Nuclear Challenges
![Hexagon collage with images of toxic warning sign in a field and a radiation gauge, and an image of a nuclear summit](/img/programs/nuclear-1.jpg)
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Despite significant reductions in the number of nuclear weapons since the height of the Cold War, nearly 13,500 remain today. Rising geopolitical tensions and the non-state actor threat raise the risk of accidental or intentional use. Just one detonation could change the contours of society. Civil society has a critical role to play in identifying and mitigating nuclear risks through policy research, analysis, publication, and engagement in public and private settings.
We have invested in civil society to reduce nuclear risks for over three decades, providing roughly $100 million in nuclear grants from 2015-2020 alone. We are proud of this legacy of giving to civil society focused on reducing nuclear dangers. In 2021, with the end of our time-limited Big Bet strategy, our focus shifted to implementing a three-year, roughly $30 million capstone investment. At the conclusion of the capstone grants in 2023, we will exit the nuclear field.
Big Bets are time-limited investments in grantmaking with the potential for transformative change.