $40,000 to support the pilot testing, refinement, and national marketing of Cool School, a fully-developed interactive video game teaching conflict resolution skills to children ages 5-8. www.rationalgames.org

Street Law (Silver Spring, MD) – We Can Work It Out At Work Program (2 years). $59,000 to support their "We Can Work It Out At Work" program, integrating conflict resolution training into career education and work placement programs for young adults. www.streetlaw.org

Temple University/Educators for Social Responsibility/Creative Response to Conflict/Western Justice Center – Conflict Resolution Training For Teachers (4 years). $600,000 to fund an ambitious initiative to substantially increase the number of public school teachers provided conflict resolution education and training. In partnership with graduate level departments of education, school districts, and non-profit providers nationwide, the initiative provides conflict resolution training to pre-service and in-service teachers and administrators, as well as providing support services to build capacity, sustainability and a culture of conflict prevention and resolution in schools throughout the U.S. www.temple.edu/education; www.esrnational.org; www.crc-ny.org; www.westernjustice.org

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (Baltimore, MD) – Attendance Mediation Program. $10,000 to support the expansion of an attendance mediation program for elementary and middle school students and their families in an effort to reduce high levels of truancy in schools throughout the state. www.cdrum.org

Walnut Street Theatre (Philadelphia, PA) – (1) Conflict Resolution Theater (2 years). $20,000 to fund a series of theatrical performances providing lessons in conflict resolution and dealing with school violence to underserved elementary and middle school students. (2) National Expansion of Anti-Bullying Theater Program. Building on the success of previous JAMS Foundation grants, $42,000 to fund the development of two new touring outreach shows addressing bullying in elementary and middle schools, marketing materials to promote the productions to schools and theaters nationwide, and the expansion of a semester-long, in-class theater residency program addressing issues of bullying and conflict resolution. www.walnutstreettheatre.org

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.

Western Justice Center Foundation (Pasadena, CA) – Peer Mediation Invitational Program (2 years). $12,500 to help sponsor a peer mediation invitational gathering for elementary school students, teachers, and volunteers, showcasing successful programs and featuring demonstrations of peer-mediators resolving mock conflicts. www.westernjustice.org