Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) is dedicated to ending war and abolishing nuclear weapons.
Our Campus Organizing Program is building a strong student movement to oppose war and demand a more peaceful future. for peace across New York State.
Since 2007, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) has presented the annual William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Award to individuals who have made an impact in achieving a more just and peaceful world. Named for the Reverend Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a believer in the power of civil disobedience to bring social and political change, this annual award recognizes individuals and organizations who have exemplified activism and inspired our community of peacemakers.
This year, we look forward to celebrating our honorees and their impact on the movement for peace and justice. We will honor the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) to recognize the leadership role they have played in bringing together the Iranian diaspora in the U.S. and in educating the public about the Iranian-American relationship, key to the work of diplomacy with Iran. Separately, we will honor Mayor Zohran Mamdani (in absentia) for being a prominent voice centering human needs over endless militarism in the national conversation.
At this event, we will also honor the incredible organizing work of the student peace activists of the PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program. We will present the Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award to Niagara University Peace Action for their leadership and activism in the 2025-2026 school year, and we will present the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award to program alumna, Nino Burjanadze, for being a young leader in the international movement for peace and nuclear disarmament.
We sat down with Nino Burjanadze, this year’s recipient of the Holly Maguigan Peace With Justice Award, one of four awards presented at the Peace Action Fund of New York State’s 2026 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards. As a recent alumna of the PAFNYS Campus Organizing program, Nino reflected on her peace organizing, personal values, and plans for the future.
Earlier this month, I attended the 2026 World Conference Against Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to represent Peace Action New York State. When I first found out that I was selected for this opportunity back in June, I was nervous and filled with self-doubt. It would have been my first time traveling outside the country on my own, and I doubted my ability to deliver any interesting or worthwhile speeches. Afterall, I was only a student organizer at Peace Action Macaulay Honors College for a single semester, and had no grand stories to share with nuclear abolition activists in Japan. I considered that perhaps the opportunity would best be given to someone else.
On Monday, October 5th, 2026 at 6pm in New York City, join Peace Action Fund of New York State to honor the peacemakers!
Every year, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) hosts the WSC Peacemaker Awards, an event which brings together the many faces of the New York peace movement to honor the change-makers fighting tirelessly for peace and justice.
Please join PAFNYS in honoring the 2026 Peacemaker Awardees.
This Spring semester, the student chapters of the PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program led their organizing efforts with resilience, courage, and creativity. Students responded quickly to rapidly changing developments in the domestic and foreign policy landscape; continuing to organize events based around ICE presence in their communities, the war in Iran and Lebanon, as well as the ongoing genocide in Palestine. During this semester in particular, student organizers leaned on field experts, academics, and colleagues connected to PAFNYS to educate their chapter on a number of issues.
On February 20-21, student organizers from across the state traveled to Macaulay Honors College in New York City to attend our annual Student Peace Conference. Representatives from a number of local and international peace organizations came to give inspiring talks and workshops which the student attendees can use to inform them as they keep organizing on campus.
The Fall 2025 cohort of the Peace Action Fund of New York State Campus Organizing Program carried out a number of important initiatives on their campuses, spreading awareness about ongoing peace and justice issues. This semester, our 12 chapters continued focusing on the genocide in Gaza, the mass deportations of undocumented people and ICE presence in their own communities, the cutting of SNAP benefits during the nation’s longest government shutdown, nuclear weapons and the expiration of New START in 2026, and more. Each chapter developed their own innovative ways of educating their peers on these issues and providing opportunities to participate in acts of resistance.
