Women's Peacepower Foundation,
Inc.
Supporting Women, Girls, and their Communities
What is the Women's Peacepower Foundation?
The Women's Peacepower Foundation is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working to bring peace to the everyday lives of women and their families. Presently, the foundation focuses on building confidence and leadership skills in girls and women by promoting access to farmland and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
What Annie Brings to the Table
As president of the Women's Peacepower Foundation, Annie has a robust history of activism. Her commitment to advocating for women in the face of systemic and interpersonal violence is rooted in her lived experience of domestic abuse, women's shelters, and her dedication to social justice broadly.
Since the 1990s, Annie has advocated for women in a variety of spaces through her role in the Women's Peacepower Foundation. Before working to organize women in farming, she created 22 rural domestic violence projects and gained the release of 17 abused women who had killed in self-defense.
Annie has received numerous awards, including recognition from the Giraffe Heroes Project and a Purple Ribbon Award from Alliance for HOPE International. Additionally, Annie served as a consultant to develop the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and wrote the domestic violence portion of the Florida Supreme Count Gender Bias Study.
A History of the Fund
The Women's Peacepower Foundation started as a grassroots fundraising effort in 1994, eventually growing into a nonprofit and becoming an official foundation in 1998.
The Peacepower Foundation was conceptualized by Angela Meslans, who aimed to create an endowment dedicated to honoring women. The first donation came from Elizabeth Zantker.
Annie Warmke (formerly known as Candice or "Candy" Slaughter) began running the Women's Peacepower Foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation in 1999, relying on donations and investment income from its endowment.
In 2002, Annie moved to Europe and temporarily stepped away from the foundation. She returned in 2018, joining Diane McCabe Vaughan as co-director.
Impact & Philosophy
The foundation’s philosophy is that small, strategic support can empower women-led peace initiatives. Rather than large grants, it focuses on:
• Recognizing grassroots leaders
• Strengthening long-term sustainability of anti‐violence projects
Let's Talk About Gender
While the Women's Peacepower Foundation primarily focuses on creating opportunities and advocating for women-identified people, it is important to acknowledge that violence and systemic injustice impact people of all genders. As violence against LGBTQ+ communities continues alongside the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion legislation in the United States, the Women's Peacepower Foundation strives to be a resource for all people and to build on a foundation of gender theory and intersectionality.
