In May 2000 the ACBF Executive Board awarded a grant of US$ 1,500,000 for strengthening the Southern African Regional Institute for Policy Studies (SARIPS).
The principal objective of SARIPS was to advance a policy making process in which the SARIPS and other institutions of civil society can creatively contribute towards the emergence of peace and democracy in the Southern African region and society on an equitable and sustainable socio-economic development path.