Ford Foundation Newsroom

Ford Foundation Commits $100 Million to Transform Secondary Education in the Most Disadvantaged Schools

04 Nov 2009

NEW YORK, 4 November 2009—The Ford Foundation today announced a new $100 million initiative to transform secondary education in urban schools across the country, saying it wants to help build the conditions and resources required to provide a great education to public school students. The seven-year, seven-city initiative will fund projects that address four basic elements of school infrastructure that have a decisive impact on the quality of education offered to the nation's most vulnerable student populations: sufficient and equitable school financing, quality teaching, additional and more useful learning time, and meaningful accountability.

Driven by widening gaps in educational opportunities as well as persistent gaps in achievement, the Ford initiative will invest in reforms and reformers whose visions of a just and fair public schooling system can galvanize all the players—parents, students, teachers, and community leaders, as well as scholars and policy experts.

"Improving our schools, and giving the most vulnerable young people real educational opportunities, benefits all of us," said Ford Foundation President Luis Ubiñas. "With this initiative we want to shake up the conversations surrounding school reform and help spur some truly imaginative thinking and partnerships."

Dr. Jeannie Oakes, director of Educational Opportunity and Scholarship at Ford, said the foundation does not presume to have the answers, but believes that effective solutions are far more likely when all the stakeholders come together rather than competing to push narrow special interests.

"The four areas of reform on which Oakes and her team are focusing are widely recognized as having the potential to make a significant difference in the education of all students, particularly those who are the least well served by the current school system," noted Alison Bernstein, vice president of Ford's program on Education, Creativity and Free Expression.

Teaching quality: In addition to having a well-prepared teacher, high-quality instruction is the product of teachers and other school staff working together to create a great learning environment. Ford said it would support efforts that approach instruction and learning as a collaborative process and a shared responsibility—where a culture of excellence is cultivated and best practices are exchanged across the school.
More learning time: There is broad agreement that extending the school day and year are key to improving academic outcomes for students. How that time is filled is essential. Ford will promote initiatives that show how poorer school districts can offer high-quality learning opportunities over a lengthened day and year.
Stronger accountability: The foundation argues that standardized tests are a blunt and inadequate tool by which to gauge student learning and school effectiveness, focusing accountability on only a small slice of what parents and the public expects. The initiative will support reformers advancing more meaningful methods of assessment and accountability.
Robust school funding: Many state finance systems fail to allocate enough resources to provide quality schooling for all students. Others perpetuate inequality by relying on property taxes to fund school districts, leaving poorer communities without adequate school resources. Ford's initiative will advance policies that address these vexing issues.

"The importance of each of these areas to the future success of our young people can't be underestimated," said Mr. Ubiñas. "We can't expect young people from disadvantaged communities to be ready for 21st century life without giving them significantly more hours and days at school to benefit from innovative teaching and learning."

"Not only are these four areas essential, we must address them in ways that cut through the atmosphere of recrimination and dysfunction that often characterizes urban school reform efforts," said Dr. Oakes. "Only then will we build a real movement for change that enables every public school in this country, and particularly those in the poorest districts, to offer an outstanding education to every student."

Dr. Oakes said the foundation's initiative would focus on New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Denver. The foundation is working with a wide range of local partners in these cities—parents, teachers, students, community organizations, and local funders—all of whom are working hard to bring about sustainable change in their public schools.

Early Grants from the Initiative

American Institutes for Research: to develop new finance models to ensure that funds are allocated and dispensed in fair and equitable ways that reflect the individual needs of school districts and their students.
Urban Teacher Residency United: to establish program standards for teachers residencies and to develop a new national teacher education model for cohorts of teachers in their first year of instruction.
Generation Schools: to refine and test their extended day model to allow for greater learning opportunities and encourage teacher collaboration.
Stanford University: to write and distribute a series of papers highlighting state-of-the-art assessments that measure a student's critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving across a wide array of subject areas.
AFT Innovation Fund: a new union-led, foundation-funded initiative to make grants to the American Federation of Teachers affiliates nationwide for innovative efforts established jointly by teachers, administrators, and parents.
Communities for Public Education Reform: a large-scale public engagement collaborative managed by Public Interest Projects that seeks to build grassroots support for improvements in teacher quality, fair and adequate finance, and stronger accountability.

Fraudulent Email Warning: An Update

27 Oct 2009

27 October 2009—Several scam emails claiming to be from or associated with the Ford Foundation are circulating on the Internet in various languages. Some of these emails use the foundation's logo and Web address.

Recent emails invite recipients to register for overseas conferences, offering free travel and medical insurance sponsored by the foundation. Previous emails have notified recipients of a foundation award for personal, educational and business development. Recipients are asked to contact an office in London to claim the prize and to provide personal information to release the grant.

These emails, Web sites, and accompanying materials and claims are in no way associated with the Ford Foundation or any foundation employees. The foundation does not award random and unsolicited funds. The only time the foundation will ask for any information from our grantees is through our secure Grantee Access Web site. We recommend not responding to emails making such claims.

For more information about the Federal Trade Commission's efforts against these kinds of fraud, please visit www.ftc.gov/bcp. You can also email your inquiries about scam email, letters and phone calls to office-of-communications@fordfoundation.org.

New Annual Report Details Next Generation of Ford Foundation Grant Making

18 Sep 2009

New Annual Report Details Next Generation of Ford Foundation Grant Making

NEW YORK, 18 September 2009 — Following a year long effort to focus its work on many of the central social justice challenges of our time, the Ford Foundation today released an annual report highlighting the nine core issues at the heart of its grant making around the globe. The new report details the comprehensive set of strategies launched by the foundation's staff to build lasting social change around these issues.

Each of the nine issues is deeply grounded in the mission and history of the Ford Foundation: Democratic and Accountable Government, Economic Fairness, Educational Opportunity and Scholarship, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Metropolitan Opportunity, Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights, Social Justice Philanthropy and Sustainable Development.

"Energized by renewed focus and anchored in longstanding values, the Ford Foundation is stepping up to the urgent challenges being faced worldwide," said Luis A. Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation. "Our new annual report provides information about the strategies that drive this work and details our efforts to bring fairness and opportunity to more people throughout the world."

The report also serves as an introduction to a fresh approach by the foundation to communicate its mission and work. Foundation officials say that the new words and visuals—including a refreshed logo—reflect a commitment to convey more clearly the courageous work of its grantees on the frontlines of social change worldwide. These new elements will be introduced throughout the foundation's operations, including on its updated Web site at www.fordfoundation.org.

Watch a video introduction to the annual report from Luis Ubiñas.

Read the 2008 Annual Report (PDF).

To learn more about how the new logo embodies the Ford Foundation's longstanding values, history and approach to its work, see the below video.

To view this content you need the Adobe Flash Player version 9 or higher.

Please download the latest Flash Player from Adobe’s website »

About Our Logo and New Tagline

Our 2008 annual report introduces the core issues on which our work is focused, as well as fresh approaches to how Ford expresses its longstanding mission and values.

For the past several years we have actively engaged our grantees, our colleagues in philanthropy, our staff, and our board of trustees on how we can communicate more effectively the essence and impact of the foundation's grant making. We learned a great deal from these interactions. Most importantly, we learned that we must convey in a clearer, more consistent and compelling voice, what we do, why we do it and the impact we're achieving.

Our new program strategies seek to gain impact on a large scale by attracting other resources and partners to the work of our grantees. We recognize that to achieve this, we must communicate a clear understanding of our objectives and how our mission and values inform those goals. We hope that by communicating our belief in the inherent dignity of all people and our aspirations for society, others may be inspired to work alongside us to promote positive social change.

The Significance of the Logo and New Tagline

The logo and new tagline are one way of expressing the important work in which our grantees are engaged. We work with visionaries on the frontlines of social change—people unafraid to take risks in order to find lasting solutions to the world's most urgent problems. The tagline pays tribute to their courage and commitment to transforming lives.

In an age where visual expression has taken on new meaning, our logo represents an attempt to communicate to a universal audience that we are an organization that partners with social change makers worldwide. These diverse visionaries work in multiple locations on varying issues and are linked by our regional network. The edges of the globe are intentionally open, reflecting the need to be exposed to new ideas and solutions that address the world's most intractable problems.

Renowned Human Rights Lawyer Juan E. Méndez Appointed Ford Foundation Resident Scholar

15 Jun 2009

NEW YORK, 15 June 2009 — Juan E. Méndez, a prominent human rights lawyer, advocate and academic, has joined the Ford Foundation as a resident scholar. Méndez has distinguished himself as an innovative and longstanding defender of human rights. His representation of political prisoners in Argentina in the 1970s resulted in his arrest, torture and administrative detention by the country's military dictatorship. During this time, Amnesty International adopted him as one of its first Prisoners of Conscience and eventually aided in his release into exile.

Following his forced expulsion, Méndez moved to the United States to continue his work. Among many notable positions, he served as general counsel of Human Rights Watch; professor of law and director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana; and president of the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

"Juan's vast knowledge, immense life experiences and thoughtful perspective are inspiring and will tremendously benefit our ongoing efforts," said Maya Harris, vice president of the foundation's Peace and Social Justice program. "We are delighted to have him with us."

While at Ford, Méndez will serve as an advisor to the foundation's global human rights work. He will also complete an autobiography about his experiences in Argentina and the United States. From 2004 to 2007, Méndez was appointed the United Nations special adviser on the prevention of genocide. Most recently, he has served as president of the International Center for Transitional Justice. In the fall of 2009, Méndez will join the faculty of American University in Washington, D.C., as a visiting professor at the Washington College of Law.

Méndez has taught International Human Rights Law at Georgetown Law School and at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and he teaches regularly at the Oxford Masters Program in International Human Rights Law. He is on the board of advisors of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect and on the advisory council of the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights.

Méndez is the recipient of several human rights awards, including the inaugural Monsignor Oscar A. Romero Award for Leadership in Service to Human Rights of the University of Dayton, and the Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan Award of the Heartland Alliance, Chicago. He is a member of the bar of Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the District of Columbia, U.S. He earned a J.D. from Stella Maris University, in Argentina, and a certificate from American University's Washington College of Law, in Washington D.C.

The Ford Foundation appoints resident scholars who have distinguished themselves in fields related to our work. During their tenure, scholars pursue independent projects that contribute to their expertise and provide the program staff with additional perspectives and knowledge.

Previous resident scholars and artists have included Albie Sachs, human rights and anti-apartheid activist and Justice of the South Africa Constitutional Court; Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, a professor of law and a leading scholar of Islam; the former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata; South African writer and educator Njabulo Ndebele; actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith; and Sir Brian Urquhart, former U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs.

Eric Doppstadt Becomes Chief Investment Officer of Ford Foundation

01 Jun 2009

NEW YORK, 1 June 2009 — Eric W. Doppstadt today became vice president and chief investment officer of the Ford Foundation, the nation's second largest private foundation with an endowment of more than $9 billion. He is succeeding Linda B. Strumpf, who is retiring.

Mr. Doppstadt's appointment was approved by the foundation's board of trustees in January 2009 and was warmly welcomed by Ford Foundation President Luis A. Ubiñas.

"Eric's deep understanding of both the foundation's investment needs and its global mission make him the ideal leader for our endowment in these extraordinary times," Mr. Ubiñas said. "We are immensely fortunate to have Eric's considerable expertise and skill at a time when the economy demands so much of us—both in terms of our grant making and our investment strategy. Eric's performance in managing our private equity, hedge fund and venture capital portfolios over the last decade has been exceptional."

Ms. Strumpf announced in May 2008 that she would retire this year after 28 years of service, including 16 years as the foundation's chief investment officer.

Mr. Doppstadt has been with the Ford Foundation for nearly 20 years, most recently as director of private equity investments. He joined the foundation in 1989 as resident counsel to the investment team, later assuming senior positions managing the foundation's alternative investment portfolio. He has also served on the investment advisory boards of numerous leading private equity and venture capital funds.

"This is an exciting and challenging time to be heading the foundation's investment team," Mr. Doppstadt said. "The Ford Foundation and its grantees have an incredible record working on the frontlines of social change around the world, and the importance of that mission underlies everything I do."

Mr. Doppstadt received his undergraduate degree in social science from the University of Chicago, studied international economics at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and received a law degree from NYU School of Law. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute.

Ford Foundation's Ubiñas on Measurement and Social Change

20 Nov 2009

Published on SCI Social Capital Inc.'s blog: November 20, 2009
By David Crowley, President and Founder of SCI Social Capital Inc.

Last night I had the chance to hear Luis Ubiñas, President of the Ford Foundation, speak on "Pathways to Lasting Social Change" as part of the Brandeis Heller School 50th Anniversary Speaker Series. The format was conversational, with Mr. Ubiñas being interviewed by Professor Andy Hahn. This allowed for an interesting exchange on a wide range of topics related to philanthropy, social change and Ubiñas' vision for the Ford Foundation.

Mr. Ubiñas has been at the helm of Ford for roughly two years, after having spent most of his career with McKinsey. I'd say we're fortunate to have him now in such a key leadership role in the philanthropic center, as he brings tremendous energy, strategic insight and critical thinking to the work.

Read the complete entry »

Letter to the Wall Street Journal: Education Reform

17 Nov 2009

The following is a response to a Nov. 17 Wall Street Journal editorial:

NEW YORK, 17 November 2009 — The Wall Street Journal's editorial on reforming America's public schools is right to say that there has been a valuable generation of innovation in our schools. Charter schools and smart reforms by public schools have contributed to a new set of approaches for achieving great education for our children. We've learned that all our schools—public, charter, and private—need four basics in order to succeed: outstanding teaching, sufficient and well-designed learning time, money to pay for it, and strong accountability to make sure both money and time are used well and that our children are getting ahead.

The challenge now is how to bring this generation of innovation to scale for all our young people, especially in our poorest neighborhoods where the challenges are toughest and where few funders have focused resources. Many of the innovations noted in the editorial—successful charter schools and Teach for America, for example—are important illustrations of what's possible, but they lack broad-based impact. We need to find ways to bring the best innovations into every school.

Most of our $100 million in grants over the next seven years will go to entrepreneurs, parent and community organizations, and policy groups working to transform their schools from the ground up—not school districts or unions. We want communities to have the resources to be at the table and have their voices for change heard. Our belief is that empowering consumers, parents and students will help drive change.

One serious disagreement we have with the Journal's editors, however, is their vilification of teachers. The Journal illustrates exactly why the current recriminations-based debate is so counterproductive. How do you transform schools without our committed public school teachers? It's true we provided $500,000 to help the American Federation of Teachers get involved in reform efforts, but we were not alone; the Gates, Broad, Mott and other foundations have stepped up to support the same drive for innovation among teachers. We believe that the pace of reform will hasten if teachers are involved.

Most of the Journal's readers probably grew up at a time when public schools provided a very strong basis for success in life. We believe they can again. The solutions we embrace must work for the majority of students across the country, however, not only a lucky minority. We all know what's at stake for our kids and our country. We're betting that the challenges facing our public schools can be best tackled at the community level, where our funding will support fresh, courageous ways to implement the best ideas.

Sincerely,
Luis Ubiñas
President, Ford Foundation
New York

P.S.: On Ford Foundation history the Journal earns an "incomplete." While not all of our grants over the decades have yielded the progress we hoped, many far exceeded our ambitions. Sesame Street, the women's rights movement, the end of apartheid, the fight for freedom in Eastern Europe, and the launch of microfinance are just a few of the successes that began with Ford Foundation grants. If the Journal wants to critique our past, it should draw on all the facts.

Read other responses to the Wall Street Journal by:
The Huffington Post
The Nonprofit Quarterly

Programming the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to Succeed

10 Nov 2009

An ambitious public program (commonly referred to as NREGS) launched in 2006 to strengthen economic opportunity among India's rural poor. In the opinion piece below, a Ford Foundation partner argues that greater governance measures—and a healthy boost of innovation—are necessary to ensure the plan serves the millions of Indian citizens who need it most. The author, Pramathesh Ambasta, serves as coordinator of the National Consortium of Civil Society Organisations on NREGA (the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and is co-founder of Samaj Pragati Sahayog (SPS), a nonprofit based in central India that aims to strengthen the livelihoods of the rural poor. The Ford Foundation works with SPS through our Expanding Community Rights Over Natural Resources initiative and joins a partnership of donors in support of the national consortium.

Published in The Hindu: October 30, 2009
By Pramathesh Ambasta

In two general elections since 2004, the "other" India has spoken loud and clear to the few enclaves of prosperity that dot the country's grim development landscape: if growth is not inclusive and broad-based, its wheels will come off, severely undermining the very fabric of Indian democracy. In this context, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme acquires great significance. For, it marks a historic opportunity for pushing ahead with governance reforms in rural India. However, much more needs to be done before NREGS possibilities become a reality. For, the average days of work per household were only 48 in 2008-09. The record of productive assets creation has been poor if not altogether dismal. Long delays in wage payments, sometimes for several months, and the spectre of corruption rearing its ugly head indicate the failure of entitlements reaching the poorest of the nation, thus defeating the very purpose of NREGS.

An analysis of these symptoms suggests that there are clear reasons why the results are not along expected lines. Though no magic bullet or quick fixes exist, solutions may well be within our reach. As several observers have remarked, a critical lacuna in the implementation of NREGS has been the shortage of dedicated human resource, with an overloaded bureaucratic structure given "additional charge," leading to delays and poor quality output. Attempts to piggyback a radically new people-centred programme on to a moribund bureaucratic structure of implementation simply do not work.

Read the complete article »

Download a PDF of the article.

Learn more about the National Consortium on NREGA.

Ford Foundation Gives $100 Million to Reform Urban High Schools

09 Nov 2009

Published in the Los Angeles Times: November 5, 2009
By Mitchell Landsberg

The Ford Foundation pledged $100 million Wednesday to "transform" urban high schools in the United States, focusing on seven cities, including Los Angeles.

The seven-year initiative is among the largest philanthropic efforts aimed at improving education in the United States and, as described, could both complement and challenge aspects of the Obama administration's education reform efforts. It will fund research and reform in four areas: teacher quality, student assessment, a longer school day and year, and school funding.

Read the complete article »

Read the foundation press release.

Social Performance Reporting in Microfinance

09 Nov 2009

Published on the microfinance news aggregator MicroCapital.org:
November 6, 2009
Posted by the MicroCapital Team

WASHINGTON, November 5 — Microfinance advocates have long proclaimed—and have been called upon to prove—the social benefits of providing financial services to poor people. Socially responsible investors in microfinance are paying closer and closer attention to this debate and are tracking the performance of their investees. An increasing number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) have begun to disclose their codes of conduct toward clients, staff, and the environment.

An idea that's here to stay

"More and more, MFIs want to be both financially and socially accountable," says CGAP microfinance analyst Meritxell Martinez. "They’re really stepping up their efforts to keep true to their mission and to their clients." CGAP, together with its partners the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Social Performance Task Force (SPTF), is honoring those institutions by presenting the first ever Social Performance Reporting Awards. Powered by MIX, these awards recognize transparency in social performance reporting as the critical first step in achieving social performance goals.

Read the complete post »

Read the original article on the Web site of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor.

Elinor Ostrom Awarded Nobel Prize in Economics

16 Oct 2009

NEW YORK, 15 October 2009—Indiana University Professor Elinor Ostrom, who developed a less traditional approach to economic theory by looking at non-market institutions, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for a body of work that was supported in part by the Ford Foundation. Ostrom, the first woman to be awarded the economics prize, received her initial Ford Foundation grant in 1991.

A political scientist, Ostrom's work has focused on how natural resources such as forests, lakes and pastures can be managed as common properties. She has found that when local community members have access to, and control of, their resources, they often create and enforce rules that lead to successful and sustainable economic governance models. With these findings, she has been able to establish a framework for sound community management of natural resources—resting on good governance, rule making and sanctions—and to dismantle an often conventional response to impose government regulations or privatize commonly owned resources.

Ostrom shares the Nobel prize with Oliver E. Williamson, a professor emeritus of business, economics and law at the University of California, at Berkley, who was recognized for his research on economic governance and business firms.

For nearly two decades, the Ford Foundation has supported Ostrom's visionary research on land and water management conducted through Indiana University, Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Findings from programs such as the farmer-based irrigation systems in Nepal would shape her future theories and attract the attention of the Nobel committee.

Ostrom's groundbreaking work has expanded the parameters of traditional economic theory to include non-market institutions and the local communities that drive them. She has brought more attention to the field of sustainable resource development and helped to frame the foundation's work on community management and governance of forests, water and irrigation systems, and other natural resources.

Ostrom played a pivotal role in the establishment and growth of the International Association for the Study of the Commons and the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research program (now at the University of Michigan under new leadership). Both programs have received key funding from the foundation.

Ostrom's work continues to receive foundation support and parallel the goals of our grant making in sustainable development. Our recent grant to the International Forestry Resources and Institutions research program—the world's only long-term comparative, socio-ecological study of forest resources and institutions—has brought together Ostrom and other leading university research teams to examine forest ecosystem dynamics around the world and to assess the impact of this data in an effort to improve forest-related livelihoods and governance.

The foundation has been working in the field of natural resource development some 20 years making grants throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Our approaches have made significant strides, and we continue to refine our work to address changing needs and demands. Our current work, Expanding Community Rights over Natural Resources, supports visionary leaders and organizations developing natural resource policies to help poor communities gain access and ownership over their natural resources.

Ostrom is the Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science at Indiana University's Cognitive Science program. She is also co-director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis; co-director of the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change; and a part-time professor of public and environmental affairs. Ostrom received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1965. She has served as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1991; and as vice president and then president of the American Political Science Association from 1975 to 1976 and 1996 to 1997, respectively.

To learn more about Ostrom's work in Nepal, read her key note speech for the second international seminar of the Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems Promotion Trust, held in Kathmandu, in April 2002.

For more of Ostrom's nobel coverage, visit NPR, The New York Times and the Associated Press's YouTube channel (video).

Explore nobelprize.org to learn more about the 2009 recipients.

Indian Social Activist and Former Ford Foundation Program Officer Wins Prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award

07 Aug 2009

Adivasi women at a meeting about Self-Help Groups, in Gujarat, India.

NEW YORK, 7 August 2009 — Social activist, development finance expert, and former Ford Foundation program officer Deep Joshi has been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award — sometimes referred to as the Asian Nobel Prize. He is being honored for his work in development finance and rural development and for his broader contributions to the professionalization of the NGO sector in India.

"It is a wonderful choice, and we are thrilled for him and his colleagues," says Steven Solnick, representative for the foundation's New Delhi office.

Joshi served as a program officer in the New Delhi office from 1980 to 1986. He co-founded Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN).

PRADAN has invested its resources in microcredit, livestock development, natural resource management and promoting and building local community institutions. It is recognized for providing innovative training and rural development programs throughout India. These initiatives have resulted in a number of poverty-reduction efforts including the development of cooperatives of small producers of poultry in tribal areas, watershed structures that lead to improved productivity of agriculture, and tsar silk rearing. A long-time Ford grantee, PRADAN has partnered with government agencies, banks and other financial institutions, research organizations, and other donors — all with the common goal of alleviating mass poverty.

Tribal women learning about food banks.

Building on the Ford Foundation's mission to promote sustainable livelihood opportunities for the poor, PRADAN has long worked to empower marginalized women socially and help them gain economic security. It was an early supporter of Self-Help Groups (SHG) — an informal association of about 15 to 20 rural poor women who gain access to banks and public services to apply to the wellbeing of their communities. It pioneered the promotion of SHGs as early as 1987 in Rajasthan. As of March 2007, PRADAN has worked with approximately 7,512 SHGs across seven states, mobilizing total savings of 225 million Rupees ($4.7 million) and representing 106,090 rural poor women.

The foundation is committed to supporting creative individuals and organizations like PRADAN. Over the years, this has included the work of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank — both recipients of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize — for pioneering the field of microfinance. Following support for Yunus, Ford funded development finance organizations around the world such as CAME, a microfinance bank which provides loans to low-income populations in Mexico, and the Centre for Microenterprise Development in Nigeria, which provides training in microlending. Today, we remain committed to bringing vibrant microfinance models to scale.

Deep Joshi holds an engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, and masters degrees in engineering and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Working Group on Rainfed Areas for the Government of India's Eleventh Five Year Planning Commission and a recipient of the 2006 Harmony Silver Award for his "contributions to society."

Read our In the News item about Deep Joshi.

Learn more about PRADAN.

Read the issue of Ford Reports magazine focused on Opening Doors to the Economic Mainstream (PDF).

Thousands of International Fellowships Program Alumni At Work Around the Globe

13 May 2009

The Ford Foundation established the International Fellowships Program (IFP) in 2001 to provide graduate fellowships to a new generation of promising leaders in communities that lack access to higher education. The program works closely with international partners to ensure its global reach focuses on local needs. Since its inception, more than 3,300 fellows from 22 countries have been selected. As of December 2008, more than 2,000 fellows have completed their fellowships. More than 80 percent of these alumni have returned to or continued to reside in their home countries, where they are using their education to improve their communities.

After graduating from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, IFP alumni Caroline Kathomi returned to Kenya to work with epileptic patients.

The International Fellowship Program just completed "Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher Education," an analysis of the development and impact of the program. The new book demonstrates how extending opportunities for advanced education to talented individuals has significant impacts that can challenge prevailing views of "brain drain."

An IFP alumnus from India, Sanjay Kumar studied sustainable international development at Brandeis University.

"Origins, Journeys and Returns: Social Justice in International Higher Education" is published by the Social Science Research Council and distributed by Columbia University Press. Edited by Toby Alice Volkman with Joan Dassin and Mary Zurbuchen, it features chapters written by IFP directors, former Fellows and outside experts.

Visit the new IFP Web site.

Watch videos of IFP fellows from Kenya.

Ford Foundation Encourages Innovation in Government Practices

23 Apr 2008

23 April 2008 — Harvard's Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government has announced the 50 finalists in the 2008 Innovations in American Government competition. Selected from 1,000 applicants, the government programs demonstrate unique and effective solutions to some of the nation's most pressing social problems. Administered by a state, city, county, local, or tribal government, each program is competing for a $100,000 award. The programs focus on a broad range of policy issues addressing social justice, access to opportunities, asset building, leadership development, and education and scholarship.

The Innovations Awards

The 2008 Innovations in American Government winners will be announced in September 2008. Selected finalists include:

Government Management Accountability and Performance (Washington)
Emphasizes the importance of measuring government performance and impact in the state of Washington. Administered by Washington's Office of the Governor to ensure every state agency determines what is working, what is not working, and how to impact future performance.

Learn and Earn (North Carolina)
Initiated by North Carolina’s Office of the Governor to equip every student in the state with the tools to build a better future through access to secondary and higher education, debt-free. Learn and Earn schools allow students to obtain high school diplomas and associate degrees, enabling them to jump-start their college education or gain valuable career skills.

Foreclosure Intervention Initiative (Massachusetts)
City of Boston program helps homeowners in danger of foreclosure by offering free services and training to understand how foreclosures work, avoid fraud and build a better credit education.

Government Innovation in the United States

In 1985, the Ford Foundation developed an awards program that encouraged creativity and innovation in tackling pressing social and economic issues through state or local governments. In collaboration with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Innovations in State and Local Government awards program was established.

Between 1985 and 1988, approximately 1,000 candidates applied annually for 10 awards of up to $100,000. In 1990, the Ford Foundation initiated a second round of awards and 1,900 programs applied. In both instances, the successful programs operated under the authority of state, local, or tribal governments; found new ways to address public needs or to improve existing programs; and provided evidence for their value and effectiveness.

Over the years, the awards program has received more than 25,000 applications, recognized more than 400 innovative programs, and awarded a total of nearly $20 million in grants. To find examples of early award recipients, visit the Innovations Awards Programs’ database.

In 1998, the Ford Foundation established a separate program, Honoring Nations, to recognize and share innovative programs in the governance of 560 Indian nations in the United States. Also housed at Harvard's Kennedy School, Honoring Nations recognized, documented and shared the strategies of 92 exemplary tribal government programs, addressing a range of issues from education and cultural strengthening to economic development and infrastructure expansion.

Good Governance Around the World

Eight other public innovation awards programs have been established around the world to encourage more effective governance in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

For more information about the eight international partner programs, visit:

Innovations and Excellence in Local Chinese Governance (China)
Citizenship and Local Management Program (Chile)
Galing Pook Awards (Philippines)
Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust (South Africa)
Local Government and Management Award (Mexico)
Mashariki Innovations in Local Governance Awards Programme (East Africa)
Public Management and Citizenship Program (Brazil)

A History of Support

Since its inception, the Ford Foundation has been committed to strengthening democratic institutions and citizen participation in the democratic process, and promoting a just and equitable society. We have long supported and encouraged good governance and innovation at the local, state and national levels. Our work in the Governance and Civil Society field reflects a commitment to evaluating state and local government performance; encouraging innovation; identifying promising new governance practices; and promoting democratic practices worldwide.

Photo:
Courtesy of Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Ford Foundation Observes World AIDS Day

30 Nov 2007

30 November 2007 — The Ford Foundation is joining millions around the globe observing World AIDS Day on December 1. For more than 20 years the foundation has funded HIV/AIDS programming. We support grantees working across five continents to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and offer local communities the care and treatment they need.

Revealing the continued urgency for worldwide support, recent reports from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), both Ford grantees, have detailed the current reach of the disease. In the past year, 2.5 million people became infected with HIV and 2.1 million died of AIDS-related illnesses. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally has increased from 20 million to 33.2 million people in the last six years.

"World AIDS Day gives us an opportunity to reflect upon how we use each day of the year to make a difference," said Ford Foundation Deputy Vice President Jacob Gayle, who directs the foundation's Global Initiative on HIV/AIDS. "Ford's initiative supports grantees whose rich experience and knowledge have an impact on the global response. We think it is critical that the effort to fight AIDS at a global level is shaped and strengthened by the experiences of people confronting the disease on the ground."

A History of Support

The Ford Foundation supports grantees in the United States, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Russia making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For more than two decades, funding has focused on the social consequences of the disease. Our long-term commitment includes efforts to strengthen education and treatment programs; increase public awareness and reach people outside mainstream channels; dismantle the stigma associated with the disease; further examine the relationship between HIV/AIDS and reproductive health; and support local organizations working on behalf of victims, such as the Brazilian-based counseling group Grupo Pela Vidda (Group for Life) and the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa, which has offices in 40 countries.

A Global Response

In 2006, the Ford Foundation launched a $45-million initiative that extends our support. The Global Initiative on HIV/AIDS brings together grantees to share in their experiences and serve as a voice for local communities in the global dialogue. The initiative aims to ensure that substantial new global investments in medical and technological breakthroughs are matched by an equally significant focus on the social, political and cultural factors of the disease.

While the Global Initiative on HIV/AIDS seeks to impact policies, attitudes, priorities and resources that directly impact local action, our overall HIV/AIDS grant making is one of the major cross-program efforts of the foundation, spanning the scope of Ford's mission and reflecting the local needs and nuances of the epidemic.

Grantees we have recently supported include:

Dance4Life
Founded in 2003, Dance4Life is an expanding international movement for youth, inspiring young people to become leaders instead of targets of HIV/AIDS. A recent Ford Foundation grant supports the international roll-out and coordination of Dance4Life's project to establish one million young agents of change worldwide by 2014.

GESTOS - Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero
Based in Recife, Brazil, GESTOS works to increase HIV/AIDS prevention and care for marginalized communities most affected and challenged by the disease. The 14-year old organization is using a recent Ford Foundation grant to support civil society organizations in 15 countries that are monitoring whether HIV/AIDS programs are addressing gender and sexual and reproductive rights issues.

International HIV/AIDS Alliance
A global partnership of nationally based organizations, the alliance promotes community action to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries. Focusing on human rights, public health and economic development, the alliance works with marginalized groups in more than 30 countries to emphasize the importance of reaching people who are most likely to affect or be affected by the spread of HIV/AIDS. A Ford Foundation grant supports further development and expansion of this effort.

National AIDS Fund
The National AIDS Fund established Southern REACH (Regional Expansion of Access and Capacity to Address HIV/AIDS) with Ford funding and additional support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Southern REACH supports community-based organizations in the U.S. South that are securing and developing HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care programs as well as encouraging local philanthropy and leadership to devote greater resources and attention to communities affected by the disease.

St Johns #5 Faith Church
Established in 1996, the Louisiana-based church provides educational, social, health and cultural services to people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and economic status. The state has the sixth-highest AIDS case rate in the nation. With Ford support, St. John's 10-year-old HIV/AIDS program will expand its services and activities in post-Katrina New Orleans.

World AIDS Day

"Millions of people around the globe are marking the 20th World AIDS Day. For some, this may be the only day in the year they think about AIDS. For many, however, AIDS is part of daily life," said Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director.

World AIDS Day originated with the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention in London. Since, the annual observance has been incorporated and developed internationally by governments and organizations. From 1988 to 2004, World AIDS Day was overseen by UNAIDS. The following year, the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) assumed responsibility and established the slogan "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise." for its World AIDS Day observances through 2010. A Ford Foundation grantee, WAC supports strong social movements on AIDS, ensuring governments and policy makers meet the targets on which they have agreed and mobilize necessary resources. The focus for this year's World AIDS Day is "Leadership," building on previous themes of "Accountability," "Stigma and Discrimination," "Children Living in a World with AIDS," "One World, One Hope," and "Women and AIDS."

Photo:
AP Images/EyePress

Ford Foundation President's Remarks at the 2009 National Conference on Children and Youth Savings

15 Jun 2009

The Ford Foundation has long supported the pioneering work of the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) including its Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) Policy and Practice Initiative, which demonstrates the positive impact of Children's Savings Accounts. As part of this effort to promote opportunities for all Americans to save and build assets, the foundation is supporting CFED's inaugural Conference on Children and Youth Savings, held in Brooklyn, New York, from June 14 to June 16. Read the remarks of Ford Foundation President Luis Ubiñas below.

June 2009 — I am delighted to be here today and to speak to this important forum. And I am happy to be joined here by Ford Foundation staff who have been such leaders in this work, including Pablo Farías, Frank DeGiovanni and Kilolo Kijakazi. Most of you know them, they hardly need introduction.

You know, I have now been at the Ford Foundation for about a year and a half. And I am deeply honored and inspired as I enter the foundation each and every day. Ford works with visionary leaders on the frontlines of social change in the United States and around the world. We do that for one reason — to build a world where everyone has the opportunity achieve their full potential, contribute to society and have a voice in the decisions that affect them.

As all of you who share this commitment already know, this is complex and challenging work. But it's also as urgent as ever. Far too many people still lack opportunity and voice, limiting not just their potential but the potential of the societies in which we live. And the challenges we face are only growing. Economic disparities are widening; human dignity and basic rights are under attack; too many obstacles still stand in the way of such basic opportunities as access to education.

But despite all this, when I walk into Ford each morning — and when I get the chance to meet Ford grantees like many of you — I am inspired and I am full of hope. And that is because, while the challenges have grown, so too has our ability to meet them. Advances in knowledge, technological innovation, global connections among people are allowing us to have greater impact.

But I am also inspired for another reason — I believe we have an unprecedented chance to engage in a new conversation about fairness and opportunity in this country.

This conversation has already been sparked by the economic crisis, but also by events before it, like the hurricanes in Gulf Coast. I believe that Americans are asking themselves, more than ever before in recent history — what kind of society do we want to create? How can we ensure that the institutions that shape our lives do a better job of serving all citizens, rather than a select few? How can government be smarter, more effective and better at promoting opportunity for everyone? How, in short, can our country be a fairer country?

So what can be done?

This conversation about fairness and opportunity could not be more relevant to our meeting today and to our collective efforts on Children's Development Accounts.

These accounts — which I'll call kids accounts — are all about fairness and opportunity. Further, they are about overcoming what has been unacceptably unfair about access to economic opportunity in this country.

For too long, even the most basic level of economic security has been out of reach for whole segments of American society.

Let me be specific about what I mean:

In 2004, 58% of all earned-income went to the top 20% of earners, while 80% of all assets were owned by the top 1% of all wealth holders.
16% of Americans have zero or negative net worth. Not one dollar.
22% of all households — almost a quarter of all of Americans — are asset poor, which means that they could not survive at the poverty level for 3 months if their income were interrupted.

But the real tragedy of these figures becomes even clearer when we take a closer look by race and gender:

For every $1 of net worth owned by white households, minority households have 13 cents.
For every $1 of net worth owned by male-headed households, women-headed households have 59 cents.
40% of minority and 38% of female-headed households with children are asset poor. They lose their incomes for 12 weeks they are on the street.

These figures are deeply troubling, and if we do nothing, they are likely to get worse. Imagine an America where a full quarter of the population sits on the margins, unable to get ahead, deeply vulnerable to any crisis — and — raising children who are almost certain to face a similar situation when they become adults.

I know that everyone in this room would agree that such a future is an unacceptable one.

But there's an even more troubling part of this story. And that is this: Government policies, which could help lift up all citizens, are actually helping to deepen this inequity.

Every year, the federal government provides at least $350 billion in programs and tax incentives that promote individual asset building — such as the home mortgage interest deduction and various tax-deferred savings programs. But most of these benefits go to upper-income Americans and bypass the majority of Americans who need the benefits the most.

Consider just one example: In the 2005 federal budget, the poorest fifth of the population received on average $3 in benefits to promote savings and asset building, while the wealthiest 1% received, on average, more than $57,000.

Statistics like these show us what we are really dealing with: a question of fundamental fairness. If the impact of these policies were better understood, I believe that more Americans would demand new solutions. Solutions that develop the talents and aspirations of all our citizens. Solutions that drive smart, new public policies that end the cycle of intergenerational poverty and inequity, rather than strengthen it. That's what fairness and opportunity look like — and it's what we need to make our country stronger for all of us.

Let's talk about Children's Development Accounts.

The Ford Foundation, like so many of you, is in the solutions business. We're with you on the frontlines of social change, championing ideas that are full of promise but also new — and often times different from what many are used to.

And so about twelve years ago, our staff took a look at the inequities I just described and said, "Let's do something about it." Let's step back from the old approaches and think through a long-term solution — one that can serve as a model for turning the tide on persistent, intergenerational poverty in this country.

What we knew, and what Michael so clearly described, is that the key to all of these efforts is assets. Finding ways for poor families to build long-term assets — not just short-term income — is absolutely critical to climbing out of poverty and joining the economic mainstream.

Assets represent the ability to invest in the future—to build skills to earn a decent income, acquire the security of a home, access the marketplace with a new business, and invest in education. Most importantly, these assets build long-term household security, allowing families to weather the crises and unexpected challenges that are an inevitable part of today's world.

Yet we know from what I described earlier that low-income families have a very hard time building assets in this country.

So our team at Ford — and so many of you — came together to propose a bold new solution to help children from low-income families build assets right from birth. Children's Development Accounts do just that — and they are designed to give kids a critical "head start" in building wealth over the course of their lives.

Now, since I'm relatively new to the Ford Foundation and wasn't here during much of this work, I don't have to be modest about the incredible progress we've seen over the last several years. And it's important to step back and look at where all of us have come in just a short time.

When this work began, most people in America believed that poor people were simply unable or unwilling to save. At a fundamental level, many believed, asset-building programs for the poor were a waste of time.
We funded — and many of you helped manage — a national demonstration of matched-savings accounts for adults that changed all that. Known as IDAs — or individual development accounts — the project proved that poor families can and will save when given access to appropriate incentives and products. What's more, the data showed that poor families actually saved a greater percentage of income than wealthier families, turning conventional wisdom completely on its head.
This was a nothing short of a sea change in the fight against poverty. And since then the idea has caught fire. In 1997, there were just 3 IDA programs in all of America. Today, there are more than 1,100 programs across the country, benefiting some 85,000 savers. This number continues to rise, thanks to new interest from all levels of government and organizations working across a range of issues important to families and communities.

The Ford Foundation has now made more than $60 million in grants to support matched savings and other asset-building programs over the last twelve years. Today our work is about building on this success, with a special focus on convincing policymakers at the state and federal level to enact legislation that supports life-long savings accounts. Legislation that moves the dialogue from programs that foster dependence to programs that foster market-driven independence.

We hope that by providing a saving account at birth to every child born in the U.S, all families will be encouraged to:

Develop a savings habit;
Improve their financial literacy;
Save for — and believe in — the possibility of higher education for their children;
And develop early and lasting relationships with mainstream banks, reducing their dependence on high-cost financial services like pay-day lenders.

Impact of Children's Development Accounts

Our demonstration projects are still underway. But let me tell you: The early results are very strong. And the impact is real.

I want to share with you the story of Jamar Nembhard. Jamar is a 16-year old from Wilmington, Delaware, and he personifies everything that this work is all about. Almost four years ago, he received a savings account through our demonstration project in Delaware, managed by the Boys and Girls Club of Delaware.

To date, Jamar has saved just under $3,000 — a very impressive sum. And through the financial education classes offered with program, Jamar tell us that he has learned "the importance of budgeting, and the value of saving, spending and sharing." He and his classmates have even learned about the stock market.

Jamar has also learned some key strategies for saving — for example, he now gives himself a twenty-four hour "cooling-off period" before deciding to make a purchase. (I think that's something all of us could try.)

Jamar is now looking forward to starting his own technology business someday. He hopes to donate computers to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club in order to help disadvantaged kids in the community. He says: "I now recognize that no matter how little the amount of money that I begin with, if I allow time to work for me, I can accomplish a better way of life."

But there's also another very interesting part of Jamal's story, and that involves his mother. After watching her son's incredible progress, Jamal's mother tracked down a local program that offered IDAs — similar savings accounts for adults. She is now enrolled in the program and pursuing a degree in the healthcare field, having been inspired by the example of her son.

Stories like these are why we are all here today.

And they show that Jamal and his mother's savings are about so much more than money. They are also about hope for the future — a different outlook on life that makes education and employment a concrete part of the plan.

And that lesson is emerging in our work throughout the country. Beyond building financial assets, these accounts are about making poor families full participants in our society. They're about independence — freedom to chart one's own course, pursue one's own dreams, and break free from the cycle of dependence that has marked government anti-poverty efforts of years' past.

And all of this is possible through a market-based approach that simply makes available to poor families the same incentives to save that many of our own families take for granted. It's a solution that is well overdue.

So, what's next?

Based on these early results, we need to move aggressively. How will we translate the learning of these demonstration projects into policy around the country? How do we make kids' accounts a reality for all?

The answer lies in working together. I want to say very clearly: this effort cannot survive through the support of the Ford Foundation alone. We already have some very valued philanthropic partners, but we need many more. We look forward to welcoming new funders to this work in the months and years ahead.

We also need to break down the old barriers that stand in the way of community groups, advocacy and social service organizations, financial institutions and government agencies working together on this issue.

That is why I am so encouraged to see such a diverse array of organizations represented in the room today. Your presence says clearly — kids accounts are something we can all get behind. And the message is simple: If you care about strong communities, reducing poverty, lifting up the next generation of Americans, strengthening our free market economy, you should care about kids' accounts.

While we have a lot of work ahead of us, I am happy to tell you that the momentum is on our side. Around the country, at all levels of government, we are seeing a growing interest in smart policies that promote savings and asset building. President Obama himself recently said, "We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity — a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest." And the spirit of that charge is reflected in an array of proposals now poised to go before Congress, including the ASPIRE Bill, which would go a long way in advancing federal assets policy in this country.

We are also inspired by the creative new efforts underway in our states and cities. I want to take a moment to salute the efforts of leaders in Arkansas and Texas — some of whom are here today — for enacting savings programs in your states and providing an example for the rest of the country. And we see progress in our cities, like San Antonio, where officials who are also with us today are launching new savings programs for adults and children. This is work we should all be proud of.

With much of our demonstration and development work behind us, it is clear that much of the work that lies ahead will focus on advocacy and mobilization. For our part, we will continue to support advocacy efforts at the federal level and are planning to ramp up our support for state-level organizing and advocacy efforts. We are committing an additional $20 million over the next five years to strengthen asset-building networks in key states. We believe that these networks can play a critical role in building support for effective state policies that promote savings and other related asset policies.

We will also support efforts to build a more robust communications effort that links both national and state policy organizations. We believe that this coordinated analysis and advocacy can prove vital to influencing public policy at all levels of government.

Despite all of the incredible momentum, we know that the road ahead will not be easy. Our challenge is this: for as much as we have accomplished, our greatest work lies ahead. So let us come together to forge new partnerships to advance this work together. And let's commit ourselves to telling the story of kids' accounts to anyone who will listen.

Because we all know that there is so much at stake.

So I urge you to never forget what this work is all about: fairness — opportunity — hope for the future. A chance for more of our children to build a future for themselves and their families. A country where more of its citizens have a chance to reach the American Dream.

I look forward to working with you. Thank you.

Written Testimony of Susan V. Berresford

29 Oct 2007

Hearing to Examine Whether Charitable Organizations Serve the Needs of Diverse Populations

September 25, 2007

Chairman Lewis and members of the Subcommittee, thank you very much for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am Susan Berresford, President and CEO of the Ford Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization. Ford’s mission is to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement.

We commit approximately 75 percent of our U.S. funding to the reduction of poverty and injustice. In the last fiscal year, this totaled nearly $220 million of our $300 million U.S. allocation. We fund people and organizations tackling systemic injustice in education, employment, housing, asset accumulation and other areas. Since poverty disproportionately affects women, minorities, immigrants and rural communities, they are at the center of our work.

This year the Ford Foundation celebrates 70 years of delivering on a promise to improve lives and create opportunity. It has provided over $13 billion for grants, projects and loans. These funds derive from an investment portfolio that began with gifts and bequests of Ford Motor Company stock by Henry and Edsel Ford. The foundation operated as a local philanthropy in the state of Michigan until 1950, when it expanded to become a national and international foundation. The foundation no longer owns Ford Motor Company stock and has no formal ties to the company. Its diversified portfolio is managed to provide a perpetual source of support for the foundation’s programs and operations which are headquartered in New York, with offices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia.

I would like to begin by making a distinction between charity and strategic philanthropy. Philanthropy encompasses charity that provides resources to deal with immediate needs such as sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, healing the sick and other acts of basic generosity. Ford, for example, has made grants in the aftermath of natural disasters in the Gulf Coast region and we helped nonprofits in New York and Washington respond to the events of September 11.

But there is another kind of philanthropy, one that offers the prospect of curing, rather than simply alleviating, problems. It involves the strategic use of resources to search for new ideas that can address root causes. Both charitable and strategic philanthropy have been present in U.S. philanthropy for many decades, and both will always be needed.

Most of Ford’s work is in the category of strategic philanthropy. We see our role as a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, providing risk capital for pilot programs, research, institution building and developmental activity. Strategic philanthropy recognizes that bringing innovations to scale requires partners such as government, business and civil society which have capacity and reach far beyond the abilities of any single philanthropic endeavor.

Before I outline some of the ways in which we serve diverse communities I would like to provide you with a sense of who makes up the leadership and staff of the foundation and how the Ford Foundation makes allocation decisions.

Diversity of Leadership

Ford’s Trustees select the president, set policy and overall spending targets. They ensure that the foundation’s policies are implemented effectively. The composition of Ford’s board and staff reflects our intent to draw on diverse talent. Among our Trustees who are U.S. citizens, 40 percent are minorities. Twenty three percent are citizens of other countries, primarily representing the regions in which we work. Sixty two percent of our Trustees are female. Our Trustees bring experience in business, nonprofit and governmental work. The next president of the foundation, Luis Ubiñas, will be the first Hispanic president in Ford’s history. I was the first female president and my predecessor, Franklin Thomas, who served for 17 years, was the first African American president.

Today 46 percent of our professional U.S. grant makers are minorities—up from 27 percent in 1996 when I became president. Fifty percent of all grant making staff are female. This diversity helps to ensure that we bring a variety of perspectives to our operations and grant making.

Allocation Decisions and Strategies

Our mission drives the programmatic and substantive nature of our work. The board and staff explore problems to which Ford resources can be applied, each bringing ideas to the table. Ultimately, the board approves the subject areas in which we work, the broad strategies in which we invest, and the allocation of funds to those topics and to our worldwide offices. The board delegates to the president the authority to approve grants from those allocations.

Program officers, our key grant makers, explore how foundation grants can have the greatest impact, supporting people with innovative and promising ideas. Program staff and grantees regularly report to the board on how strategies are working and board members travel each year to review program work on the ground in the U.S. and overseas.

The strategies for which we seek board approval most often aim to alter or build systems and organizations that can deliver lasting benefits to disadvantaged people. We offer patient capital and partnership, often sticking with people and organizations for years as they refine and test ideas and build to scale and significance.

I would like to offer a few examples of Ford support for systemic change led by courageous men and women who share our values and aims. This work extends to both rural and urban America and represents efforts in a variety of areas, including education, economic opportunity, the arts, media, civil rights, and philanthropy.

Creating Access to Opportunity

People matter, so we try to ensure diversity in talent pools from which the U.S. draws leadership in various domains. Since the early 1960’s, Ford has supported the largest private fellowship program that fosters diversity in the American professoriate. Originally called the Ford Minority Fellows program, now the Ford Diversity Fellows Program, it has provided over $175 million for fellowships and related support for approximately 5,000 scholars from rural and urban areas, most of whom now hold positions in academe. Fifty five percent are African American, 38 percent are Hispanic, and 6 percent are Native American. The program is run by the National Academy of Sciences, whose distinguished reputation lends prestige to the fellows’ fine work.

In K-12 education, Ford has devoted more than $35 million to Project Grad, developed in Houston schools under the civic leadership of Jim Kettleson, former Tenneco CEO. GRAD improves high school graduation rates and college-going in poor, urban communities. It has expanded from Houston to Los Angeles, Atlanta, Newark and other locations. Ford also invested heavily in research to determine how and where GRAD worked best. Our principal grantee was GRAD USA, led by a Hispanic educator.

Community colleges serve as a gateway to higher education among minority communities. More than 50 percent of Latinos and 40 percent of African Americans in higher education are enrolled in community colleges. Since 1996, we have provided over $33 million for these vital institutions. This support has focused on making them more accessible, improving the way students credits are transferred, keeping tuition low, and helping students, particularly students of color, stay in school and prepare to enter the workforce. In California, we’ve recently provided nearly $1 million to study how community colleges are serving diverse communities and to propose ways they can improve.

We have also provided $100 million to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). And we have supported the United Negro College Fund with grants totaling over $20 million since the early 1950s.

Developing Innovations that Improve Lives

The foundation believes that giving people a fair chance to build assets is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence. Our grantees create an infrastructure of financial and workforce development services that reach poor, remote and marginalized communities that the market has served poorly.

In housing, Ford committed $50 million as a guarantee so Fannie Mae would purchase mortgage loans made to families with low income or low credit scores. Leveraging $4.3 billion from Fannie Mae, 50,000 new homeowners have been created, 44 percent of them minority families with 15 percent located in rural communities. Now in its sixth year, this 10 year initiative is demonstrating that it is possible to identify low-income families who pay their bills reliably and can support mortgages that build family assets. The program is changing banking practice in communities across the U.S. This idea came to Ford from the Center for Community Self-Help in North Carolina, a leader in innovation related to home ownership and prevention of predatory lending.

In rural America, manufactured housing accounts for two-thirds of all housing starts, yet it often fails to be the dependable asset most urban homes are. The foundation invests in a variety of rural initiatives that enable people to own the land their homes sit on and seek to improve the building standards for manufactured housing. One grantee, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, has received $8.4 million in grants and $5 million in loans for this asset-building work. With over $9 million in grants, the Corporation for Enterprise Development in Washington D.C. is working to improve building standards and financing mechanisms for manufacture home owners.

One of the most innovative ideas to help low income families accumulate assets is the creation of Children’s Saving Accounts. These accounts are seeded at birth by nonprofits and government and built up over time at key life intervals by contributions from families themselves and other donors. We support an ongoing national demonstration program in 11 urban and rural locations that includes 1,300 accounts, 78 percent of which are held by minority children. The accounts can be accessed only after age 18, building — through compound interest and deposits — assets that can then be applied to school fees, home down payments or other significant investments.

Since 2005, several legislative bills have been introduced to advance this idea. As we receive results of the multi-year experiment it is sure to be a resource for longer-term policy innovation. It has already prompted the creation of the Child Trust Fund program in the United Kingdom. This program came to the Ford Foundation from The Corporation for Enterprise Development, and a professor at Washington University in St Louis.

Strengthening Urban and Rural Communities

Since the 1960s Ford has been committed to community development in distressed urban and rural communities. We support efforts to create healthy, safe and strong neighborhoods where people can access employment, education and essential services. Early investments gave rise to Community Development Corporations (CDC) formed by residents, small business owners, congregations and other local stakeholders. Today there are 4,600 CDCs operating across the country. Additionally, nearly $60 million has been invested in the creation of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or LISC, providing services to inner city residents. We also commit to long-term revitalization efforts in regions that are in economic transition and distress such as the Gulf Coast, Camden and Detroit.

Nearly $70 million has been invested in rural communities in recent years. With loans of $6.5 million, we support Southern Bancorp, the largest rural development bank in Arkansas and Mississippi to address the needs of the poor. In Maine, we provided $4 million in grants and $7.75 million in loans to help Coastal Enterprises develop the Portland Fish Pier, enabling fisherman and fishing co-ops to gain efficiency that makes them more competitive in domestic and international markets. We have supported the First Nations Development Institute with $11 million over the past 10 years to invest in economic development in Native areas.

Supporting Civil Rights

Ford has also been at the forefront with decades of funding for the legal advocacy organizations that have helped establish standards of fairness in our country. We have funded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Native American Rights Fund, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Our support to these and other key civil rights organizations since the 1950s exceeds $265 million.

We support work in the area of voter registration and participation that also helps ensure that our diverse populations can be heard in public fora. Since the early 1980s over $13 million has been granted to support the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund for these and other efforts. Ford also granted $3.2 million to the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, a network of 80 membership organizations committed to increasing civic participation. They operate in 12 states, including California, Georgia, Ohio and Wisconsin. Support has also been extended to organizations such as Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, Inc.

In southern rural areas, grassroots work on civil rights includes $6.5 million to lift black rural women out of persistent poverty. The Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative focuses resources on leadership and economic development, along with training to ensure women’s full participation in economic, civic and social life. More than 1000 women are participating across Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. In eight southern states, black land ownership has dropped from 19 million acres to 1.5 million acres over the last 70 years. A foundation initiative totaling over $2.3 million is focused on helping African American families retain, manage and add value to these natural assets.

The foundation has also launched the Four Freedoms Fund, to support grassroots organizations working to promote civic, social, economic integration and civil rights for immigrant communities. We have invested nearly $10 million in this donor fund which has already provided support to over 65 organizations in 28 states.

Giving Voice to Diverse Cultural Expression

In a free society artistic and cultural expression contributes to our understanding of human experience. Over the last five years more than $20 million has supported minority-led arts organizations and projects. Ford helped found the Dance Theatre of Harlem and its community outreach programs, helping it to grow with nearly $7.7 million over the years. We are the nation—s largest and most enduring private funder of Native American communities, with more than $80 million in support over the past 20 years. This includes a recent commitment of $13 million to establish a Native American Arts and Culture Fund. A recent grant to the National Association of Latino Arts will support the Fund for the Arts, a national grant program to benefit Latino artists and small to mid-size Latino arts organizations.

Over $9 million was granted to support the development of the memorable award-winning documentary “Eyes on the Prize,” and recently we provided funds to renew copyrights to keep the series publicly available. In the last five years $12 million has gone to the support of minority filmmakers.

Recognizing the importance of a robust, diverse media to American democracy, the foundation has supported media initiatives that reflect and give voice to America’s diverse communities, and that promote diversity in the newsroom. We support media outlets serving diverse populations, granting $3.3 million in the past two years to the growth of ethnic media. This includes New America Media, a network of 700 ethnic news organizations. In all we have committed $60 million over five years to spark innovation in public media, focused on diversifying sources of programming and reaching new audiences.

The last area I would like to touch upon is philanthropy itself. Ford has invested in strengthening the voice of minorities within philanthropy, providing more than $22 million in grants to professional associations and networks working to increase philanthropic support for minority communities and to expand minority leadership throughout philanthropy. Leading this effort are Hispanics in Philanthropy, Native Americans in Philanthropy, National Center on Black Philanthropy, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Asia American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, First Nations Development Institute and many others.

Ford’s Enduring Commitment

I have had the privilege of working at the Ford Foundation for 38 of its 70 years. The Ford timeline you have received displays the many ways that Ford has dedicated resources to reduction of poverty and injustice, and other aims. I am proud that we have a diversity of grantee partners doing this work with us —partners from distinguished public agencies such as the National Academy of Sciences and nonprofit non-governmental groups like GRAD USA, the Center for Community Self-Help, the NAACP and MALDEF, to universities, academics, and leaders from American business. Only when all sectors of our society align resources for equality and fairness will we see lasting results.

Ford’s board and staff are proud to be a resource for the idealistic social movements of our time and the innovative ideas of diverse people.

I want to thank Chairman Lewis and the members of the Subcommittee for bringing attention to the contributions of foundations and other nonprofits to our American ideals and to struggles for equality among our diverse people.

Remarks by Susan V. Berresford at the John W. Gardner Leadership Award Dinner

23 Oct 2007

Thank you for this generous tribute. It belongs as well to my colleagues on the Ford board and staff who have shared the foundation's leadership with me.

But tonight we should also pay tribute to democratic principles and their protection by women and men around the world. In part, our achievements spring from the freedom we have to strive and advocate for each other. John Gardner knew that freedom and civic activism matter. The award in his name rests on that powerful truth.

Not long ago, I had two opportunities at archaeological sites to think about social connection and activism. The first occurred in Sterkfontein, South Africa. I viewed, deep in a cave, embedded in hard earth, a perfectly preserved ancient skeleton of a young man. Experts believe he fell through a concealed hole in the ground and died alone, three or four million years ago. I will never, ever forget his small injured skeleton, in a fetal position, and my sense of his suffering and fatal loneliness.

Recently, I visited the Southern Rift Valley in Olorgesailie, a site famous for its landscape littered with hundreds of early human rock tools, called hand-axes. The axes seem to have been deposited in heaps near where they would be used but not where the early human lived. The hunters using them appear to have agreed that this location was a safe place for cleaning and storing the heavy tools and avoiding having to carry them home. Contrast this sign of cooperation with the image of the mortally injured boy dying painfully, alone in the dark bottom of the cave.

Today, we have new opportunities to come together and create community and safety on a wide scale. For example, we now know that for the first time in history, human activity is significantly affecting our environment, rather than the other way around. We have a chance to devise strategies to avoid environmental destruction.

But will we find leaders who ensure not only survival but also broad scale well-being? We need them in government, business and, very importantly, the Independent Sector.

Some of us here tonight grew up in the United States in a period of social idealism—idealism about fairness and opportunity. We were inspired by leaders who were social prophets. Their idealism became our personal north star. I hope we can begin to help more of our civic leaders discover those north stars today.

I see three particular challenges I hope our sector's leaders will address.

First, we must ensure that economic opportunity is open to all in societies around the world. In the next decade, the majority of the world's population will, for the first time, live in cities. Huge urban conglomerations already exist. Beyond their delights, they include vast, miserable and dangerous slum areas. Unless we generate far greater earning and living opportunities than our economies now provide, tragedy is surely in store.

In the United States, we already see growing proportions of our working-age populations in low-reward jobs. Our social compact teaches that if you play by the rules and work hard, you can get into the middle class, pay for college, health care and have a reasonable retirement. If we tolerate the growing concentrations of compound disadvantage, we make a dangerous mockery of that notion.

We must remember that huge advances in national well-being occurred not only when our economy expanded. They also came when the United States made ambitious investments in people and public moral standards. Think of the Homestead Act of 1862, signed by Abraham Lincoln; the GI Bill, signed by Franklin Roosevelt; the Federal Home Mortgage Program, giving a new generation of homeowner's a stake in their communities and a long-term financial asset. Recall the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which Wade Henderson reminded us was an Eisenhower innovation and the Civil Rights act of 1964, the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 and other such sweeping laws that helped tear down unjust advantage systems, opening access to the mainstream.

Now is the time to consider dramatic public investments that will have significant intergenerational skill-building payoffs. Over the last decades, people in this room have incubated ideas on which new ambitious and generation-boosting investments could be based. For example, Ford and other foundations' grantees have tested children's savings accounts, individual development accounts, college accounts, life-long learning accounts. These programs could be knit together into a national system of publicly and privately supported, individually earned Asset Accounts. They could have dramatic effects on aspiration and opportunity in disadvantaged communities. That is the first challenge I see before us.

A second and closely related challenge is to show the ways that our organizations support the worth and dignity of every human being. We can ensure that differences based on gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion, geography or other qualities do not marginalize “the other.”

But inclusiveness is something too few of our organizations are very creative about. Think of all the debate and writing about so-called “new philanthropy” or the “buzz” about new combinations of nonprofit and business efforts. We have far less dialogue and buzz regarding inclusion. Leaders in our sector need to show that we know how to make an asset of our many differences.

In the United States, this means intentionally including marginalized groups in our hiring pools, our boards and decision-making bodies. It means examining what may be out-of-date concepts of qualifications. It involves seeing that formerly under-represented people are welcomed and effective where they can earn and learn.

I believe we still need affirmative action. For one thing, we have clear evidence of prejudice from paired studies of black and white job applicants, health care and housing seekers. So declaring that we want to be a “colorblind” society doesn't get us there. We have to take differences into account to ensure equal opportunity. And when we do so, we must embrace our full diversity. Bishop Tutu has said it so well: “We can't pick and choose for justice.”

Affirmative action is such a modest measure when compared to the power of accepted advantage systems. We need to reveal how many among us have had crucial advantages that people don't often count—people who say: “I made it up the hard way; why can't everyone else?” Often that person does not see what helped along the way—being in a poor family but one with a long tradition of work and learning; a school teacher or relative who reached out and rescued a young person in a dysfunctional family or neighborhood; or a family member who could loan money at a key moment.

The truth about advantage is complex. It is not just about being rich. We have to help people see and extend to others the many kinds of support and opportunity that make a difference.

The third challenge I see is ensuring that our sector's organizations are effective and accountable. Our sector is making progress, particularly in standard-setting. Civil society organizations in many states have now framed standards of proper governance and operation. In the last year, the IS's panel has pulled together common elements in these various systems and has admirable plans to promote the core principles.

But, will we vigorously promote our various standards? We need to make them so widely understood and part of the public's understanding that everyone feels pressure to meet them. We can't do this on the cheap. I hope each person here tonight will make a significant contribution to this public education effort—in time and money.

In that connection, I have to say that I am disappointed by the lack of a broad commitment to our field's common good. For example, too few foundations support research and analysis about philanthropy. We should all work together to support creation of accurate data on our field. We need to ensure that it is disaggregated in ways that make it useful for policy makers. Part of our difficulty in the legislative arena stems from lousy data that suggests damaging norms and benchmarks.

The same is true for the broader independent sector. We need to know about the diversity of our field's top ranks and talent pipeline. Are poor people really served by charities set up for that purpose? We should be asking ourselves these questions, not waiting for our regulators to do so.

We will be better off if we band together and generate sophisticated research that helps us define and reform our field. To put it simply, if we don't take ourselves seriously, why should anyone else?

Finally, as we put standards to work, we need to be willing to critique and repair organizations that fall short. Let's not gossip about them, let's engage with them. And we have a corresponding obligation to support those who are unfairly criticized, not just feel relieved that someone else is in the cross-hairs. The Council on Foundations and the IS have done a very good job in this respect in recent years, citing missteps and chastising bullies.

John Gardner expected us to aim high. Let us not disappoint him. Let us not leave people behind. Let us beseech our country to invest in dramatic generation-boosting opportunity programs that are earned by striving. Let us also keep difference and equality in the forefront. And let us take our sector seriously.

I feel proud to have the honor you have given me tonight. I leave the presidency of Ford knowing I will miss so much of what Ford and you have given me.

I had a chance to lead an idealistic institution dedicated to equity, justice, free expression, good governance, excellence and creativity. It has been fun and deeply satisfying. And I am proud that with many of you in this room, I have defended Ford and other institutions so we can continue to freely support courageous people and their organizations around the world.

Thank you.

Remarks by Susan V. Berresford at the Board Source Leadership Forum

18 Oct 2007

Thank you for inviting me to Board Source and your leadership forum. I am glad to be here because the concern of Board Source, proper nonprofit governance, is of utmost importance, especially since nonprofit organizations are growing in importance around the globe. Third sector governance is an area in which we have seen many new developments in recent years — the emergence of new laws, rules, voluntary standards, and higher and higher expectations.

Many of these advances are helpful, but part is probably overkill, so we can expect a shake-out period. This time will enable us to sort through what is simply mechanical and time wasting, and what gets to the heart of accountability and transparency. Board Source will very likely be at the center of these discussions.

But laws, rules and standards are not the whole story. There is an important area beyond these aspects of accountability and transparency. That is the matter of ultimate effectiveness.

At the end of the day, human behavior is a powerful variable in effectiveness and good governance. In other words, beyond the importance of playing by the rules, the question is HOW you play by the rules. Doing it the right way can positively influence organizational effectiveness. Since I am now near retirement, I decided to use my time today to offer thoughts I have developed over the years about the "how" — the behavioral qualities of good board members. I come to these ideas from various angles.

I have been a founding board member of several organizations, a very junior observer of the Ford Foundation board decades ago and then a full member beginning when I first served as its president 12 years ago. I have been on large and tiny, for-profit and nonprofit, prestigious and obscure boards. I have been a board member as well as board chair. And I have talked about board governance with a good number of our sector’s regulators. These experiences shaped the ideas I want to offer today.

Clearly there are some behavioral basics of good board service. They include regular meeting attendance, responsiveness to the organization’s requests, mastering how the organization works, how it is financed, and what its challenges are. Success in these matters rests on both the board and staff members’ level of effort and candor.

We have seen vivid examples of failure to follow the basic rules: board members being blind to what is really going on, self-interest trumping the duty of loyalty, and time wasting. So the basics are not yet common practice, which is one reason why Board Source is so important.

But even when the behavioral basics are mastered, the huge grey area of board member behavior also needs attention. I will explore this in a series of 6 principles I have come to believe are important.

#1. Good board chairs consider themselves a partner of the CEO. Executive leadership of an organization is often challenging and lonely. It requires 24/7 readiness, and creativity. The CEO needs and should have a colleague in the board chair — someone in addition to the top management team with whom to kibitz, try out ideas, talk about the worst and best case scenarios without risk.

Candor and comfort in these relationships will spring from a sense that the chair and CEO are partners, not in a rigid hierarchy. Obviously, there is a hierarchy. The board chair has ultimate responsibility, but that does not have to frame the relationship, assuming the organization is functioning pretty well. In fact, this point illustrates another I would note. I believe that the board chair must always make one fundamental decision — does he or she have confidence in the CEO. If the answer is yes, then the chair’s job is to assist the CEO fully. If the answer is no, then a new CEO is needed; plain and simple.

In contrast, some presidential colleagues in foundations and other nonprofits told me that they had relationships unlike what I enjoyed. They often talked about the time they spent trying to manage the chair, respond to issues the chair raised that were not core concerns of the organization, and for some, simple respectful exchanges were rare. The sad result was a lot of energy being put into "high maintenance" personalities rather than the organization’s mission.

#2. Good board members are good listeners. They are interested in hearing others’ views and ultimately in building consensus. They refrain from dominating board discussions. Many now agree that diversity of board members’ backgrounds and experience enhances board decision-making. People come at issues from different perspectives and that helps ensure that decisions are sound at multiple levels. But diversity often requires patience. Board members need to take time to listen carefully to others’ views, try to understand why someone may have a different perspective, and then work toward a decision.

In the many boards I have watched and hear about, a few board members always jump in at the start with a settled view, usually stated with utter certainty or at great length. Sometimes these board members’ aggressive style or forcefulness silences others who have different views, thus cutting off healthy debate. Good board chairs avoid these patterns themselves and they remain alert to others, speaking to those who seem disinterested in colleagues’ views. They try to prevent colleagues from undermining legitimate and valuable exchange.

#3. Good board members understand the balance between giving the CEO ample room to manage with independence and ensuring that ethical standards are met. Creative leaders don’t want to be second guessed all the time. Micromanagement by a board will drive away any self-respecting and creative CEO. Life is simply too short and organizational leadership too challenging for the CEO to spend enormous amounts of board time explaining and justifying routine matters.

But we have seen far too many examples of very able and respected board members checking their common sense at the board room door. We see high profile board members approving or winking at organizational practices that most people would find unacceptable — for example, lavish spending by the CEO, operational costs out of proportion to benefits rendered, and even self-dealing. Sometimes this failing seems to spring from assumptions that the organization is "special" or the CEO plays a very unique role and is, therefore, immune from normal standards. It is as if the trustees believe that the organization exists in a special category or bubble, with its own rules.

It is important for board members to challenge any such suggestions, and to apply common sense when they see possible ethics problems. Nonprofits exist for community benefit and their actions have to somehow square with the expectations of reasonable people.

Another complex balance point between chair and CEO roles can be seen when board members bring creative ideas to the deliberations, thinking the organization might have become complacent or not yet see an opportunity or risk. This is a very valuable role for board members. It draws on their wider perspectives and can help the CEO look beyond his or her immediate horizon. But this should not be confused with trustees who insert their own agendas and dictate a course of action related to it. That may not be formal self dealing, but it is self centered and counter to the interest of the organization for which board members have a duty of loyalty.

#4. Good trustees ask "naïve" questions that others want to ask but may shy away from. In boards I have watched or been part of, board members may not know the jargon in the field, may be unfamiliar with organizational history or technical matters. When they are being briefed by staff members who fail to give adequate background or basic facts, trustees can be reluctant to ask about these basics for fear of looking unsophisticated or uninformed. I have had board members say to me, "I really admire X (another board member) because she always asks what I am thinking but am too shy about." Others say "I don’t want to be the one who slows things down."

I say: "three cheers for the naïve questioners." But they should not be confused with trustees who ask about the basics because they have not read or mastered material given to them. That practice reflects laziness or disinterest, neither of which fit with good board service.

Good trustees ask naïve questions because they have faith in their own common sense and instincts. If after reading and being briefed things are still unclear, they press a bit, or ask for more, saying they really don’t grasp the matter being discussed. Several trustees I know stand out in this way and they have my admiration for their candor, self-confidence, and seriousness. By example, they make space for others to follow suit.

#5. Good board members are ambassadors for their organizations and understand the responsibility that comes with that role. Trustees have multiple opportunities to talk with friends and people they meet about what they like in the organization for which they have stewardship responsibility. They can select what particularly interests them, become knowledgeable about it, and promote it. In doing so, they help convey ideas about effectiveness and significance. Given their responsibilities of stewardship, this is all important. They are advocates and fans generating good will for the organization and the work in its field. Board members can do this on their own and CEOs can also ask board members to take on outreach assignments.

But I am sure we also all know about a few situations in which board members unwisely disclose to others internal operating challenges or problems the organization is working on. This information can become gossip and be repeated over and over, in less and less accurate form. Gossip about the organization’s challenges can severely undermine its effectiveness. In the end, the organization has to put out a fire in public that might have been resolved more effectively in private.

I have heard wise board members reply to inquiries about sensitive matters simply by saying "The board/or the CEO is handling this and it will soon be resolved" or some such clear statement that conveys awareness and action.

#6. The final point I want to make is about energy and interest. Good board members are energetic in learning about and helping the organization. They take genuine pleasure in board responsibilities. Their fresh insights and their enthusiasm inspire and renew the senior staff’s energy and determination.

But we have all encountered board members who one CEO recently described to me as "tired and cranky." They have been around for years and have somehow lost the desire to engage deeply with the organization. They may like being linked to the organization but they don’t read the board materials, they don’t listen carefully, and they cut short the time they give to board meetings.

Getting tired or bored is normal. We all know the phrase "Been there; done that." It is not surprising or troubling that it happens to trustees. We are all human. But if most other board members seem appreciative and engaged, the "tired and cranky" one probably ought to rethink his or her relation to the organization. Board chairs can help this process along by exploring what is really going on. Is it a failing of the staff or board process, or has the board member simply lost the level of interest that good board service requires? If the latter, the cure is clear.

So, those are a few reflections that I would offer on the grey zone of board member behavior. I hope they are useful, and they obviously need to be adapted to each organization’s unique culture and history. I would summarize them as follows:

Board members of healthy organizations are especially valuable when they are:

Partners
Listeners
Consensus builders
Ethical watchdogs
Naïve questioners
Discreet ambassadors
And energetically and enthusiastically engaged.

Board Source fosters the best in boards, on the basics and on these more subtle measures. Our sector is all the stronger for that work. Thank you.

Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford Testifies Before Congress

25 Sep 2007

25 September 2007 — Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford testified before a subcommittee of the U.S. Congress today at a hearing examining whether charities and foundations are adequately serving the country's diverse and marginalized communities.

House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis (D-Ga.) said he had called the hearing to help find better ways to identify, reach and serve all Americans.

"Our country is growing. It is becoming more diverse and we are a better nation for that diversity," said Chairman Lewis. "We must make sure that we meet the needs of our diverse residents. ...And we cannot do it alone."

In her testimony, Ms. Berresford emphasized the Ford Foundation's longstanding commitment to creating opportunity and improving lives in minority and low-income communities. She cited Ford-sponsored initiatives that have spurred economic development in urban and rural areas, brought homeownership to tens of thousands of families, strengthened key legal advocacy organizations that safeguard civil rights and opened doors to higher education.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), a member of the committee, applauded these efforts, saying "The Ford Foundation deserves mighty congratulations in their targeting of minority communities."

The subcommittee also heard from other nonprofit leaders and experts, including Julian Wolpert of Princeton University, Elizabeth T. Boris of the Urban Institute and Kevin M. Brown of the American Red Cross in Washington.

At the close of her statement, Ms. Berresford referred to the Ford Foundation's 70-year record of support for efforts to reduce poverty and injustice. "I am proud that we have this history and such diverse grantee partners helping us reach diverse communities," she said.

Read a copy of Susan V. Berresford's written testimony

View an interactive timeline of the Ford Foundation's 70 years of grant making.

Council on Foreign Relations Presents Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th Anniversary Event

25 Sep 2009

The Ford Foundation sponsored the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 60th anniversary celebration at the Council on Foreign Relations in September 2009. Our support of the event, which focused on the future of foreign reporting, builds on our longstanding commitment to advance public service media. We also support the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship and related activities that look at new models of international reporting.

The event began with opening remarks by CFR President Richard N. Haas. Four panel sessions —held between September 9 and 10— covered how technological advances have transformed international reporting, and navigating the challenges of a digital era without compromising the role of responsible journalism.

Click on the links below to watch videos of the sessions and to learn more.

Session 1: War Zones: The Changing Environment for Foreign Correspondents

Session 2: Reporting from Closed Societies

Session 3: Technology and Commerce: The Impact of International Coverage

Session 4: Conversation with Network News Presidents: Meeting Industry Challenges

Visit PBS' Online NewsHour for additional coverage of the event.

Brave New Voices: Using Poetry to Raise Critical Issues

31 Aug 2009

Brave New Voices: Using Poetry to Raise Critical Issues

Every summer, young poets and poetry organizations from around the world gather at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Considered the largest youth poetry festival in the world, it is funded with support, in part, from the Ford Foundation.

Our grants to Youth Speaks — the organizer of the Brave New Voices annual festival — aim to equip future generations with the means to express themselves freely about critical issues they face. The work of Youth Speaks centers around arts education, youth development, and civic engagement.

Watch a video — courtesy of the Youth Speaks YouTube channel — which highlights the first day of the 12th Annual festival in Chicago and the energy and talent of some of the participants.

Youth Speaks has been a grantee since 2004, receiving more than $500,000 for the development of the Brave New Voices festival and the expansion of its national network of spoken word organizations. In 2008, the foundation invited artists from Youth Speaks to perform; as well as Robert Redford whose Sundance Institute is collaborating with Youth Speaks on environmental issues; and Jeff Chang, author of "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation," to participate in a panel discussion. Below are videos of the event, "Speaking to the Future: The Power of the Arts to Create Social Change."

Speaking to the Future

Ford Foundation hosts a series of spoken word performances about the power of the arts to create social change. (2:03)

Speaking to the Future

Ford Foundation hosts a series of spoken word performances about the power of the arts to create social change. (2:03)

Katri Foster

"A Coincidence" (4:10)

George Watsky

"Geography Class" (3:43)

Joshua Bennett

"UltraViolet" (3:39)

Heilery Yuselew

"Mother and Father" (3:14)

To learn more about Youth Speaks and the 2008 Brave New Voices Festival, held in Washington, D.C., watch the Brave New Voices series on HBO.

Read about the foundation's work in media, arts and culture.

New Models: Journalism in a Digital Age

10 Jul 2009

Journalism in a Digital Age

Social media and user-generated content have radically changed the way we gather news and receive information. Today, citizens around the world are joining traditional journalists in broadcasting information and sharing stories, whether via a blog entry, a Twitter feed, a Facebook update, or Flickr post. But with news gathering in all of our hands, what happens to journalistic responsibility, protocols and vetting procedures? What is the fate of traditional journalism? How can the changing media landscape maintain the principles of objectivity and accuracy?

The Ford Foundation brought together leading figures from new and traditional media to discuss these issues. Calvin Sims, a Ford Foundation program officer, moderated the discussion. The panel included:

Jim Lehrer, anchor, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Charles Sennott, executive editor and co-founder, GlobalPost
Chris Hughes, co-founder, Facebook

The May 2009 event reflects the foundation's long-term commitment to freedom of expression. Ford Foundation grantees work to strengthen public service media and to promote the free flow of information and ideas as the cornerstone of a healthy, vibrant democracy.

Click on the pictures below to select from eight short highlights.

The Value of Great Content

GlobalPost's Charles Sennott talks about the value of great newspaper content and how that can translate across different platforms. (1:30)

The Value of Great Content

GlobalPost's Charles Sennott talks about the value of great newspaper content and how that can translate across different platforms. (1:30)

How Communities Drive Great Content

Sennott and Jim Lehrer — anchor for The Newshour with Jim Lehrer on PBS — evaluate the role that communities have in driving great content. (1:35)

New Platforms, New Outcomes

Co-founder of Facebook Chris Hughes talks about new competing platforms that are changing the way people listen, receive and respond to news. (1:08)

What the Numbers Mean

Sennott considers the power of web metrics and how such numbers may be a help or hinderance to great content. (1:28)

Reaching Specific Audiences

Hughes elaborates on web metrics and how to get great content to specific audiences. (3:12)

Opportunities to Add Value

The three panelists evaluate what new opportunities are emerging in the field of journalism and how to make the most of them. (3:41)

Curators of Information

Lehrer and Hughes talk maintaining the integrity of journalism across platforms and defining the role of the journalist as "curator of information." (4:56)

The Role of Philanthropy

How will we save the newspaper industry? Hughes and Sennott consider what philanthropy can do. (1:41)

Ford Foundation Supports 2009 National Conference on Children and Youth Savings

15 Jun 2009

The 2009 National Conference on Children and Youth Savings runs from June 14 to June 16 and is hosted by Ford Foundation grantee Corporation for Enterprise Development. The conference will look at the impact and scaleability of savings and asset-building programs on low-income families.

The Ford Foundation provided funding for the inaugural conference, which is being held in Brooklyn, New York. We have long invested in wealth-building programs — such as Children's Savings Accounts and Individual Development Accounts — to enable low-income people to enter the financial mainstream. To learn more about these and other foundation efforts, read Ford Reports.

Featured conference speakers include:

Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO, United Negro College Fund
Dr. Michael Sherraden, Direcetor, Center for Social Development
Gary Stangler, Executive Director, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
Luis Ubiñas, President, Ford Foundation

Read Luis Ubiñas' June 15 remarks at the conference.

Learn more about the conference program.

Ford Foundation Hosts Minsky Conference on Meeting the Challenges of the Financial Crisis

13 Apr 2009

On April 16 and 17, the Ford Foundation hosted the 18th Annual Hyman P. Minsky Conference on the State of the U.S. and World Economies. Organized by The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, the conference convened leading economists, policymakers, and financial analysts to assess the challenges of the financial crisis and offer solutions.

Speakers included:

Bruce Kasman, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Dennis P. Lockhart, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
James Grant, Grant's Interest Rate Observer
Janet L. Yellen, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Norbert Walter, Deutsche Bank
Henry Kaufman, Henry Kaufman & Company, Inc.
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Columbia University

There were six sessions on:

Assessment of Fed/Treasury Response to Crisis
Proposals on Alternative Financial Regulation
Levy Institute—Ford Project Proposals on Reregulation of the Financial System
The Institutional Shape of the Future Financial System
Current Conditions and Forecasts
Alternative Stimulus and Bailout Proposals

For more information, visit The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College.