Ford Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $607 million (2023)
• Success Rate: <1% for unsolicited applications
• Decision Time: Up to 3 months
• Grant Range: $25,000 - $28.9 million (average ~$206,500)
• Geographic Focus: Global (50+ countries, 11 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and North America)

Contact Details

Website: www.fordfoundation.org Email: office-of-communications@fordfound.org Phone: 212-573-5000 Address: New York, NY Grant Database: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/

Overview

Founded in 1936, the Ford Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States, with assets of $16.8 billion as of 2023. The foundation distributes grants to organisations worldwide, awarding 3,545 grants in 2023 (likely includes multi-year commitments). Over the past five years, Ford has awarded $4.2 billion in grants. The foundation's mission centres on fighting inequality by supporting individuals and institutions working to address the underlying drivers of social, economic, and political inequality. Under the leadership of President Darren Walker (2013-2025), Ford has committed to allocating the majority of its grantmaking dollars to marginalised communities and at least 25% to social justice strategies including advocacy, community organising, and civic engagement. The foundation launched its flagship BUILD initiative in 2015, committing $2 billion over 12 years to provide flexible, multi-year general operating support with dedicated institutional strengthening resources. Heather Gerken will assume the presidency in 2026.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

BUILD (Building Institutions and Networks)

• Five-year general operating support grants
• Invitation-only to current Ford Foundation grantees
• Supports organisational capacity building and institutional strengthening
• Organisations develop their own strengthening plans
• Since 2015, BUILD has funded nearly 350 organisations, more than half in the Global South
• Total commitment: $2 billion over 12 years

Creativity and Free Expression

• Arts and culture organisations with budgets between $500,000-$5 million
• National resonance or regional impact in the American South, Indian Country, and rural communities
• Prioritises organisations led by and centring artists, storytellers, and culture bearers from marginalised communities
• Focus on advancing racial, gender, and disability justice

JustFilms

• Documentary film production grants: $25,000-$100,000
• Feature-length documentaries (50+ minutes) only
• Global focus, especially regions with Ford Foundation offices (Africa, Latin America, Asia, Middle East)
• Themes: gender justice, racial equity, disability inclusion, power dynamics
• Open call accepts applications year-round

Disability Futures Fellowship

• $50,000 grants to visual and performing artists, writers, and filmmakers
• 20 fellows selected annually
• Joint programme with Mellon Foundation

NYC Good Neighbor Committee Grant

• Local grants for New York City community organisations
• Applications reviewed starting in October

Priority Areas

The Ford Foundation organises its work around these interconnected themes:

Civic Engagement and Government

• Pro-democracy movements grounded in inclusive values
• Governance reflecting community demographics
• Community organising around policy and systems change
• Youth engagement

Technology and Society

• Ensuring internet and digital technologies advance social and economic justice
• Intersectional, feminist approaches to technology
• Technology, disability inclusion, and gender equity intersections

Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice

• Gender-based violence prevention
• Economic justice and rights
• Bodily autonomy and sexual/reproductive health rights
• Feminist action for climate justice
• Technology and innovation for gender equality
• Feminist movements and leadership

Natural Resources and Climate Justice

• Land resource rights for Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and local communities
• Africa's energy transition
• Climate equity

Future of Work(ers)

• Workers' rights and economic security
• Informal economy, especially women workers
• Labour organising

Global Governance

• International systems and structures

Disability Rights

• Systemic change approaches (not direct services)
• Disability inclusion across all programme areas

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited proposals (less than 1% success rate)
• Direct service provision
• Student films, short films, or episodic series (JustFilms)
• Commissioned films where filmmaker doesn't hold rights
• New media (AR, VR), podcasts
• Films that have already premiered or broadcast
• Impact campaigns (standalone)
• Activities attempting to influence legislation (as prohibited by U.S. law for private foundations)
• Accessibility efforts as standalone projects (integrated across programmes instead)

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

President (Current): Darren Walker (2013-2025)

• Leading the foundation through unprecedented expansion of flexible funding
• Championed the BUILD initiative and mission-related investments
• Will step down at the end of 2025
• Also serves as President of the National Gallery of Art Board of Trustees

President (Incoming): Heather Gerken

• Will assume presidency in 2026
• Selected after extensive national and international search

Board of Trustees

Chair: Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D.

16-member board includes:

• Ursula M. Burns
• Henry Ford III
• Thomas L. Kempner, Jr.
• Laurene Powell Jobs (elected 2021)
• Richard R. Verma (elected 2021)
• George H. Walker (elected 2024)

The board selects the president and oversees foundation policies whilst the president implements policies and manages day-to-day operations.

Leadership Philosophy

Francisco Cigarroa on selecting the new president: "a thoughtful and innovative leader with a knowledge and passion for justice."

The foundation emphasises trust-based philanthropy, flexible funding, and long-term partnerships with grantees.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Primary Approach - Foundation-Identified The Ford Foundation operates primarily through a proactive grantmaking model:

• Programme teams identify potential grantees based on their field expertise
• Teams seek organisations with "bold ideas and scalable solutions"
• Programme officers work collaboratively with prospective grantees to develop proposals
• This accounts for the vast majority of grants

Limited Open Opportunities A small number of programmes accept applications:

• JustFilms: Submit through online portal at www.fordfoundation.org
• NYC Good Neighbor Committee: Specific local opportunities
• General inquiries: Can be submitted through website, though success rate is extremely low

BUILD Programme: Invitation-only to current Ford Foundation grantees

What NOT to Do:

• Do not send unsolicited proposals by mail, email, or phone
• These are not accepted

Decision Timeline

• Review period: Up to 3 months after submission
• Acknowledgment: You will receive confirmation of receipt
• Next steps: If inquiry is relevant to programme priorities, a programme officer will contact you
• Programme-specific timelines: Some programmes have specific cycles (e.g., NYC Good Neighbor reviews start in October)

Success Rates

• Unsolicited applications: Less than 1% receive grants
• Total awards in 2023: 3,545 grants (likely includes multi-year commitments)

The extremely low success rate for unsolicited applications reflects the foundation's proactive grantmaking approach where programme teams identify most grantees.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication restrictions are mentioned, though the foundation's proactive model means that unsuccessful unsolicited applicants are unlikely to succeed without being identified by programme teams. Organisations should focus on:

• Building relationships with relevant programme officers
• Demonstrating alignment with strategic priorities
• Developing a track record in their field

Application Success Factors

Foundation's Advice to Applicants

Alignment is Critical "Go through its priority areas carefully before asking for funds." - Ensure your work directly addresses the foundation's focus on fighting inequality.

Demonstrate Bold, Scalable Solutions Programme teams seek "people and organisations with bold ideas and scalable solutions" to pressing issues in their fields.

Cross-Cutting Themes "An important cross-cutting theme of the foundation is equal opportunity in all its projects."

Proposal Quality If invited to submit a formal proposal, include:

• Clear project description with objectives and expected impact
• Detailed budget and timeline
• Organisation background and track record
• How the project aligns with Ford Foundation's mission and priorities
• Be concise and specific in all responses

Examples of Funded Projects

Major Recent Grants Include:

• Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO): $28.9 million to secure livelihoods for the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy

• Climate and Land Use Alliance: $24.7 million to ensure land resource rights for Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and local communities

• New Venture Fund: $16.7 million for Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience

• Equality Fund: $17.4 million to enhance funding for women's rights organisations worldwide

• Oxfam America: $6.9 million for Climate Media Collaborative for Economic Justice

These examples demonstrate Ford's preference for:

• Large-scale systemic change work
• Collaborative networks and coalitions
• Focus on marginalised communities
• Multi-year, substantial commitments
• Organisations with established track records

Key Success Factors

Intersectional Approaches The foundation prioritises organisations bringing intersectional analysis, particularly feminist intersectional approaches combining gender, race, disability, and other dimensions of inequality.

Systems Change Focus Ford funds work addressing root causes and underlying systems, not direct services or symptom management.

Geographic Priorities

• U.S.: American South, Indian Country, rural communities
• Global: Regions with Ford offices (Africa, Latin America, Asia, Middle East)
• Communities facing specific structural inequalities

Organisational Characteristics For programmes like Creativity and Free Expression:

• Mid-sized organisations ($500,000-$5 million budgets)
• Led by and centring marginalised communities
• Potential for national resonance or significant regional impact

Strategic Communication

• Use the foundation's language around inequality, justice, and systems change
• Demonstrate understanding of how your work addresses "underlying drivers of inequality"
• Show how your organisation embodies equity in its leadership and operations

Common Barriers to Success

• Submitting unsolicited proposals without prior relationship or programme team identification
• Focusing on direct services rather than systemic change
• Lack of demonstrated commitment to equity and justice in organisational practice
• Insufficient scale or potential for broader impact
• Misalignment with specific programme priorities and geographic focus

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

1. Relationship-building is essential: With less than 1% success for unsolicited applications, focus on building authentic relationships with programme officers, attending Ford-sponsored convenings, and demonstrating alignment with priorities through your work rather than through cold applications.

2. Think big and systemic: Ford seeks "bold ideas and scalable solutions" that address root causes of inequality. Frame your work in terms of systems change, structural barriers, and long-term transformation rather than service delivery or immediate needs.

3. Emphasise trust and flexibility: If you're already a Ford grantee, BUILD offers unprecedented flexible, multi-year support. Demonstrate your organisation's capacity to use unrestricted funds strategically for institutional strengthening and long-term sustainability.

4. Lead with equity: Show how your organisation embodies its values through leadership, governance, and operations. Ford prioritises organisations led by and centring marginalised communities, particularly in its arts and culture funding.

5. Consider JustFilms or targeted programmes: If you're in documentary filmmaking, JustFilms offers one of the few open application opportunities. Focus on feature-length films addressing social justice themes with global relevance, particularly in regions where Ford has offices.

6. Use their language strategically: Incorporate terms like "inequality," "underlying drivers," "systems change," "social justice strategies," and "marginalised communities" authentically in your communications. Demonstrate understanding of intersectional analysis.

7. Be patient with the process: Allow up to 3 months for review, understand that programme teams work collaboratively with potential grantees to develop proposals, and recognise that being invited to submit a formal proposal is itself a significant milestone in Ford's proactive grantmaking model.

References

1. Ford Foundation Official Website - Our Grants: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/ (Accessed November 2024)

2. Ford Foundation - How We Make Grants: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/how-we-make-grants/ (Accessed November 2024)

3. Ford Foundation - Grant Opportunities: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grant-opportunities/ (Accessed November 2024)

4. Ford Foundation - Board of Trustees: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/board-of-trustees/ (Accessed November 2024)

5. Ford Foundation - Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD): https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/building-institutions-and-networks/ (Accessed November 2024)

6. Ford Foundation - Governance and Financial Statements: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/about-ford/governance-and-financial-statements/ (Accessed November 2024)

7. Ford Foundation - 2023 Audited Financial Statements: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/about-ford/governance-and-financial-statements/financial-statements/2023-audited-financial-statements-and-footnotes/ (Accessed November 2024)

8. Ford Foundation - Our Work Around the World: https://www.fordfoundation.org/our-work-around-the-world/ (Accessed November 2024)

9. Ford Foundation - JustFilms FAQ: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/justfilms/justfilms-application/faq/ (Accessed November 2024)

10. Ford Foundation - Disability Rights and Inclusion Grantmaking FAQs: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/challenging-inequality/disability-rights/ford-disability-rights-and-inclusion-grantmaking-faqs/ (Accessed November 2024)

11. Devex - The Top Grantees of the Ford Foundation: https://www.devex.com/news/the-top-grantees-of-the-ford-foundation-110148 (Accessed November 2024)

12. Ford Foundation - Announces Heather Gerken as New President (Press Release): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ford-foundation-announces-heather-gerken-as-new-president-302495324.html (Accessed November 2024)

13. Ford Foundation - Awarded Grants Database: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/ (Accessed November 2024)

14. Nonprofit Quarterly - Democracy in Practice: How the Ford Foundation and Its BUILD Grantees Are Changing Philanthropy: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/democracy-in-practice-how-the-ford-foundation-and-its-build-grantees-are-changing-philanthropy/ (Accessed November 2024)

15. Wikipedia - Ford Foundation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Foundation (Accessed November 2024)