WORLD FUTURE FUND GRANTS PROGRAM
PRIORITIES FOR 2023 AND BEYOND
Our planet is a world out of balance. We are borrowing from the future at a pace unprecedented in history. There needs to be a giant change in direction. We need to start building for a real future. We are interested in working with and funding groups that have a similar commitment. Our grant program is aimed at areas where other organizations may be better organized than we are, so a grant is more efficient that a WFF program.
The World Future Fund is a non-profit organization that has been set up to do research and to educate people about the need for a greater commitment to investment in the future. We have been in business since 1995 and have been monitoring long term trends.
The Coronavirus crisis has shown that ignoring science has serious consequences. Since we were founded in 1995, virtually every expert in the field has been warning about a pandemic. They have also warned America that 100% national health insurance is essential.
These warnings were ignored... as were other warnings about climate change, the crisis in the oceans and a whole host of other threats.
We need a change in direction. A "national security" system focused on endless imperialism has led to over 900,000 fatalities at the hands of an enemy our Pentagon is helpless to defend against.
We have a choice. Nature will solve these problems... at a cost that could lead to a death toll in the billions. Or we can muster the political will to work for reform.
CREATE A JUST, SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY IN AMERICA
A key goal is creating a sane society here at home in America. This means creating a social democratic society with basic government services that protect the people. America is nothing short of social chamber of horrors among developed states with astronomical levels of child poverty, millions in jail and no universal health insurance.
We are committed to the creation of a social democratic society like Germany or Norway. A particular priority is the creation of a system which places labor union representatives on corporate boards.
Success of the European Social Welfare State
Unfortunately, progressives in America are not rising to the challenge. Former President Obama has bombed more foreign nations that any other post World War II President. Until stopped by the budget mess in Washington, he was pushing levels of defense spending even higher than those of Reagan (in constant dollars). There has been hardly a peep of protest from "progressives." And now Biden is continuing the trend of ever increasing defense spending and military spending.
At home progressives refuse to put in place three essential parts of a welfare state: a consumption tax, an energy tax and single payer national health insurance. Until these reforms are put in place there can be no social democratic society in America. America's problems are compounded by the huge debts and deficits run up as a result of wars, runaway military spending and absurd tax cuts. This means tax increases in America are going to be severe. Unfortunately, progressives in America have totally failed here. There is the common delusion that simply raising taxes on the rich will pay for what is needed. This is a total joke. Even worse many progressives want to raise taxes on investments (capital gains and estates). This is the exact opposite of states like Sweden and Norway, where there are no estate taxes. Indeed, the same can be said for the rising economic powers of Asia.
This situation needs to change.
THE CREATION OF A SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC STATE IN AMERICA
Do US human beings have a "right to life"? The answer is a clear no.
The political right believes that human fetuses do have a "right to life". However, once a fetus is born and becomes a person, neither the right nor the so-called "left" in America support policies that guarantee a right to life for people. Indeed, life in America is instead controlled by money, the distribution of which is controlled by a political power struggles among competing plutocratic and special interest forces.
This needs to change. However, in order for this to happen the "left" in America has to adopt taxes on consumption and energy as is done is every modern welfare state. These taxes are usually balanced by low taxes on savings to grow the economy. For example, the estate tax in Norway and Sweden is zero. In Germany it is zero on businesses that employ people.
By contrast many on the "left" in America live in a dream world on taxes. First, they simply refuses to face the budget deficit crisis, listening to the fairy tales of people like Paul Krugman, who suggest that today's budget deficits are no big deal. Second, they want to do the opposite of social democratic states and raise (already high by international standards) taxes on savings and investment like capital gains and estates.
Without energy and consumption taxes we simply cannot pay for what we need. Period.
We also need a major focus on broadband for all.
This situation needs to change.
Value Added Tax
Savings is an area in which Americans fall dangerously behind in comparison to our competitors around the world. A consumption tax will be a key policy that will help increase savings, since it is consumption itself that is being taxed.
The Value Added Tax (VAT) is a type of consumption tax that 70% of the world's population lives under - and it has been responsible for raising $18 trillion in revenues. A Value Added Tax is a tax on all goods and services at all business stages of production. Norway has a VAT that goes up to 25%, Germany has a 19% VAT, China has a 17% VAT and India has a 13.5% VAT (VAT Tax Rates Around the World). Yet the United States of America has no VAT tax and some of the lowest taxes on consumption in the world. It should be noted that we do not advocate replacing income taxes with a consumption tax, but rather creating a VAT as a new form of revenue as in Europe.
Read our report: Consumption Tax
Energy Tax
We favor rises in energy taxes to protect both our national security and the security of our planet's environmental foundations of life.
An energy tax is a type of consumption tax on energy use (such as a gas tax). Energy taxes have been promoted as a key policy for deficit reduction, reducing pollution and promoting environmental benefits. Currently America has some of the lowest gas taxes in the world.
Read our report: Energy Tax
Single Payer Health Care
We need what works in almost every other modern state in the world - Single Payer Healthcare. Single Payer Healthcare is a system in which the government pays for all health care costs, rather than private insurers. In a Single Payer system, everyone is already in the system, so we don't need a mountain of paperwork and overhead costs to keep track of who is in the system and who isn't. While America pays more per capita for health insurance than any other developed nation, we still perform poorly in major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and immunizations rates. Single Payer is the only plan that can work financially. Without Single Payer, Obama's goal of universal health care won't work.
Yet here is the most important point. Single Payer Health Care is protection against a national disease crisis. Right now America is a breeding ground for all kinds of plagues, diseases and viruses. And over 900,000 people have died from the Coronavirus. If every United States citizen has access to health care, the future collateral damage of a mass epidemic would be greatly diminished.
Read our report: Need for Single Payer Health Insurance
Broadband Internet For All
We strongly believe that internet access is a right to all Americans. Sadly, progressives who support billions and billions for "education" seem to totally ignore internet access. We want government subsidies for low income people for both internet service and computers.
Read our Report: Broadband for All
We need to create a network for progressive writers around the world.
GRANTS FOR NON VIOLENCE AND RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN ACTION
We believe that racism and religious bigotry have no place on our planet.
If we are to deal with global problems, the whole planet needs to work together.
Our Global Education Project is deeply committed to the cause of constructive non-violent dialogue among world religions.
We have a history of working with groups that promote interfaith dialogue in difficult places.
We would like to expand our work in this area.
Organizations seeking grants in this endeavor should contact us.
Check Out Our Grant for Non Violent Conflict Resolution
Organizations seeking grants should send an introductory letter summarizing their project to our e mail address contact@worldfuturefund.net.
Be sure to list your web site. If we are interested, we shall contact you.