World Citizen Peace Funding
World Citizen Peace was a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 by Lynn Elling. Mr. Elling was a young naval officer who served in the South Pacific during WWII. When he saw the carnage of the battle of Tarawa and, later, as he served in Korea, he became determined to encourage young people to solve problems in a peaceful way.
World Citizen Peace helped hundreds of schools and other organizations across the globe to become Peace Sites. For many years, World Citizen Peace helped to organize the Peace Prize Festival at Augsburg College. World Citizen regularly organized workshops for educators to support them in teaching youth five peace actions:
SEEK peace within yourself and others
REACH OUT in service
PROTECT the environment
RESPECT diversity
BE a responsible citizen of the world
Through the years, World Citizen Peace and PeaceMaker Minnesota sought ways to collaborate. For example, PeaceMaker Minnesota participated in the World Citizen Peace workshops for educators. The organizations shared similar goals and several people donated to both organizations.
During 2025, when the leadership of World Citizen Peace looked to transfer its resources to organizations that could carry forward its work, PeaceMaker Minnesota was honored and remains deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue World Citizen’s two grantmaking programs, the Walter Enloe Fund for Peace Education and the Rev. Lowell Erdahl Scholarship Fund.
The purpose of the Walter Enloe Fund for Peace Education is to financially support classroom or school projects proposed by teachers, grades K-8, that enhance peace, social emotional, ethical learning and embrace World Citizen Peace’s Five Peace Actions.
Dr. Walter Enloe’s career spans decades as a Professor of Education, educational leader, scholar, author, artist and peace activist. Dr. Enloe was committed to fostering learning communities with a special focus on project-based learning, democratic education, peace education and activism. He was a founding faculty member of Hamline University’s MAEd and EdD programs in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The purpose of the Rev. Lowell Erdahl Scholarship Fund is to support educators and students in turning their visions of a more peaceful and just world into reality.
Rev. Lowell Erdahl served as pastor (Farmington Lutheran Church; University Lutheran Church of Hope), professor (Luther Seminary), Bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota District (ALC), and Bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod (ELCA). He was a long-time peace activist and the author of ten books.
Grants from these funds are administered through PeaceMaker Minnesota’s Safe School Initiatives grantmaking program.
If you would like to donate to these funds, please click here. In the field “Designate To” select either Safe School Initiatives Fund: Walter Enloe Fund for Peace Education or Rev. Lowell Erdahl Scholarship Fund.