Stories

Two years ago, we launched our social bond to provide relief to nonprofits during the pandemic. We check in with some of these organizations, now thriving as they continue their fight for workers’ rights, racial justice, vaccine equity and more.

For Juneteenth, Darren Walker spoke at Monticello—home of Thomas Jefferson—about America’s greatest ideals and the paradoxical, enduring legacy of slavery in America.

For centuries, cultures across the world have recognized the fluidity of gender and celebrated gender nonconformity. To advance justice and truly achieve equality, we need to understand the systems and structures throughout history that have boxed people into false binaries and expand our definition of gender.

For years, filmmakers of color have provided mentorship and mutual support to support the next generation. JustFilms grantee Color Congress is furthering this legacy. It’s a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to build a strong, vibrant and diverse ecosystem of documentary organizations so these films can become a more powerful force for social change.

Ashé Cultural Arts Center is the beating heart of the Black community in New Orleans. When activist and poet Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes took over in 2020, she faced an uphill financial battle. Through a BUILD grant, she found the support, tools and words to succeed.

On the 20th anniversary, we reflect on what we’ve learned since 9/11, the movement for justice led by Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities to combat the xenophobia that followed, and how we can apply those lessons to the crises facing America today.

Too often, stories of oppression and resistance in the American South are told by people who are not from or connected to the region. Press On was created to elevate the region’s underrepresented stories and diverse voices, carrying social justice forward and advancing a new movement of journalism.

The Neutral Ground, a documentary produced by CJ Hunt and Darcy McKinnon, chronicles the fight over four Confederate monuments in New Orleans while confronting America’s refusal to acknowledge and reckon with systemic racism.

A son of the South, Darren Walker reflects on the US South, both past and present, and its role in catalyzing social justice movements that have shaped the region—and America at large.

How did Camp Jened in upstate New York inspire the political awakening that led to the Americans with Disabilities Act? Crip Camp creators Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht talk about the power of community at the camp—and at the heart of the disability rights movement—and its importance in the fight for justice.

How do we make American news more equitable? This diverse mix of industry leaders has answers.

Integrating inclusion and the values of disability justice into your work, whether as a philanthropy or an organization, is hard, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. We share our journey thus far, the lessons we’ve learned along the way and why our commitment is stronger than ever today.

By using their gender as a lens and their work to amplify women’s voices, issues and perspectives, these 13 artists, writers and filmmakers are changing society’s perceptions of women and forcing the world to rethink the very definition of the arts.

Three films supported by the Ford Foundation are nominated for Best Documentary at the 2020 Academy Awards.

Advances in emerging media are swiftly reshaping the landscape of storytelling, at a level and pace unseen since the invention of the moving image.

On view now in NYC, the Defend Puerto Rico exhibition uses traditional and emerging media formats and technologies to illustrate the experiences of Puerto Ricans across the diaspora.

Kevin Ryan joined the Ford Foundation’s Equitable Development team earlier this year, leading our grant making in Detroit. Here, the Detroit native talks about his family’s history in the city and region, the changes he’s seen in Detroit over the years, and the shape and scope of the foundation’s grant making there.

Earlier this summer, the Ford Foundation launched an interactive tool called Your American Dream Score, which aims to help each of us examine the factors that have helped us succeed or held us back, and to start conversations about the role of inequality and opportunity in our lives.

JustFilms, part of Ford’s Creativity and Free Expression program, is a longtime partner of the Sundance Institute and supported seven films in 2017.

How can creative and documentary work help build a fairer and more just society?

The Ford Foundation's Elizabeth Alexander speaks with actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith about Smith's new play, Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, examining the school-to-prison pipeline.

Today’s divisive climate makes it more urgent than ever to lift up vibrant art and creative expression that unifies and humanizes people through stories, art, and cultural practice.

The Culture Lab and Race Forward offer five questions and a tool kit to help social change and media makers become better storytellers. 

America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores narratives around inequality in education, housing, healthcare, labor, criminal justice and the political system.

Ford Foundation staff recap episode 4 of America Divided and discuss the influence of big money in politics and protecting the rights of undocumented immigrants. 

The Ford Foundation recaps episode 3 of America Divided, a docu-series about rising inequality in the United States.

The documentary When Two Worlds Collide captures the conflict between indigenous communities determined to protect their tribal lands, and government-supported business interests eager to open those lands up to oil drilling, mining, and clear-cutting.

Alberto Cerda Silva speaks with David Kaye, the United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion, about how the Internet is changing the right to free speech, press, and expression.

The Ford Foundation recaps episode 2 of America Divided, a docu-series about rising inequality in the United States.

The first episode of America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores three issues of American inequality: our nation's broken criminal justice system, the Flint water crisis, and housing issues in New York City. 

Despite being the fastest growing ethnic group, Latinxs are the least represented group in the arts. Teresita Fernandez speaks with the Ford Foundation about why Latinxs are critical to the future of the arts. 

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, discusses why he created the web, why access to the Internet is a human right, and what it really means for the Internet to be open “for everyone" following a screening of Foreveryone.net, a documentary by Jessica Yu about his great invention. 

Evan Mawarire's Facebook video lamenting the worsening economic crisis and political repression in Zimbabwe sparked an online revolution, #ThisFlag. Mawarire urged Zimbabweans to reclaim their aspirations and reminded them that the power to change the status quo is in the hands of citizens. 

The Ford Foundation's new strategy to support institutions and networks, and to strengthen civil society, ensuring that the courageous people within it have what they need to fight for a more just and equitable world.

JustFilms director Cara Mertes spoke to filmmaker Morgan Neville about his film, The Music of Strangers.

Program Officer Barbara Raab interviews International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Director Gerard Ryle on the Panama Papers.

Twitter conversation with Nigerian actress and award-winning filmmaker Stephanie Okereke Linus about her film, Dry.

An interview with filmmaker Nelson George on his experience documenting Misty Copeland's historic rise to become the world's first black principal dancer at a major international ballet company.

An interview with the filmmaker of Wilhemina's War, the story of an African American grandmother living in the rural south and fighting to help her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV.

Interview with the filmmakers of (T)ERROR on the very real consequences of counter-terrorism surveillance and what we’re willing to sacrifice in the fight against terrorism.

Interview with filmmaker Stanley Nelson on his Black Panthers documentary and its relevance to #BlackLivesMatter and racial tensions today.

Ford staff recount their most memorable social justice moments from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Cara Mertes reflects on 5 years of JustFilms, and looks ahead to the next phase of immersive storytelling.

 If we’re going to speak about the power of storytelling then I guess I should tell a story—or rather, my story.

With the announcement of our new programs, we know many of you have questions. We answer some of them here.

Today, the Ford Foundation’s two-year transition is over. Darren Walker explains the details of FordForward.

Good Pitch makes the filmmaking community stronger and builds a broader capacity for collaboration.

Celebrating the transformative work of the National Arts and Humanities Medalists.

As we celebrate Independence Day, we reflect on the lessons about working for freedom and justice over the past months.

Written and directed by Ely Dagher, Waves '98 is first Lebanese film to win Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.

JustFilms director, Cara Mertes, shares how CITIZENFOUR is an example of how filmmaking can be an act of justice.

This event demonstrated how arts and culture, including film, dance, and music serve as a central means of self-expression and political activism for LGBT people of color.

Reflections from program officer Jonathan Barzilay on protecting journalism and journalists.

Learn about Human Rights Watch's E-Team and why Ford is committed to strengthening human rights worldwide.