CFR Receives a $50 Million Gift From the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation to Establish the Wachenheim Center for Peace and Security

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to announce a $50 million gift from the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation to establish and endow the Wachenheim Center for Peace and Security. This historic commitment will consolidate CFR’s work on conflict prevention and resolution under one umbrella.

“This extraordinary gift marks a defining moment in CFR’s second century, ensuring that the Council remains at the forefront of efforts to promote peace and security in an increasingly turbulent world,” said CFR President Michael Froman. “The Wachenheim Center will unify and strengthen our efforts to address the most pressing security challenges of our time—from the surge in armed conflicts and great power competition to emerging threats driven by technological disruption. We are deeply grateful to Sue and Ed for their foresight, vision, and remarkable generosity.” 

The Wachenheim Center for Peace and Security will serve as a hub for forward-looking assessments, rigorous policy analysis, strategic convenings, and broad-based outreach aimed at preventing, mitigating, and ending conflict, while promoting the conditions for a just and secure peace. It will build on the foundation’s previous support and encompass efforts formerly housed in the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security and the Center for Preventive Action, including the annual Preventive Priorities Survey, the “Global Conflict Tracker,” and the Council’s Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future. 

“Visiting a center serving Ukrainian refugees in eastern Europe in 2024 and hearing firsthand stories of profound loss and hardship reinforced my commitment to reducing the likelihood and severity of future armed conflicts,” said Ed Wachenheim III, founder, CEO, and chairman of Greenhaven Associates. “I can think of no better organization than CFR to lead this effort. Our hope is that this center will spark the ideas, dialogues, and solutions needed to prevent conflict and foster lasting peace.” 

The Wachenheim Center for Peace and Security will feature a dedicated director and a core team of fellows and staff charged with implementing a comprehensive research and outreach agenda addressing both urgent crises and long-term strategic challenges. Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey senior fellow for conflict prevention and longtime director of CFR’s Center for Preventive Action, will serve as the inaugural director. The center will begin its work immediately, building on CFR’s century-long commitment to inform U.S. engagement in the world—a mission that has guided the organization since its founding in the aftermath of World War I. For more information, please contact the Global Communications team at [email protected].