Professors of political science Paul Weber and Landis Jones, who both had taught Charles Grawemeyer in his retirement years, met with him hoping he wanted to create an award in political science. They were optimistic but puzzled. They had taught him radically different courses but thought of him as a provocative and thoughtful student. He did everything the young students did except take the exams. He even bought all the books and, when finished, gave them to the professors to pass on to deserving students the following semester.

In their meeting, Grawemeyer got to the point, Weber recalled. He wanted to fund a prize in international political science, "something like the Nobel, only better." Grawemeyer had studied the Nobel and saw its value for recognizing people who have done something. "Who can be like Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa?" Weber recalled Grawemeyer pondering. It was clear Grawemeyer liked ideas that might make a difference. According to Weber, Grawemeyer told them, "Peace is a good idea, but it's too narrow. We need justice, too, and well-ordered societies all across the world. I'd like to reward ideas that get us closer to that."

The first Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order was shared in 1988 by two Harvard professors: Richard Neustadt and Ernest May. Their work, "Thinking In Time: The Uses of History for Decision-Making," uses 30 case studies to challenge political decision makers to use their experiences and those of hundreds of historic figures, in disciplined thought patterns, to govern, manage and exercise authority.