How much funding does Paul Olum Grant Fund provide?

The listing does not state a funding amount. Check the funder's announcement for specifics.

When is the deadline for Paul Olum Grant Fund?

The funder has not published a deadline for this grant.

Who is eligible for Paul Olum Grant Fund?

Eligible applicants: Emerging scholars and advocates.

How often is Paul Olum Grant Fund offered?

Paul Olum Grant Fund runs on an annual cycle.

Paul Olum Grant Fund

Ploughshares Fund Inc

Foundation Annual Grants for Science Research

Funding Amount

Not stated

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Deadline history & next window

Cycle: Annual
Tracked since: April 2026

Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Eligible organizations

Emerging scholars and advocates

Other requirements

Accomplished experts in nuclear policy and arms control
Scientists and technical experts
Impact: Over the past decade (2015-2024), the Paul Olum Grant Fund has supported 12 accomplished experts with grants awarded to seven men and five women.
Recipients' research and analysis has reached policymakers, the media, and the broader public, influencing critical debates about nuclear weapons.

Overview

Established in 2015 by Ken Olum and Rabbi Joyce Olum Galaski to honor Paul and Vivian Olum's legacy of peace and nuclear arms control advocacy.

Background: Paul Olum was a theoretical physicist and mathematician who worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos during World War II. After the war, Paul and Vivian became lifelong advocates for world peace and nuclear arms control. In 1983, they drafted a petition calling for an end to the nuclear arms race, which was signed by 70 Manhattan Project scientists.

Focus Areas:

Support critical work of scientists and technical experts in nuclear arms control and policy efforts
Emphasis on moving national laboratories away from nuclear weapons research
Research and analysis on pressing nuclear weapons issues including:
- US nuclear arsenal sustainability and modernization
- ICBM modernization and alternatives
- Missile defense limitations
- Chinese nuclear expansion
- North Korean missile capabilities
- US nuclear weapons plans and policies

Eligibility:

Emerging scholars and advocates
Accomplished experts in nuclear policy and arms control
Scientists and technical experts

Impact: Over the past decade (2015-2024), the Paul Olum Grant Fund has supported 12 accomplished experts with grants awarded to seven men and five women. Recipients' research and analysis has reached policymakers, the media, and the broader public, influencing critical debates about nuclear weapons. Two recipients have leveraged grant support to launch successful careers in government.

What Ploughshares Fund Inc actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990, 2025

Grants in 2025: 37
Total given: $2.82M
Median grant: $70K
Range: $8,000–$205K

By dollars: District of Columbia 54%, California 17%, Vermont 7%. Top recipient cities: Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Middlebury, VT.
0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
30% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

President and Fellows of Middlebury College · Middlebury, VT

To support a fellowship program for nuclear experts impacted by the invasion of…

$205K
International Civil Society Action Network · Washington, DC

To support organizations of the womens alliance for security leadership in south asia…

$190K
Arms Control Association · Washington, DC

To fund continued research, public education, media outreach, policy advocacy, and…

$178K
Foreign Policy for America · Washington, DC

To support activities promoting a diplomacy-first foreign policy for the united…

$125K
Inkstick Media · Frederick, MD

To support the foreign affairs, defense, and national security magazine inkstick

$125K