Ford Foundation Celebrates International Women's Day And Long-Term Commitment To Advancing The Interests Of Women
New York, March 5, 2007—In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, the Ford Foundation celebrates the work of its many grantees that are focused on improving the lives of women around the world.
Since as early as the 1950s, the foundation has funded a wide variety of efforts to bolster women’s leadership roles; eliminate discrimination; engage women in policy development; as well as to advance opportunities for women in such fields as education, the behavioral sciences and the arts.
With the rise of the women's movement in the early 1970s, the foundation established formal programs that enabled grantees to further advance the interests of women, whether it be through the work of pioneering feminists around the world or organizations trying to improve upon women’s legal rights in the United States.
Today, Ford’s grantees continue to address critical issues affecting women and stand by the foundation’s mission to advance human welfare. We invite you to learn more about this work. A selection of grantees can be found below:
Women’s Collective
Washington, DC
Since 1993, the Women’s Collective has served women with HIV/AIDS who are often overlooked and in need of support. Using a recent Ford Foundation grant of $600,000, the organization will be developing two initiatives to expand HIV services for women in regions hardest hit by the pandemic and to engage women with HIV/AIDS in national policy development.
www.womenscollective.org
Ms. Foundation for Women
New York, NY
Ford’s support will enable the Ms. Foundation to launch the New Women’s Movement Initiative, which aims to develop, expand and diversify the women’s movement in the United States. The $1.5 million grant builds on 28 years of support the foundation has provided to the Ms. Foundation.
www.ms.foundation.org
El Teatro
Tunisia
With Ford support, El Teatro is exploring female artists’ visions of peace in the Arab world and raising awareness of the role of women and artists in contemporary Arab society. Ford’s $50,000 grant will go to a performance series, publications, workshops and a conference.
www.elteatro.net
UNAIDS
Switzerland
UNAIDS will use a $250,000 grant to launch an initiative to help women advocate and advance leadership for HIV/AIDS issues. The initiative will work to empower, and build networks of, women living with HIV throughout the world. This effort will be complemented by a $650,000 grant for the Centre for Development and Population Activities to provide individual training programs to women taking part in the initiative.
www.unaids.org and www.cedpa.org
Freedom, Inc.
New Orleans, LA
AJAMM Ministries, a project of Freedom Inc., helps women in ministry take on leadership roles and develop skills in such areas as community development and public policy. A $300,000 grant from Ford will support efforts of faith-based, female leaders in the South to provide aid to Gulf Coast communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
www.ajammministries.com
Women & Philanthropy
Washington, DC
Ford’s grant of $200,000 will be used to educate and mobilize the philanthropic community about women’s issues and new areas for investment. Women & Philanthropy has successfully worked to increase contributions for women’s issues, as well as the number of women employed in the field of philanthropy.
www.womenphil.org
Mexican Association for Women’s Rights
Mexico
The Mexican Association for Women’s Rights (Semillas) will use a $300,000 grant from the foundation to achieve long-term financial stability and to continue funding women’s NGOs and grassroots groups in Mexico. Semillas is the only female-led organization in Mexico that funds social change to benefit women and girls.
www.semillas.org.mx
The African Women’s Development Fund
Ghana
A $3 million grant from Ford will help broaden and stabilize the African Women’s Development Fund. The first Africa-wide fund to support women’s organizations at national and regional levels, the group has awarded some $2.7 million, as of June 2006, to approximately 311 women’s organizations in 34 African countries.
www.awdf.org
The Feminist Press
New York, NY
Ford has provided long-term support for the "Women Writing Africa" series, dedicated to giving a voice to African women by documenting and distributing their texts. The most recent grant builds on Ford’s thirty-year history with the organization. Recently released works include: Zoë Wicomb’s "You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town" and Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye’s "Coming to Birth."
www.feministpress.org
National Council for Research on Women
New York, NY
A $250,000 grant from Ford will fund a project to improve the diversity of leadership at women’s studies research centers and programs. The National Council for Research on Women operates some 110 research centers. The Council was established in 1981 with foundation support.
www.ncrw.org
Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice
Oakland, CA
With renewed support from Ford, the Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice will raise awareness of the reproductive rights and health issues impacting low-income Asian women and girls. The group will use a $150,000 grant to strengthen its "reproductive justice" movement and within it, develop new leadership and advocate for the health and well-being of Asian women.
www.reproductivejustice.org
9to5, National Association of Working Women
Milwaukee, WI
A Ford grant of $167,040 will enable 9to5 to expand its support of low-income women through education, advocacy and leadership development. 9to5 focuses on work and family-related issues for women such as discrimination in the work place, welfare and income support and family-flexibility policies.
www.9to5.org
Photo Credits:
Ami Vitale
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 of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.