About

Mission

Through grant-making and education, the Martín-Baró Fund fosters psychological well-being, social consciousness, active resistance, and progressive social change in communities affected by institutional violence, repression and social injustice.

Values

• We believe that the scars of such experiences are deeply seated both in the individual and in society.
• We believe in the power of the community collectively to heal these wounds, to move forward, and to create change.
• We believe in the importance of developing education and critical awareness about the oppressive policies and practices of the United States and of multinational corporations.

Goals

• To support innovative grassroots projects that explore the power of the community to foster healing within individuals and communities that are trying to recover from experiences of institutional violence, repression, and social injustice.
• To promote education and critical awareness about the psychosocial consequences of structural violence, repression and social injustice on individuals and communities, while educating ourselves and the wider community about the community-based responses of grantees in their pursuit to social reparation and a more just and equitable world.
• To build collaborative relationships among the Fund, its grantees, and its contributors for mutual education and social change.

Our History

The Fund was founded by friends and colleagues of Ignacio Martín-Baró, many of whom were also psychologists and academics in related areas. Over the years, individuals from a variety of other fields have brought their experience, skills, and interests to enhance the work of the Fund, and we have also been strengthened by the energy and enthusiasm of our student members.

Operations

The Ignacio Martín-Baró Fund for Mental Health and Human Rights is a project of the Peace Development Fund, and even though its operations are managed by the Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College.