Philanthropist Cynda Collins Arsenault’s organization, Our Secure Future, supports women’s peace and security groups that have largely been overlooked by other funders.

When Marcel and Cynda Collins Arsenault made the decision to give away 98% of their wealth, they weren’t satisfied with focusing on Colorado where they’d made their fortune. They wanted to change the world. “Too often it [money] is used to create conflict,” says Cynda Collins Arsenault. “There is no win-win in war. Only lose-lose. What if we used our money to create peace? What could we change?” This became their driving objective.
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The Arsenaults believe that a more peaceful and stable world is possible – a goal reinforced by the millions of people working to create peace in their own communities across the globe. Their focus centered on creative avenues to leverage their resources and amplify this work, in particular by addressing challenges to international peace and security, reducing conflict and violence, advancing opportunities for dialogue and peace negotiations, and increasing gender equality broadly.

For Cynda Collins Arsenault in particular, the answer was clear: invest more in women creating peace.

Even before they’d signed the Giving Pledge, an open invitation for the world’s wealthiest to publicly commit their wealth to philanthropic giving, Cynda Collins Arsenault quietly invested millions into the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, a little known, but powerful global policy agenda that has garnered support from over 110 countries to advance gender equality and promote the participation of women in peace processes, peacebuilding and security. Her philanthropic giving has spanned a multitude of international organizations – all with a common mission to advance women’s equality and promote peace.

For example, Cynda Collins Arsenault has been a longtime supporter of World Pulse, a global social network amplifying women’s voice for change, and the Nobel Women’s Initiative, an organization of women Nobel Peace Laureates working with women’s groups around the world to build peace, defend justice, and champion equality. The list goes on with support for the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, Urgent Action, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), MADRE, Women Cross DMZ, PeaceJam, UN Women, Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Women for Women International, the Women’s Regional Network, and others. Collins Arsenault is also a member of Women Moving Millions and the Women Donors Network.

In 2016, Collins Arsenault launched Our Secure Future: Women Make the Difference (OSF), as part of her philanthropic efforts. Collins Arsenault and Our Secure Future’s method to advancing women’s rights is summed up best by Buckminister Fuller: “Don’t fight the system, create a new model.”

In establishing Our Secure Future, Cynda Collins Arsenault pioneered a new model for impact that focuses on advancing women’s decision-making in the male-dominated arena of international security.

Cynda Collins Arsenault’s philanthropy focuses on long-term, systemic solutions and increasing women’s voices in peace and security. The Women, Peace and Security agenda was institutionalized in 2000 with the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. A watershed moment globally for women, UNSCR 1325 affirms the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peacemaking, conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts.

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Trust-based Philanthropy For Women by Women

She is also a pioneer in the emerging field of trust-based philanthropy, especially for women. Trust-based philanthropy is a more strategic and efficient way to deploy resources to solve audacious problems like world peace. The aims to rebalance the power dynamics between funders and nonprofits.

“We are at a point now where women are in a position to lead in how we construct our institutions, conduct our foreign policy, and make decisions,” explains Cynda Collins Arsenault. “Evidence shows that when women are present, better decisions are made, and they last longer. This is a very practical decision. We have the evidence to show us that when it comes to creating and sustaining peace, women make the difference.” 

Trust-based philanthropy is a shift away from the traditional culture in philanthropic giving of compliance and control, toward collaboration and grantmaking practices that recognize nonprofit leadership and expertise. In this case, Collins Arsenault recognizes the deep expertise women bring to the table.

Women offer a different perspective on security issues that often redefines what peace and security mean to ordinary people. Consider negotiations between governments on trade or peace treaties. Where government’s approach such negotiations with national interests in mind, such as protecting the integrity of national borders and resources, women often are the first to ask how these policies and agreements will impact the daily life of ordinary men, women, boys and girls.

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“Early on when I sought advice from others, I found that the predominant thinking was a mindset of charity. People were well-intentioned and wanted to help, but that means one group is the victim, and we are the saviors,” says Collins Arsenault. “I just cannot buy that. The women I spoke to know what to do in their own communities and countries. They had power. They just needed some support and money. I can learn from them, support them and then duplicate these efforts to help the path of others easier,” she asserts.

For instance, Cynda Collins Arsenault supports grassroots activities in conflict-affected countries through a trust-based model of funding, which has contributed over $170,000 in unsolicited small grants to local grassroots organizations working at the nexus of gender rights, health, conflict resolution and population displacement.

Addressing the Global Backlash Against Women’s Rights and Equality

Despite the compelling evidence of the positive impact of women’s involvement in peacebuilding, Cynda Collins Arsenault acknowledges that there are still challenges and resistance to the agenda. Yet she views backlash as a sign of progress, indicating a transition toward a more gender-sensitive future.

“Whenever an idea challenges the existing system, you get backlash; especially one that challenges power dynamics.The rise of authoritarians is an example of that and it can feel overwhelming. I just try to hold on to the idea that, well, this is a good sign because it means we are making progress and getting somewhere if they are so against it,” Collins Arsenault says. “Also it’s inevitable. Women want to be part of decisions that impact our lives and when we make up half of the world, solutions will only work if we are part of the decision making, not a few people (men) deciding they can make all the rules.”

Advocating for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

According to Cynda Collins Arsenault, Our Secure Future is fully focused on the Women, Peace and Security agenda because there is a need to support women’s ability to make decisions about their own lives.

WPS challenges traditional notions of security. Instead of thinking of security as a “tank or a gun,” or protecting a country’s national territory or natural resources, women recognize that security is when individual people’s physical security and human rights are secure.

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This includes issues related to climate change, emerging technologies, healthcare, education and other pressing security issues. Increasing women’s participation in decision-making positions, with a focus on the WPS agenda, can lead to better policies and institutions. This leads to sustained peace.

This is why Our Secure Future, created and led by Vice President Sahana Dharmapuri, works tirelessly to advance women’s roles in decision-making and to implement the WPS agenda in the US and abroad.

Sahana Dharmapuri of Our Secure Future notes, “The big picture for us is increasing women’s decision-making power globally…this is really about women’s agency. When women can make decisions that impact their lives and the lives of their families and communities’ security, the world is a better place for everyone. Governments and other philanthropists need to address this directly by more sustained funding to improve policymaker’s abilities to include women and their solutions at high levels of decision-making.”

Dharmapuri and Cynda Collins Arsenault have a deep sense of commitment to the women they serve. Dharmapuri says, “We are here to serve and help women and men who are dedicated to peace and equality. We are a pretty lean enterprise – but that means we can be nimble and creative, we can fill gaps that governments can’t. Let’s just say we are excited and inspired by the risks that women and men peacebuilders take every day – even in the worst situations – to advance peace and security.”

Our Secure Future uses policy advocacy, and strategic partnerships, to strengthen the capacity of government actors – policymakers, and political and military officials – to both include women, and implement their recommendations on problems like climate change and tech facilitated gender-based violence, for example.

Our Secure Future and Cynda Collins Arsenault’s efforts have contributed to significant policy changes, including the establishment of the first bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Women, Peace and Security.

“We want to get more women decision-makers who care about peace and security. When making policies, you must consult those impacted by the policy because they know what is needed. Then, you will get better decisions and better institutions. I try to look down the road to say, how can we change the system that’s creating that problem to begin with?” she shares.

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Part of Cynda Collins Arsenault’s work through Our Secure Future is dedicated to amplifying women’s voices in conflict zones and peace processes. She believes that actively listening to women’s needs and elevating their perspectives to governments and international bodies facilitates meaningful negotiations and enriches peacebuilding efforts with diverse and inclusive perspectives. For instance, she has supported women peacebuilders who work across conflict lines in different areas such as Israel/Palestine, Colombia, Ukraine/Russia and Afghanistan.

Future Vision and Goals

Cynda Collins Arsenault sees a future where the WPS agenda is fully integrated into global peace and security efforts. She believes lasting change can be achieved by promoting a top-down and bottom-up approach to women’s peace initiatives.

“We are in that kind of transition stage, and it will not be quick. But we are laying the foundation. We are getting more information from people on the ground,” Cynda Collins Arsenault says. “I am always surprised when talking to people who are not aware of the WPS agenda, so the more we can publicize it to the general public, the more hope we have.”

Her work demonstrates the power of trust-based philanthropy in addressing global issues and the role of women’s leadership in creating sustainable solutions.

They say money talks, but in Cynda Collins Arsenault’s world, it listens, too.
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