Ford Foundation Funder Overview

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $732 million (2023)
Total Assets: $16.8 billion (2023)
Grant Range: $51,000 - $300,000+ (average ~$206,000)
Geographic Focus: International (50+ countries)
Application Method: Primarily invitation-only; limited open applications

Contact Details

Main Office: 320 East 43rd Street New York, NY 10017

Website: https://www.fordfoundation.org

Note: The Ford Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals by mail, email or phone. In a typical year, less than one percent of unsolicited applications receive a grant.

Overview

Founded in 1936 in Michigan with an initial gift of $25,000 by Edsel Ford, the Ford Foundation has become one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations. With assets of $16.8 billion and annual giving exceeding $732 million (2023), it is the second-largest private foundation in the United States. Since inception, the foundation has provided more than $16 billion in grants and loans worldwide, making approximately 1,400 grants annually to organizations across 50+ countries.

The foundation's mission is to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement—with inequality now at the center of everything they do. In recent years, Ford shifted its entire grantmaking strategy to focus on addressing inequality as "the defining challenge of our time," identifying five underlying drivers: entrenched cultural narratives that undermine fairness, failure to invest in vital public goods, unfair economic rules, unequal access to government decision-making, and persistent discrimination.

The foundation is led by incoming president Heather Gerken (effective November 2025), a constitutional law expert and former dean of Yale Law School, who will succeed Darren Walker after his transformative decade-long tenure.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BUILD (Building Institutions and Networks) Initiative: The flagship program provides five-year general operating support combined with organizational strengthening assistance. So far, BUILD has committed $1.6 billion across 600 grants to organizations in 45 countries, with plans to invest $2 billion total over 12 years. The program is invitation-only for current Ford Foundation grantees. Recent grants include $4 million to UltraViolet for gender justice work. More than 60% of BUILD grantees are led by women, and over half focus on the Global South.

New York City Good Neighbor Committee: Provides unrestricted grants ranging from $30,000 to $100,000 (typically one year) to 10-15 community-based organizations annually. Focus areas include Arts and Culture, Education, and Human Services within NYC's five boroughs. Applications open on a fixed cycle (applications for 2026 cycle now closed, with notifications between December 2025 and February 2026).

Standard Grantmaking: Most grants fall between $51,000 and $300,000, with an average of approximately $206,000. The foundation has shifted toward fewer but larger grants, providing more intensive core funding with greater flexibility and autonomy for grantees.

Priority Areas

The Ford Foundation organizes its work around addressing inequality through nine interconnected program areas:

Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice: Addressing structural inequality based on gender, race, class, disability, and ethnicity, with deep understanding of intersectionality
Civic Engagement and Government: Protecting and expanding democratic structures, including voting rights, redistricting, census work, and engagement with rural and working-class communities
Technology and Society: Ensuring internet and digital technologies advance social and economic justice, particularly for those facing discrimination
Natural Resources and Climate Justice: Centering people most affected by climate injustice in solutions
Creativity and Free Expression
Future of Work(ers)
Youth Opportunity and Learning

The foundation has committed to allocating the majority of grantmaking dollars to marginalized communities and at least 25% to social justice strategies such as advocacy, community organizing, and civic engagement.

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not prominently published, typical restrictions include:

Individuals (except specific fellowship programs)
Political campaigns or lobbying activities
Religious activities for sectarian purposes
Capital campaigns or building projects (generally)
Fundraising events or sponsorships

Governance and Leadership

Incoming President (November 2025): Heather Gerken, constitutional law expert and former dean of Yale Law School, selected after an extensive international search.

Board Chair: Francisco Cigarroa

Board of Trustees: 16 members including recent appointments Timothy F. Geithner (former U.S. Treasury Secretary), Mark Bradford (visual artist), and Richard R. Verma (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State). Other trustees include Ursula M. Burns, Henry Ford III, Thomas L. Kempner Jr., and George H. Walker.

Key Leadership Insights from Former President Darren Walker:

Walker emphasized that "grantees need to have authentic conversations and dialogue with funders. Because without that, it's very hard to really engage in the honest, authentic discourse that we need." He advocated that foundations should "listen more closely to grantees and the people in the places they serve, lessen the burdens to apply for grants, and give more money to grantees without restricting how they use it."

On leadership, Walker identified "listening, communicating, and acting as your most authentic self" as the three fundamental obligations, and stated that "the most effective approach to good grantmaking is to trust grantees to use funding in a way that addresses the issues they're trying to solve."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Ford Foundation does not have a traditional public application process. The foundation primarily operates through an invitation-only system where program teams proactively identify and reach out to organizations with bold ideas and scalable solutions. Less than one percent of unsolicited applications receive funding.

For Standard Grants: Program teams conduct research and use their networks to identify potential grantees aligned with Ford's strategic priorities. If selected, organizations are invited to submit a formal grant proposal. Every valid grant request receives a confirmation number, and the program team reviews alignment with priorities and budget before requesting a formal proposal.

For NYC Good Neighbor Committee: This is the one program with periodic open applications. Eligibility requires:

Based in New York City with work primarily in the five boroughs
501(c)3 status or fiscal sponsor
Work in Arts and Culture, Education, or Human Services
Not a current Ford Foundation grantee in other programs
Responsive and accountable to communities served

Applications open on a fixed annual cycle (late summer/early fall), and the committee contacts prospective applicants directly between December and February.

Decision Timeline

The review process typically takes up to three months after submission. Organizations receive an acknowledgment, and if the inquiry is relevant, a program officer will contact them. Once a proposal is selected for funding, it undergoes thorough review to ensure compliance with legal requirements before formal approval and issuance of an official grant letter.

Success Rates

Less than 1% of unsolicited applications receive grants. The foundation made 3,545 awards in 2023, but the vast majority were to organizations identified and invited by program teams rather than through unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations that receive a decline can maintain relationships with program officers and may be reconsidered as foundation priorities evolve. There is no specific waiting period mentioned, but given the invitation-only nature, reapplication is less relevant than ongoing relationship building.

Application Success Factors

What Ford Foundation Looks For (Funder-Specific)

Bold Ideas and Scalable Solutions: The foundation explicitly seeks "people and organizations with bold ideas and scalable solutions" that can drive systems-level change at local, national, regional, or global levels.

Visibility and Leadership: Organizations need to be "well-known and respected" in their field, with high-quality media coverage of successful work and strong impact reporting. Ford looks for organizations positioned as leaders in their issue areas.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities: The foundation emphasizes that applicants should "go through its priority areas carefully before asking for funds." Deep alignment with one or more of the nine interconnected program areas addressing inequality is critical.

Organizational Strength and Potential: BUILD grantees exemplify Ford's approach—organizations used BUILD funding to create diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (Demos), engage staff in bottom-up global strategy development (Center for Reproductive Rights), and develop long-term financing plans (Firelight). Ford values organizations ready to grow stronger with flexible support.

Authentic Community Connection: Organizations must be "responsive and accountable to the communities they support" (explicit requirement for Good Neighbor grants). Ford seeks organizations "living and working closest to the problems."

Recent Grant Examples as Guidance

Alliance for Safety and Justice: Transformed from an idea to high-impact institution with BUILD support
UltraViolet: $4 million over five years (2024) for gender justice work
Natural resources programs: Supporting poor communities to have more control over resources and stronger voice in land use decisions

Language and Approach

Ford consistently uses terms like "social justice," "inequality," "systems-level change," "participatory," "collaborative," "intersectionality," and "marginalized communities." Applications should demonstrate understanding of how various forms of inequality intersect and how proposed work drives structural change rather than just service provision.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Don't submit unsolicited proposals expecting success—less than 1% are funded. Instead, focus on building visibility in your field and getting on program officers' radar through excellent work and strategic networking.
The BUILD initiative is Ford's flagship but is invitation-only for current grantees. If you receive any Ford grant, excellence in execution could lead to BUILD consideration, which offers transformative five-year flexible funding.
The NYC Good Neighbor Committee is your best bet for an open application if you're a local NYC organization in Arts/Culture, Education, or Human Services not currently funded by Ford elsewhere.
Frame your work around systems-level change addressing inequality. Ford has shifted entirely to this focus—demonstrate how your work tackles root causes, not just symptoms, and explicitly address intersectionality.
Build authentic relationships with the communities you serve and document this. Ford values organizations that are "responsive and accountable" and led by people with lived experience of the issues they're addressing.
Network strategically with current Ford grantees in your geographic and issue areas. Engage via social media, attend conferences where Ford officers might be present, and seek opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership.
If invited to apply, emphasize organizational capacity and vision for growth. Ford seeks organizations ready to become stronger institutions with flexible, long-term support—not just project funding.

References

Ford Foundation Official Website - Mission: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/about-the-ford-foundation/mission/
Ford Foundation - How We Make Grants: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/how-we-make-grants/
Ford Foundation - Grant Opportunities: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grant-opportunities/
Ford Foundation - Awarded Grants: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/
GuideStar Profile - Ford Foundation: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/13-1684331
GrantAdvisor Reviews - Ford Foundation: https://grantadvisor.org/profile.php?ein=13-1684331
Ford Foundation - BUILD Initiative Expansion (June 2020): https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-expands-flagship-build-program-to-provide-1-billion-to-hundreds-of-organizations/
Ford Foundation - BUILD FAQs: https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/faqs-build-grants/
Inside Philanthropy - Ford Foundation Profile: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-f/ford-foundation
Ford Foundation - NYC Good Neighbor Committee: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/about-the-ford-foundation/new-york-city-good-neighbor-committee/
Ford Foundation - New President Announcement (2025): https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-announces-heather-gerken-as-new-president/
Ford Foundation - Board of Trustees: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/board-of-trustees/
The Chronicle of Philanthropy - Darren Walker Reimagined Philanthropy: https://www.philanthropy.com/news/how-fords-darren-walker-reimagined-philanthropy-and-foundation-leadership/
Aspen Institute - Ford Foundation President: The Three Obligations of Leadership: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/ford-foundation-president-three-obligations-leadership/
Ford Foundation - Our Principles: https://www.fordfoundation.org/our-principles/
Ford Foundation - Challenging Inequality: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/challenging-inequality/
Ford Foundation - Governance and Financial Statements: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/about-ford/governance-and-financial-statements/
Wikipedia - Ford Foundation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Foundation
fundsforNGOs - How to Access Grants from the Ford Foundation: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/articles-searching-grants-and-donors/how-to-access-grants-from-the-ford-foundation/
Ford Foundation - People Directory: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/people/

Information accessed December 2025