Stories

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.

BUILD started as an experiment to reimagine philanthropy and has become our most impactful grantmaking to date. Our hypothesis that nonprofits would thrive with longer, larger, and more flexible grants had not only been proven—it defied our expectations. We share what we've learned so far in a new report.

As Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine, we are being confronted once again with the defining conflict of our time: the great contest between authoritarian rule and democratic values. Ukraine holds a warning for the world over and we must act now to protect the future of global democracy.

The intersecting crises of climate change and inequality threaten to make an outmoded vision of perpetuity, at best, obsolete—and, at worst, destructive. We must join together, with urgency and purpose, to ensure the work of justice lives on in perpetuity, as does the planet on which our very survival depends.

Around the world, Black feminists are leading intersectional movements for social justice—but they are drastically underfunded. The new Black Feminist Fund will support this powerful global community long overlooked by philanthropy. The fund’s three founders outline why now is the time to back Black feminists.

Ten years after the Arab Spring, lingering injustices and continued conflict test and inspire artists across the Middle East and North Africa. Meet six artists who tell the story of the region and remind us that humanity transcends borders.

In the midst of one of history’s most tumultuous years, president Darren Walker sat down with 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl to talk about the challenges facing the world and how we must reimagine philanthropy to answer the call for justice.

We talk to Giselle Leung from the Global Impact Investing Network, about how investors are playing a key role in the response to COVID-19, and promoting equity in the process.

Technology is changing the world at a blistering pace. Organizations can’t just keep up, they need to work with public interest technologists to shape the spread of tech as a tool for change. We talk to Mozilla Foundation’s Vice President about how our joint fellowship is meeting this moment.

​As America faces a pandemic of pandemics, the very idea of democracy is being tested. As the country mourns and works to move forward, President Darren Walker makes the case for moral leadership to reimagine a future grounded in equality and justice for all.

Black philanthropy is rooted in the traditions of Black and Pan-African communities globally. Today, a growing movement to demonstrate the power of community-based philanthropy is uniting a network of more than 17 million to mark Black Philanthropy Month each August.Their efforts are taking root, and aim, at racial injustice globally.​

In the wake of recent killings of black and brown people at the hands of police during COVID-19, Ford’s Tanya Coke and Nicolette Naylor pay tribute to two important holidays this week that symbolize the global movements of black resistance across the diaspora, the progress made globally and the work that still remains in the fight for racial equality.

The world has been confronted with a confluence of crises, but the economic realities brought on by COVID-19 threaten the very survival of the organizations on the frontlines, the nonprofits fighting for justice and tirelessly working toward a just, equitable recovery. Reflecting on this unprecedented moment, President Darren Walker explains why extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, starting with a bold step from philanthropy.

COVID-19 has presented the world with an unparalleled situation.

The challenges we face as a world require a new kind of leader. Hilary Pennington shares what we’ve learned from 80 years of investing in individuals and introduces the Ford Global Fellows, our big bet to build the next generation of change agents.

As COVID-19 spreads globally, women and girls are shouldering the brunt, left vulnerable to violence and economic insecurity and carrying the majority of the burden at home. Ford's Nicolette Naylor, along with Jess Tomlin and Jessica Houssain of grantee Equality Fund, explain why the fight for gender equality doesn’t stop during a pandemic but is more critical than ever.

Hilary Pennington announces the philanthropy pledge, a partnership with the Ford Foundation and more than 40 organizations to urge philanthropies everywhere to commit to more flexible funding to support nonprofits navigate the impacts of COVID-19.

President Darren Walker talks about the sacrifice, struggle and the need to embrace urgency to move forward in 2020 and bring the world closer to justice.

Displacement should not deprive refugees of their rights to education, adequate housing, and decent work—and we believe that their cultural and artistic rights must be addressed at the same time.

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

There are millions of workers around the world who are working and living at the periphery of the formal economy. We call these workers informal workers.

The global refugee crisis poses a range of challenges to host countries but also economic and cultural opportunities. Policy solutions that ensure refugees’ dignity and help build their skills, talents, and assets will ensure that migrants can live full lives and contribute to their new communities.

The Ford Foundation has a rich history of supporting scholarships and fellowships that have a focus on social justice, including our International Fellowships Program.

Reflecting on the International AIDS Conference in Durban, Delane Kalembo speaks to the role that religious leaders and faith-based organizations play in turning the tide on HIV in Africa.

The global inequality of opportunity is what's driving the current migration crisis.

Habitat III—the United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development—will take place in Quito, Ecuador this October.

Leaders from the Middle East and North Africa must figure out how to make their cities more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable as they grapple with devastating conflicts, mass displacements of people, widespread inequality, and rapid population growth.

There is a close link between child marriage and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Yet the interventions designed to respond to these two issues are often not integrated. 

Just and inclusive cities put people first, and put equity and social justice at the center of policy and design.

an excerpt from The Shrinking Space for Civil Society: Philanthropic Perspectives From Across the Globe, a new report from the European Foundation Centre (EFC)

Unlike traditional scholarships based primarily on academic achievement, social justice fellowships use non-traditional ways to recruit talented individuals and extend higher education opportunities to leaders from marginalized communities.

The Ford Foundation and the OECD recently brought together 21 mayors from around the world to discuss what cities can do to tackle inequality and promote inclusive growth.

How can lessons from gentrification around the world inspire change in Egypt?

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.

We are making some big changes—but what will never change is our commitment to supporting those closest to the problems, engaging collaboratively with every sector, and pursuing the cause of justice and dignity for all people.

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