Bridging Divides in Polarized Societies
There’s no shortage of conflict and divison in today’s society. The political polarization in the United States. The protracted war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza igniting a wider regional conflict. The violence, economic hardship, and climate change—deepening historic divisions, fueling inequality, and displacing millions.
Philanthropy and community activism—with the active participation of those most affected by a conflict—can play a powerful role in bridging divides and supporting peace and reconciliation. Below, we’ve curated resources that share lessons and effective approaches from Atlantic’s and our grantees’ experiences in:
- Northern Ireland leading up to and several decades after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998 that formerly ended decades of conflict known as the Troubles.
- South Africa as it emerged from the apartheid and sustained efforts to build, strengthen, and advance democratic institutions and organizations that promote equity, opportunity, dignity, and democracy.
We encourage you to connect with the Social Change Initiative (SCI) which Atlantic funded as one of its final big bets. SCI collaborates with activists, policymakers, and funders to secure social change and offers a wealth of resources and research, sharing lessons, best practices, case studies, and challenges from around the world.
Featured Resources and News
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Advocacy for Impact
Four case studies that show how investments in advocacy can help advance positive and meaningful change.
Resource type: Insight
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Atlantic in Northern Ireland
A collection of news, evaluations, reports and resources about Atlantic’s work in Northern Ireland.
Resource type: Featured Topic
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Funding in Conflict-Affected Environments
Source: The Social Change Initiative
This guide explores how can funders can support activities and initiatives designed to end conflicts and promote peacebuilding. While many foundations are understandably wary about intervening in conflicts, Funding in Conflicted-Environments offers guidance on how to help mitigate some of those concerns. Included are the…
Resource type: Research Report
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Community-based Restorative Justice in Northern Ireland
Source: Community Restorative Justice Ireland and Northern Ireland Alternatives
This report presents independent evaluation findings regarding the work of Community Restorative Justice Ireland (CRJI) and Northern Ireland Alternatives (NIA) in facilitating and promoting non‐violent community alternatives to paramilitary punishment attacks and exclusions relating to alleged localised crime and anti‐social behaviour. The Institute of Criminology…
Resource type: Evaluation
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Using the Law to Secure Social Change: Case Studies and Briefs on Legal Advocacy
Source: Ursula Kilkelly, Laura Lundy and Angela Matthews
This collection of short case studies and briefs provides insights into how Atlantic grantees used the law to secure social change in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Drawn from a longer report summarized here, the case studies and briefs cover work of Atlantic’s…
Resource type: Case Study
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Atlantic in South Africa
From 1991 through 2016, Atlantic invested $422 million in South Africa to help advance and support efforts to reduce inequality and improve people’s well-being. Here you’ll find a collection of resources about Atlantic’s work in South Africa, including evaluations that describe outcomes from different programs…
Resource type: Featured Topic
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No Place by the Fire: The Story of South African Ex-Combatants and the National Peace Accord Trust
Source: The Atlantic Philanthropies
During the political negotiations for a democratic South Africa and in the formative years following the first free and fair elections in 1994, a crucial group of people were largely overlooked—the estimated 80,000 ex-combatants who had fought to end the country’s apartheid system. This report…
Resource type: Case Study
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Public Interest Litigation in South Africa Offers Lessons for Advocates
Source: The Atlantic Philanthropies
Public interest litigation in South Africa faces several challenges but advocates can undertake four key strategies to enhance its success, according to this report by The Atlantic Philanthropies. Atlantic this week publishes its report on strategic evaluation of public interest litigation in South Africa. This…
Resource type: Evaluation
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Shaping History Through Support for Health and Human Rights
Nokhwezi Hoboyi. Photo: Samantha Reinders, TAC After losing two children to AIDS, Nokhwezi Hoboyi stopped her treatment and landed in a South African hospice with tuberculosis. "A nurse told me there was life after testing positive for HIV," Ms. Hoboyi said. Most importantly, she met…
Resource type: Grantee Story
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Albie Sachs: From Freedom Fighter to Justice on South Africa’s Constitutional Court
By Morris Arvoy Albie Sachs, an internationally known human rights activist and top judge in South Africa, suffered solitary confinement and exile and survived a bomb attack by South African security agents during the arduous fight to end apartheid. Sachs, 78, went on to help…
Resource type: News
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Memory Work: South Africa After Apartheid
Visitors look at the display at the Women's Goal Museum, which used to house female political prisoners.In 1994, Nelson Mandela had just been elected president of South Africa after serving a 27-year prison sentence. Atlantic began looking for ways to support this country on the brink…
Resource type: News
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Guns and Roses: Advocacy in an Emerging Democracy
Source: The Atlantic Philanthropies
This publication is an attempt to distil the learnings from three important books that were published during 2009 and which provide valuable insights into doing advocacy in an emerging constitutional democracy in South Africa. Written by Marian Nell & Janet Shapiro for The Atlantic Philanthropies…
Resource type: Case Study
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Government Partnerships & Engagement
This collection of reports, news articles, videos and studies explores how Atlantic pursued different kinds of government engagements, what was accomplished and lessons learned.
Resource type: Featured Topic
