Keeping It 100 Podcast with Tracey Frisch: How the AAA ICDR Foundation Advances Conflict Resolution

Check out the latest Keeping It 100 Podcast Episode, featuring Tracey Frisch, Executive Director of the AAA-ICDR Foundation sharing an overview of the Foundation, what the Foundation looks for in grant applications, and how innovative uses of ADR can further access to justice.

The AAA ICDR Foundation, established in 2015, awards grants to organizations promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Their funding priorities include violence prevention, bridging community conflict, and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in access to justice. The interview discusses the foundation’s grant programs, selection criteria emphasizing scalability and impact measurement, and impactful projects the foundation has supported, including a program integrating mediators into 911 dispatch. Future plans involve focusing grant funding to maximize impact within a specific area.

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Briefing Document: AAA-ICDR Foundation

Mission and Impact of the AAA-ICDR Foundation: The Foundation, established in 2015, aims to prevent and resolve conflicts through the expansion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). They have granted over $11.2 million to 166 projects, focusing on:

• Preventing and reducing violence in vulnerable and underserved communities.
• Bridging community conflict and promoting civil discourse.
• Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in access to justice.

Grant Programs: The foundation offers various grant programs, including:
Annual Grant Cycle: Open call for applications aligned with their mission and priority areas.

Special Initiative Grants: Board-initiated grants for specific projects outside the annual cycle.

Rapid Response Grants: Support for time-sensitive programs addressing current issues.

Diversity Scholarships: Financial assistance for diverse individuals pursuing ADR education and dedicated scholarships at Howard University and North Carolina Central University.

Key Grant Criteria:

Strong grant applications demonstrate:

• Scalability and Expansion: Potential for growth beyond the initial funding. The Foundation sees themselves as providing “seed money” for sustainable initiatives.
• Impact Measurement: Clear strategies for measuring and demonstrating the impact of the funded project. “So what” impact will the project have on the targeted issue?

Examples of Impactful Grants:

Dayton Mediation Center:

Innovative program integrating community mediators into the 911 dispatch system, responding to low-level calls and offering social service referrals. This approach diverts cases from police response and provides more appropriate intervention.

Africa in the Moot:

Funding support for a team of students from an African university to participate in the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. This grant facilitated access and opportunity for these students.

Important Quotes:

On the Foundation’s Motivation:

“We figured what better way to invest these funds than to start a foundation… and really do good with it… and Advance ADR in a way that… the organizations that are funded through the foundation are really taking conflict resolution to a whole another level.”

On Appealing Grant Applications:

“Something that we very much look for is how are you measuring impact… So what impact is this having and how are you going to measure that?”

On the Dayton Mediation Center:

“This is really… its roots from… a community mediation Center in Dayton, Ohio, and looking at how can Community mediation play a role in police response… and 911 dispatch calls.”

On Future Vision:

“We are looking now at narrowing our Focus as a way to really improve our impact… maybe we could focus in one area… and be able to measure the impact across grants.”

Overall Impression:

The interview highlights the AAA-ICDR Foundation’s dedication to promoting ADR and its impactful work through diverse grant programs. The Foundation emphasizes the importance of sustainability, measurable impact, and innovative approaches to conflict resolution in its funding decisions. Ms. Frisch’s passion for the field and the Foundation’s mission is evident throughout the conversation.

                       

Tracey Frisch

As Division Vice President of Mediation Tracey leads the Association’s mediation business. Tracey also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Pace University Law School teaching Commercial Arbitration Law and previously served as an adjunct Professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law supervising law student mediators. Tracey is a member… MORE >

                       

Jim Melamed

Jim Melamed co-founded Mediate.com in 1996 along with John Helie and served as CEO of Mediate.com through June 2020 (25 years).  Jim is currently General Counsel for Mediate.com and ODR.com. During Jim's 25-year tenure, Mediate.com received the American Bar Association's 2010 Institutional Problem Solver Award.  Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The… MORE >