The records of Shanti document the organizational history and work of an agency dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening or chronic illnesses. There are a wide range of record types in this collection, which focus on the years 1987-2003. The bulk of these include materials related to the board of directors and to training volunteers and other organizations. There are also newsletters; publicity and fundraising materials; cloth artifacts; a scrapbook; audio-visual material; and photographs.

Dr. Charles Garfield founded the Shanti Project in 1974 to provide emotional support for people with life-threatening illnesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. The name "Shanti" comes from the Sanskrit word for "inner peace" or the "peace that passeth understanding." The project's focus on one-to-one peer support provided by trained volunteers became a new standard in the care of the terminally ill. Shanti's methods gained national attention, and after Garfield gave the keynote speech at n cancer conference in Milan, Italy in 1979, Shanti began an international training effort. Soon nearly 300 organizations around the world were using the Shanti peer support model.

2 Cartons, 1 manuscript box and 10 framed photographs, posters and artworks

Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.