RESOLVING CONFLICT IN COMMUNITIES
The Center for Understanding in Conflict, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institute, has been conducting conflict resolution training to make a difference in bringing people together for over 40 years. The understanding-based approach has grown in prominence alongside a diverse and urgent demand to resolve conflict on multiple fronts since the close of the last decade. We now seek supporters and advocates of the understanding-based model to meet the expressed need of communities looking for custom educational materials, smaller training events, funding for participants with differing resources, and instruction for applying the model in their personal lives.
As we look to the future, our priority is to expand accessibility, evaluate and adapt programming to meet the needs of diverse audiences and voices while working to ensure that those who participate in our teaching and training programs can meet the complex demands of bringing together those in conflict across all sectors of our society, at home and abroad.
The Center for Understanding in Conflict is a charitable organization recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3). While we appreciate your interest in supporting our efforts to bring the understanding-based approach to conflict resolution and mediation wherever it is needed through training and professional development, please note that within the United States, we are only able to accept contributions from the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. If you would like to support the Center and reside outside these locations, please get in touch with [email protected]
You can also send gifts via check to: The Center for Understanding in Conflict, 829 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
EIN# 94-2768666
Being awarded the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formerly Guidestar) and Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, is a major testament to the Center for Understanding in Conflict’s transparency. This rating puts us in the top 0.1% of charities nationally in terms of transparency and means that CUC has shared clear and important information with the public about our goals, strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators.
Potential donors can easily find in-depth financial information about our organization to help them make informed decisions when considering a gift that supports our mission. With this information in hand, they can be confident that their contribution will help us to provide understanding-based conflict resolution education to people of different means and trainer development and support.
We recognize that the needs of our program participants extend beyond financial considerations. While cost can be a barrier, meaningful support involves much more than covering expenses. For some participants, the real challenge lies in accessing the right resources, finding a community of practice, or receiving personalized guidance throughout their journey.
We are here to listen and respond to those needs. Whether it’s offering flexible learning options, creating spaces for connection and reflection, or providing tailored resources, our commitment is to meet participants where they are. We understand that everyone’s path is unique, and we’re dedicated to ensuring that our support reflects the diverse challenges and aspirations of all those we serve.
2023-24 Fiscal Year Overview
In 2024, the Center for Understanding in Conflict made significant strides in advancing its mission of understanding-based conflict resolution through a series of strategic initiatives and programmatic expansions.
Financial Overview
Our program revenue for the fiscal year totaled $283,801, including $18,107 in donations. The expenses for the year were meticulously managed, with key allocations including $110,269 for trainer fees, $55,106 for venue fees, $31,418 for operations, and $46,900 for staff salary and taxes. Despite these costs, our prudent financial management ensured the continued delivery of high-quality programs and services. In addition, $10,000 of excess revenue was used to create a reserve, ensuring operational stability, with the remaining $18,860 being advanced deposits for FY24-25 programming.
Program Expansion and Engagement
We conducted four 40-hour online and in-person trainings, a Self-Reflection for Conflict Professionals Intensive (SCPI) series, 24-hour basic and 16-hour matrimonial mediation programs, and our Your Next Steps summer series. We also successfully concluded the 2022-23 and launched the 2023-24 Teacher Training programs, which show promise in cultivating new understanding-based trainers taking their work into diverse applications across the country and abroad. We also expanded opportunities for new trainers to teach and observe programs, fostering a pipeline of qualified educators while offering continued professional support.
Our commitment to community engagement was evident in sharing monthly recorded webinars, articles, podcast episodes, and book reviews. In addition, we made 55 recorded programs available to our CUC Connect community, along with 12 live interactive webinars per year, reflecting our dedication to comprehensive conflict resolution education.
Participation and Financial Consideration
In 2024, we offered 32 programs to 491 participants. Of these, 55 received financial support amounting to $45,003. To ensure financial accessibility to our programs, we adjusted our standard training fees for those seeking assistance based on need, accounting for 18% of our total training fee revenues. This commitment to financial consideration underscores our dedication to making our programs accessible to all, regardless of economic limitations.
Board of Directors and DEIBA Initiatives
We expanded and diversified our board of directors to better reflect the communities we serve while bringing new talent and expertise to our leadership team to advance our mission after 40 years of leading in the field. Additionally, we contracted a DEIBA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Access) consultant to train our staff and advise on updating our programs, ensuring that our offerings are inclusive and accessible to all. This initiative accounted for $12,640 in DEIBA-related expenses.
Looking Ahead
2024 has been a period of growth and deepened impact for our organization. The strategic expansion of our board, the inclusion of DEIBA initiatives, and the broadening of our program offerings have positioned us to serve our community better and advance the field of understanding-based conflict resolution. We remain committed to providing accessible and inclusive education and are grateful for the continued support of our donors and participants.
Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available on request.
Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. The PayPal Giving Fund will send it to you upon receiving your donation. We also participate in employer gift matching through Benevity and several giving programs, including the PayPal Giving Fund on eBay, Nextdoor, and HumbleBundle.
Contributions of any amount will significantly impact our ability to expand training opportunities, evolve to meet future demands and provide pathways for those seeking to train with the Center, to whom financial concerns are a limitation.
Empowering Future Educators and Practitioners
Quelling the conflict within to guide others out: from learning to teaching on the path to understanding
Hansa Patel is an attorney, mediator, teacher, and the incoming board president at the Center for Understanding in Conflict. She was born in the United Kingdom, moved to San Francisco when she was three, and lived there her entire life before moving to Marin two years...
Ukrainian mediators work to bring understanding to conflict despite challenges faced by ongoing war
Training program encourages looking within to find a way forward NEW YORK, Dec. 2022 - When Ukrainian mediator Tatyana Bilyk approached the Center for Understanding in Conflict (CUC) about conducting training for conflict-resolution professionals still operating in a...
40 Years of Bringing Together People in Conflict Through Understanding
The Center for Understanding in Conflict, formerly The Center for Mediation in Law, was formed in 1981 by Gary Friedman and Jack Himmelstein as a non-profit educational institute dedicated to integrating mediative principles into the practice of law and resolving legal disputes in commercial, family, organizational and other legal and non-legal settings.
From 1980 – 2000, conflict resolution and mediation training was predominantly sought by lawyers and other representatives of the legal community who wanted to provide their clients with alternatives to court-decided outcomes. Basic 40-hour conflict resolution and mediation training programs were designed and taught to meet these needs and conducted at physical locations throughout the United States.
From 2000, the understanding-based approach to conflict resolution caught the attention of large corporations, tech companies, universities, and NGOs, who found that incorporating the model into their operations could reduce liability and expense while improving workplace culture outcomes for employees and clients experiencing disagreements and disputes. Advanced and online programs were developed in response to the unique needs of these large organizations and were regularly conducted throughout the year.
The application of this approach has now expanded to collaborative practice, non-profit organizations, ombuds work, workplace disputes, and other settings in which professionals wish to help parties work through conflict differently. Beginning in 2022, we also launched a Teacher Training program to prepare practitioners to bring the model into communities of need based on attendees’ unique passions and interests, including healthcare, education, religious organizations, social movements, and community centers.
20-years of conflict resolution work breaks new ground while bringing together parties in conflict through understanding
Career practitioner champions a unique approach in Europe while training others to do the same Nathalie Herren is no stranger to conflict resolution or the challenges presented not just by those in conflict but the culture and traditions surrounding popular models of...
Barry Berkman reflects on a career spent bringing together parties in conflict and the understanding-based model’s effect on his life
After 50 years of practicing law, conflict resolution remains a powerful alternative to the court system Barry Berkman, a matrimonial lawyer, has been mediating since the 1980s. He is the founding partner of Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein LLP, with offices in...
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