For Immediate Release
January 31, 2014
Contact: Jo Comerford
Executive Director, 413.559.1649
PDF Press Release
NORTHAMPTON, MA — National Priorities Project (NPP) has been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize by the International Peace Bureau (IPB).
The nomination text reads: “IPB believes that Alfred Nobel was dedicated to supporting those who seek alternatives to the system of warmaking. In our view, the essential fuel for this system is money, especially public money derived largely from taxpayers. Within the world’s largest-spending state in terms of military budgets, i.e. the USA, few have devoted as much energy to studying the budget process as National Priorities Project. And few have brought to the task such a clear and steadfast commitment to re-allocating the enormous sums devoted to the military, in order to instead address vital issues such as inequality, unemployment, education, health and the need to build a green economy."
Greg Speeter founded National Priorities Project in 1983 with a radical vision – a U.S. federal budget by and for the people with spending and revenue priorities that reflect the interests of all Americans. Led since 2008 by Jo Comerford, NPP still operates under that same moral imperative, with a healthy mixture of urgency, impatience, and unwavering faith in the absolute necessity of a democratically-built federal budget.
“NPP extends our heartfelt thanks to IPB. We are humbled and inspired to have been nominated for this honor, which recognizes Greg Speeter’s original vision, the dedication of staff and board members past and present, and the loyalty of our donors and foundation funders. This Nobel Peace Prize nomination underscores the absolute necessity of our work, while raising the domestic and global stakes for our success. It is truly an honor to build on this organization’s 30 year legacy,” notes Comerford.
National Priorities Project is the people’s guide to the federal budget, the only federal budget research organization in the U.S. dedicated to cracking open a complex federal budget for people across the United States. NPP provides the information, tools, and motivation necessary to inspire and catalyze strategic citizen action. In doing so, National Priorities Project’s work strengthens movements, ensures a more just U.S. budget, and brings us closer to the promise of democracy. Read more about NPP here. Read our mission and vision statements here and testimonials about the value of NPP’s work here.
The International Peace Bureau won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910. In the years since, thirteen of IPB’s officers have been recipients. Its 300 member organizations in 70 countries form a global network. IPB has had UN Consultative Status since 1977 and is the Secretariat for the NGO Committee for Disarmament in Geneva. Its main program centers on Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development.
NPP Board Chair, Dennis Bidwell, adds, “I am extraordinarily proud of Jo Comerford and her team for their work to expand the reach and impact of this visionary organization. The staff’s tireless and passionate efforts are in the service of a federal budget that will one day work for all of us. The Nobel Peace Prize nomination underscores the fact that the priorities reflected in the U.S. budget have peace and security implications at home and throughout the world.”
