January 22, 2026
2025 was one of the most difficult years the peacebuilding sector has faced.
Violent conflict became the defining issue of the year—dominating headlines and shaping daily life across regions. From Gaza to Sudan, from the DRC to communities here in the United States, violence and polarization intensified, driving profound human suffering and eroding trust in institutions.
At the same time, sharp cuts to foreign aid budgets forced programs across the sector to close. Thousands of experienced peacebuilders—our peers, colleagues, and partners—lost their jobs. Not because their work failed, but because the systems that sustained peacebuilding pulled back.
Search for Common Ground was not immune to these realities.
As we mark one year since those cuts, it is important to name this moment honestly: we are not the same organization we were before 2025. And this strategy begins with that recognition.
Read the full 2026-2030 Global Strategy
Why Continuing as Before Was No Longer Enough
The 2026–2030 Global Strategy exists because the world has changed—and because peacebuilding must change with it.
For decades, Search delivered impact primarily through country-based programs and projects, often funded through international development assistance. That work saved lives, prevented violence, and built trust in deeply divided contexts. It remains essential.
But 2025 revealed the limits of relying on a model too dependent on fragile funding systems and short-term cycles—especially in a world marked by rising polarization, authoritarianism, and protracted conflict.
The lesson was clear: peacebuilding must be built to endure disruption, not just respond to it.
This strategy reflects hard choices, lessons learned, and a deliberate shift in how Search will pursue peace in a more volatile, constrained, and complex global environment.
What Makes the 2026–2030 Strategy Different
This strategy is different because it is designed for scale, not just survival.
Rather than focusing only on projects in specific countries, Search is evolving into a global peacebuilding network—one that connects frontline leadership, evidence, and partnerships to change how societies prevent violence and how leadership is practiced.
Local leadership is no longer treated as a principle alone. It is now the organizing logic of how we:
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Allocate resources
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Build partnerships
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Share evidence
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Measure success
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Sustain impact over time
At the center of this strategy is the Common Ground Approach—a battle-tested method developed over four decades in some of the world’s most divided contexts. What has changed is our ambition: we are now deliberately sharing and scaling this approach globally so that more leaders can use it to transform conflict into cooperation.
The goals are clear:
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Improve the dignity and safety of 200 million people by 2030
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Mobilize one million collaborative leaders
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Expand the power of 40 million people to influence the decisions that affect their lives
This is not a strategy focused on delivering more activities. It is a strategy designed to shift systems, institutions, and leadership norms.
What This Strategy Means for Our Community
For staff, this strategy provides clarity about where we are going and why—prioritizing frontline leadership, reducing unnecessary complexity, and focusing energy where it creates the most durable impact.
For donors and philanthropic partners, it offers confidence that investments are supporting peacebuilding that lasts beyond funding cycles and political shifts.
For governments and institutional partners, it reinforces Search’s role as a credible, adaptive organization—able to deliver results while evolving to meet new realities.
For communities and local partners, it affirms a long-standing truth: peace endures when it is built by those closest to the conflict.
Entering 2026 with Clarity, Credibility, and Resolve
2025 tested the peacebuilding sector—and it tested Search for Common Ground. But it also sharpened our focus.
As we enter 2026, we do so as a more resilient, adaptive, and determined organization—clear about what this moment demands and ready to meet it.
