Irvine, Calif. – The JAMS Foundation is honored to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Founded in 2002, the JAMS Foundation is the largest and longest-standing private provider of conflict prevention and dispute resolution initiatives worldwide. It was created to provide financial assistance for conflict resolution initiatives with national and international impact and to share its dispute resolution experience and expertise for the benefit of the public interest.
Since its inception, the JAMS Foundation has issued over $11 million in grant funding. This includes over 300 grants to more than 100 nonprofit organizations focused on conflict prevention and dispute resolution.
The JAMS Foundation also supports the Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship Program, which began in 2008 to provide opportunities for qualified individuals from outside the United States to study dispute resolution processes and practices in the U.S. and to assist in their efforts to advance the resolution of disputes in their home countries. To date, 135 Fellows from 80 countries across six continents have participated in the program, often doing pioneering and groundbreaking work in their home countries.
As we celebrate this 20th anniversary, we are so proud to reflect on the work that the JAMS Foundation has supported to help create a safer, more peaceful and more harmonious world. At its core, our mission is to help target the causes of conflict and share the tools, resources and knowledge that we know can help generate meaningful change. We are proud of the partnerships that we have developed with government and community leaders, law enforcement, educators, as well as so many others. Their success and commitment to creating a better future are what propels our work.
- David Brandon, JAMS Foundation managing director
In 2014, the JAMS Foundation created partnerships with the National Association for Community Mediation and the Association for Conflict Resolution. These ongoing partnerships further the Foundation’s mission to provide funding and support initiatives that target community-based conflict prevention and dispute resolution programs for students and youth.
The JAMS Foundation seeks to provide funding for initiatives addressing the wide array of concerns that affect communities nationwide. The Foundation continues to support the Divided Community Project, which helps government and community leaders navigate conflicts that can lead to civil unrest and violence. Additionally, the Foundation continues to support police-community relations as an avenue for promoting peace and unity within communities across the country. The Foundation helps to fund specialized mediation training for law enforcement and police-community engagement with some of the country’s largest police departments, including the New York Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Chicago Police Department and Detroit Police Department.
In support of JAMS’ overall commitment to be a leader in legal technology and accessibility, the Foundation also issued a grant that funded two-year Zoom licenses to community mediation centers nationwide during the pandemic. This project enabled over 25,000 mediations, meetings and trainings that totaled over 15 million minutes and involved more than 170,000 participants.
About the JAMS Foundation
The nonprofit JAMS Foundation was established in 2002 by JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. The mission of the JAMS Foundation is to provide financial assistance for conflict resolution initiatives with national and international impact and to share its dispute resolution expertise for the benefit of the public interest.
The Foundation is funded entirely by contributions from JAMS neutrals, executives and associates, and by a substantial annual donation from JAMS itself. To uphold the company’s core value of neutrality, the Foundation accepts no donations outside of JAMS. The Foundation is currently comprised of 300 principal benefactors and has provided more than $11 million in grant funding since its inception.
About JAMS – Local Solutions. Global Reach.
Founded in 1979, JAMS is the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide. JAMS successfully resolves and manages business and legal disputes by providing efficient, cost-effective and impartial ways to overcome barriers at any stage of conflict. JAMS offers customized in-person, virtual and hybrid resolution services locally and globally through a combination of industry-specific experience, first-class client service, the latest technology and highly trained mediators and arbitrators.
With a roster of over 400 neutrals and 29 locations, JAMS resolves thousands of the world’s important cases every year. JAMS neutrals are adept at managing the resolution process whether they are conducting in-person, virtual or hybrid hearings.
More information is available at www.jamsadr.com, and you can connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and our JAMS ADR blog. To learn about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at JAMS, visit www.jamsadr.com/diversity/.