Quaker Institute for the Future (QIF) envisions a global future in which humanity is in right relationship with the commonwealth of life. QIF seeks to generate insight, knowledge and wisdom that informs public policy and enables us to treat all humans and the whole commonwealth of life as a sacred community. QIF conducts research using practices of collaborative spiritual discernment based on the Quaker tradition of “meeting for worship for business.” The Institute creates the opportunity for scholars and activists to investigate their areas of interest and commitment within the Spirit-led context of Quaker testimonies, other traditions, truth seeking and public service.
Books
Insight and understanding born of collaborative discernment on social, economic, and ecological concerns.
Research Seminars
Spirit-led research using Quaker methods of reflection and discernment.
The 2025 Summer Research Seminar will be held online from August 11 through 15.
The 2024 Summer Research Seminar was held online from August 12 through 16.
For recordings of some Recent Summer Research Seminars see the QIF YouTube channel:
Videos
Playlists
Circles of Discernment
Small study groups that examine particular themes and concerns. Currently active circles have been meeting on “Bridging Our Polarities” (Bridging Divides in an Era of Polarization, reprinted with permission here), “Homeless People and Housing Justice” (see their work here and in Shalom and Right Relationships), “The Monetary System” (see The Money System and the World We Seek), and “Moving Beyond Colonial Legacies.” Other recent CoDs are “Regenerative Agriculture” and “Smarter Planet or Wiser Earth? Dialogue and Collaboration in the Era of Artificial Intelligence”
News and Events
March 2025: The 2025 Summer Research Seminar will be held online from August 11 through 15.
August 2024: QIF is pleased to release “Sketches from Behind Prisons Walls”
April 2024: Read the Quaker Institute for the Future Epistle on Responding to the Threat of Overwhelming Climate Change
January 2024: We are continuing to offer Youth Grants for Activist Researchers and are looking for applicants as well as cosponsoring organizations.
July 2023: Now available, “Smarter Planet or Wiser Earth? Dialogue and Collaboration in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,”
by Gray Cox, published by Quaker Institute for the Future and Producciones de la Hamaca
June 2023: A new Clerk’s Post on Artificial Intelligence and Collaborative Wisdom has been added to the Blog.
More Ways to Find QIF Online
Read the blog, or follow us on our social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and our QIF YouTube channel.