Development Finance and Economic Security

Ford Foundation Grants $45 Million In India

Special allocation marks 50th anniversary of its New Delhi office

New York, N.Y., May 23, 2002 -- The Ford Foundation today announced grants in India totaling nearly $45 million on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its New Delhi office. The India office is the first and oldest of the foundation’s 13 overseas offices. The grants seek to ensure the sustainability of efforts to alleviate poverty and social inequalities and to strengthen democratic governance by providing endowments to longstanding grantee institutions that are getting results, endowing positions and academic chairs to encourage new lines of work and strengthening newer organizations that are responding to emerging needs. “India is a huge, pluralistic democracy and we welcome this opportunity to reaffirm our support for Indian efforts to combat poverty and tackle tough social problems,” said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. “In India, as in other parts of the world, we have seen that the search for solutions works best when it involves those closest to the problem, often the most marginalized communities. We hope these new grants will enable our diverse range of partners that are committed to this principle to sustain their important work while also nurturing fresh ideas and approaches.” Many of the 80 grant recipients focus on promoting the rights and opportunities of India’s most disadvantaged groups. For example, several address the extreme poverty and discrimination suffered by “dalits,” the lowest of Hindu castes. Foundation support will help establish a new grant making fund to promote the economic and social advancement of dalits; a grant to the Navsarjan Trust will endow positions for media outreach and advocacy around issues affecting dalits; and Jamia Millia Islamia, one of India’s leading universities, has received support for an endowed chair in dalit studies. Another grant, to the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres, will support efforts to help slum dwellers participate in decisions about relocation and improve their livelihoods through the creation of micro businesses. Other grants seek to strengthen efforts to improve the lives, health and livelihoods of women. Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal, a rural grassroots organization that promotes women’s rights, received endowment support to sustain its programs combating domestic violence. A grant to Isabella Thoburn College will establish an endowed chair in Women’s Studies and foundation support will help create a South Asia Women’s Fund that will make grants to promote women’s rights and a greater role for women in public policy formulation. Among the newer organizations that received support for innovative programs is the Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access, which seeks to strengthen the quality of education at selected state colleges and universities outside major cities and to facilitate access of students from disadvantaged communities. Another grant will help create the Indian Institute of Paralegal Studies, the first such training center in the country. Over the past 50 years, the foundation’s New Delhi office has made nearly $450 million in grants, including support for projects in Nepal and Sri Lanka. These funds helped create some of India’s most influential institutes focusing on social needs and economic development and contributed to the success of the “Green Revolution,” which is credited with greatly increasing food production in India. More recently, the foundation helped introduce the concept of micro-finance as a tool to improve economic opportunities for the poor. The foundation has used the 50th anniversary as an occasion to reflect on the effectiveness of its major lines of work in India and to explore ideas for future directions. It has commissioned, and will publish, critical studies of its contribution to different fields and is sponsoring a year-long series of regional workshops and events to identify new needs and development priorities. The foundation’s current work in India includes programs that promote community management of natural resources, reproductive health and women’s rights, poverty alleviation, democratic governance, cultural vitality and appreciation of diversity. The foundation’s annual grant making in India approaches $25 million. Most of the funds for the 50th anniversary grants came from a special allocation of the foundation’s reserve funds. The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.

---

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.