A Partner for Social Change

The Ford Foundation works with visionary leaders and organizations around the world. We were founded to advance social justice, and all of our work flows from this fundamental commitment.

Quick Facts

  • Chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford
  • More than $15.6 billion distributed worldwide
  • Fiscal year 2008 assets valued at $11 billion
  • Annually, some 40,000 proposals received, 2,000 grants made

Our Approach to Grant Making

A fundamental challenge facing every society is to create political, economic and social systems that promote peace, human welfare and the sustainability of the environment on which life depends.

We believe that finding solutions to the world's most complex problems requires engaging the people and the communities closest to them, including men and women from diverse backgrounds and all levels of society.

We work mainly by making grants or loans that build knowledge and strengthen organizations and networks. These methods of problem-solving reflect our mission and the diverse ways we support grantees. They also describe a model of philanthropy that the foundation has pursued since its inception: To be a long-term and flexible partner with innovative leaders on the frontlines of social change.

We make grants from our New York headquarters and our regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

70 Years of Impact | View our interactive timeline

Our History

For more than 70 years, the Ford Foundation has been delivering on a promise to improve lives and create opportunity. Learn more about the history of our work.

Our Staff

Our grant making program is led by directors and regional representatives who work with a talented cadre of program officers. Members of our program staff are experts in their fields, recruited from universities, nonprofit organizations, and the public and private sectors for six-year terms. Together with a dedicated team of program administrators and assistants, they develop grant strategies designed to make positive change.