Our Mission
The Nuer Foundation was established in 1999 in honor of Claire Nuer to foster the work and principles to which she devoted her life: processing our past to not reproduce our pains, finding some leverage within us in the face of adversity, and reconnecting with our earnestness to make a larger difference.
After surviving the Holocaust, Claire became a fierce activist, fighting all injustices she could see with passion and righteousness. The wake she left along the way created tremendous pushback and, in turn, more reasons to fight. Claire came to realize that her Ego* kept others as foes and got in the way of her being the starting point of what she sought to model in the world. She had been the victim of war and didn’t want to engage with others in a similar energy, even when she believed she was on the right side of history. Working on herself made her more compassionate, relatable, and effective in the difference she wanted to make. It became her life calling to teach others to do the same, as an empowering way to better the future of humanity.
The mission of the Nuer Foundation is to carry on the legacy of Claire’s contributions by transmitting her teachings and supporting efforts which align with those principles.
*Claire defined “Ego” as our unconscious set of automatic defensive and offensive mechanisms driven by long-standing deeply rooted fear. They lead us into a constant preoccupation with our own self-worth.
What We Do
The Nuer Foundation supports three distinct paths toward achieving our mission:
Disseminate Claire’s teachings
Claire gave a great deal to the world while she was here. She passed away in 1999 and left us with many audio recordings, articles, writings, and teaching materials and lessons—all critically relevant in our world today.
Support projects
We champion and sponsor efforts to foster education, conflict resolution, and respect of human dignity.
Grants
We expand our reach and strengthen the work of others by providing grants to organizations that align with our mission.