Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation

08/20/2026

Identity theft, burglary, murder, and more–which crimes do Americans fear being victimized by the most?

This month, the Council on Criminal Justice, with support from HFG, released a report examining just that.

In “Fear of Crime in the US” researchers analyzed the public fears of different offenses, and examined the individual characteristics, neighborhoods, and broader worries associated with those fears.

“Understanding what influences fear of crime is important for improving people’s quality of life and informing public safety policy” wrote the authors Ernesto Lopez and Amanda Graham.

Read the full report on CCJ’s website:

https://counciloncj.org/fear-of-crime-in-the-u-s/

Using original survey data, this report examines which specific crimes Americans fear most, how they perceive their risk of victimization, and the factors that help explain those fears.

07/30/2026

Are you an established academic or scholar researching an urgent question about the causes or manifestations of violence?

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2027 HFG Distinguished Scholar Awards.

The awards support research that advances understanding of war, crime, political violence, and other forms of human aggression.

Interested candidates should complete a brief Letter of Interest (LOI) by Friday, July 31, 2026.

For more details on how to apply, visit:

https://www.hfg.org/distinguished-scholars/

07/23/2026

“Murder and other crime rates are falling across the map, in cities with different political leadership, housing and economic conditions, policing and prosecution strategies, violence reduction models, and levels of federal enforcement activity,” said on Criminal Justice President and CEO Adam Gelb about the findings of CCJ’s new mid-year crime trends report.

The report, released today, found that the average homicide rates in 30 American cities fell by 18 percent in the first half of 2026, compared to 2025. Other forms of crime, including gun and robbery, were also down.

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation continues to support CCJ's ongoing efforts to better understand violence in the United States.

Read more about the report here: https://counciloncj.org/homicide-likely-reaching-a-new-historic-low-as-most-crime-rates-continue-to-decline-at-mid-year/

New CCJ analysis finds 9 of 13 offenses declined in the first half of 2026, including an 18% drop in homicide; shoplifting the only offense remaining above 2019 levels

07/14/2026

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2027 HFG Distinguished Scholar Awards.

The awards support research that advances understanding of violence and its impact on society.

Researchers who are examining urgent questions related to war, crime, political violence, and other forms of human aggression are invited to apply.

Interested candidates should complete a brief Letter of Interest (LOI) by July 31, 2026/

For more details on how to apply, visit:

https://www.hfg.org/distinguished-scholars/

07/02/2026

“The challenge for democracies is not eliminating polarization but preventing political conflict from hardening into existential warfare” writes Jeffrey Kopstein of the University of California, Irvine in a new essay for the Journal of Democracy.

While challenging the assumption that political polarization naturally leads to political violence, Kopstein examines the conditions that can cause political explosiveness.

This is the first essay in a special series examining polarization and political violence, supported by The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

Read more here:

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/when-polarization-turns-violent/

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Democracies have always sparked conflict, disagreement, and deep ideological divisions. Polarized politics are hardly rare in democratic life. So under what conditions does polarization turn violent…

07/01/2026

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2027 HFG Distinguished Scholar Awards.

The awards support research that advances understanding of violence and its impact on society.

Researchers who are examining urgent questions related to war, crime, political violence, and other forms of human aggression are invited to apply.

Interested candidates should complete a brief Letter of Interest (LOI) by July 31, 2026.

For more details on how to apply, visit:

https://www.hfg.org/distinguished-scholars/

06/18/2026

Is the Iran War Coming to an End?

Earlier this week, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation grantee Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies discussed the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, the impact of the war on politics in the Middle East, and the outstanding issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

Tune in to his conversation with Dan Kurtz-Phelan and Narges Bajoghli on the Foreign Affairs Magazine Podcast.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/iran-war-coming-end

A Conversation With Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr

06/08/2026

The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is seeking research proposals for the inaugural Harry Frank Guggenheim Nuclear Ethics and Security Fellowship.

The part-time, non-resident nuclear fellow will spend 12 months leading a proactive research and education agenda addressing the decline of extended deterrence amid an increasingly nuclearized world.

The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

Visit www.HFG.org for more information:

https://www.hfg.org/carnegie-council-and-hfg-launch-nuclear-ethics-and-security-fellowship/

The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation have launched the inaugural Harry Frank Guggenheim Nuclear Ethics and Security Fellow.

05/20/2026

Each year, tens of thousands of people in the United States are shot by a criminal assailant. But in most of those cases, police fail to arrest the shooter.

In this latest report from HFG, Philip Cook of Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy argues police departments should invest more in improving their investigations of fatal and nonfatal shootings and provides examples of what has worked in Boston, Chicago, and other cities.

Read the "Unsolved Shootings: Why and How to Boost Clearance Rates” report here:

https://www.hfg.org/hfg_reports/unsolved-shootings-why-and-how-to-boost-clearance-rates/

04/29/2026

Approximately 75,000 people in the United States were shot by a criminal assailant in 2024, yet most of those shootings did not result in an arrest.

In this latest HFG Research and Policy in Brief report, Philip J. Cook, professor emeritus at Duke University, explores the gap between solved and unsolved shootings.

“There is a strong argument for improving police performance in investigating serious crimes of violence,” Cook argues. “What is at stake is public safety and the basic duty of the police to serve the public.”

Read "Unsolved Shootings: Why and How to Boost Clearance Rates" here:

https://www.hfg.org/hfg_reports/unsolved-shootings-why-and-how-to-boost-clearance-rates/

“There is a strong argument for improving police performance in investigating serious crimes of violence," writes criminologist Philip J. Cook in this HFG Research and Policy in Brief. "What is at stake is public safety and the basic duty of the police to serve the public.”