New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund

Peace Action has dozens of affiliates at the state and local level throughout the United States, with among its most active affiliates including Peace Action New York State, Westchester Peace Action Committee (WESPAC), and Massachusetts Peace Action, many of which also have education funds that conduct similar work to the New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund. Issues of priority for the group include a ceasefire in Gaza, drastic cuts to U.S. defense spending, and a ban on nuclear weapons. ^{1 2 3 4}

Financials

Peace Action New Hampshire was granted tax-exempt status in 1988 and states that it was formed in 1982, making it among the oldest local affiliates of the national Peace Action organization. The New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund was formed in 1992 as an educational arm with charitable status, which allows it to accept tax-deductible contributions, while Peace Action New Hampshire is the group’s lobbying arm. Most of the funding for the Peace Action New Hampshire apparatus is handled by the education fund, which reported nearly $600,000 in revenue in 2022, while Peace Action New Hampshire has not raised sufficient funds to require tax filings more detailed than the IRS e-Postcard. ^{2 5 6 3}

History

The National Peace Action organization was first formed in 1957 as the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, better known as SANE. ⁷ SANE opposed U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, and in November 1965 organized the “largest antiwar demonstration up to that time.” SANE supported the 1968 presidential campaign of then-U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy (D-MN), which centered around bringing an end to the Vietnam War. ⁷ SANE continued its activities throughout the 20th century and in 1987 became Peace Action when it merged with the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, also known as FREEZE, an anti-nuclear testing group that was formed in 1979. SANE and FREEZE also had several local and state affiliates prior to the merger, including Peace Action New Hampshire. ⁷

Activities

The New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund operates most of the activities for Peace Action New Hampshire outside of direct lobbying. The group participates in the Palestine Education Network, and has adopted an anti-Israel stance in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, hosting events describing Israel as having committed genocide. ³

The group also supports the far-left position of providing reparations to the descendants of enslaved Americans, posting a blog post titled “Reparationists are the New Abolitionists.” ³

The group has also long supported cuts to the U.S. defense budget, sharing content for anti-war group Win Without War, and in 2022 issued a statement that the group was “dismayed” that all four members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation, all Democrats, were unwilling to “support modest cuts to Pentagon budget.” ³