Our Governance

The Ford Foundation is currently governed by a 13-member Board of Trustees that includes the foundation president. The board sets policies related to grant making, geographic focus, spending, investment, management, governance and professional standards, and it oversees internal and independent audits. It also sets the compensation of the president and other foundation officers and reviews their performance.

The governance practices of the foundation are described in a set of documents—including bylaws, committee charters, standards of independence and a code of ethics—adopted by the Board of Trustees. All proposed grants to organizations with which a foundation trustee is affiliated as a trustee, officer or employee are subject to review and approval by the Audit Committee. The foundation has a process to annually evaluate the performance of the board, board committees and individual trustees.

The foundation and the activities of its trustees and staff members are governed by the following documents:

Governing Documents

• Charter/Articles of Incorporation (23 KB)Describes the purposes for which the foundation was organized.
  
  

• Bylaws (50 KB)Includes rules governing the foundation's operations relating to the Board of Trustees, board committees, officers and related matters.
  
  

Committee Charters and Membership
Details the mission statement, organization and roles and responsibilities for each board committee:

• Audit Committee (21 KB)
  
• Executive Committee (15 KB)
  
• Investment Committee (16KB)
  
• Management and Governance Committee (18 KB)
  
• Membership Committee (14 KB)
  
• Program Committee (12 KB)
  
• Proxy Committee (15 KB)
  

Policy and Procedure Documents

• Standards of Independence (11 KB)Sets forth the definition of "independence" adopted by the board. Under the bylaws, a majority of the trustees must be independent.
  
  

• Trustee Code of Ethics (22 KB)Includes procedures for avoiding actual or apparent conflicts of interest by members of the Board of Trustees.
  
  

• Ensuring Grants Are Used for Charitable Purposes (13 KB)Describes the extensive procedures for making and monitoring grants, ensuring our funds are used for the intended charitable purposes, and how these measures relate to pursuing our mission as a philanthropic institution.
  
  

• Procedures for Approving Affiliated Grants (12 KB)Sets forth the process adopted by the Audit Committee of the board for reviewing proposed grants to organizations with which a trustee is affiliated as an officer, director or employee.
  
  

• Procedures for the Receipt, Retention and Treatment of Complaints (10 KB)Describes procedures adopted by the Audit Committee of the board for handling complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters.
  
  

• Staff Code of Conduct and Ethics (22 KB)Includes procedures for avoiding actual or apparent conflicts of interest by foundation staff members, including the officers of the foundation.