Ford Foundation Unclaimed

Strengthens social justice organizations through five years of flexible funding.

Empowers emerging leaders to drive social equity and change.

Empowers global leaders through advanced education for social change.

Improving capitalism for people through strategic investments and grants.

Empowering social justice organizations through significant funding to tackle inequalities globally.

Advances global social justice and equity through targeted grantmaking.

Empowers communities in the Midwest, South, and rural America to create better jobs and economic opportunities.

Multi-year unrestricted grants that strengthen nonprofit capacity, resilience, and institutional sustainability through sustained operating funding.

Mechanisms that pool philanthropic capital and use fiscal sponsorship to coordinate donor resources for targeted thematic funding and joint strategies.

Fellowship programs that invest in emerging leaders through funding, learning opportunities, and global networks to build leadership capacity for social change.

Use of grants, program-related investments, and mission-related investments, including private equity and venture capital, to generate measurable social impact alongside financial returns.

Debt- or bond-based philanthropic instruments and large catalytic capital commitments mobilized to address urgent social needs and scale funding for under-resourced organizations.

Targeted regional grantmaking and programs that empower local leaders, create jobs, and strengthen economic opportunities in specific geographies.

Capabilities that support program evaluation, reflection, and learning to improve grant effectiveness and understand how social change happens.

BUILD Program

A grantmaking initiative that helps social justice organizations become stronger and more resilient over time by providing five years of general operating support.

• Provides Flexible Funding
  This feature ensures that organizations have the financial resources necessary to manage their operations effectively over a prolonged period, thus enhancing their sustainability.
• Enhances Organizational Capacity
  By focusing on building institutions and networks, this feature supports organizations in creating collaborative relationships that lead to greater influence and effectiveness in their respective fields.
• Improves Long-Term Stability
  This feature helps organizations adapt to changing circumstances and challenges, enabling them to maintain their missions and sustain impact over time.
• Addresses Specific Needs
  This ensures that organizations receive the assistance required to navigate their unique challenges, ultimately leading to more effective strategies for social change.

Ford Global Fellowship

A fellowship program that invests in emerging leaders from the communities closest to the problems to advance social change.

• Advances Social Justice Worldwide
  Equips fellows with global perspectives on social justice, fostering international collaborations and solutions.
• Empowers Local Voices
  Focuses on nurturing leaders who are entrenched in their communities, ensuring that solutions are relevant and address real needs.
• Facilitates Peer Learning
  Offers fellows a platform to share insights and experiences, enhancing learning and collaboration among diverse leaders.
• Enables Project Implementation
  Allows fellows to transform their innovative ideas into actionable projects that facilitate meaningful improvements in their communities.

International Fellowships Program

The Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program (IFP) supports advanced studies for social change leaders from vulnerable populations worldwide. Establishing with an initial grant of $280 million, IFP has provided more than 4,300 fellowships across 22 countries, fostering leadership through education.

• Enhances Leadership Education
  IFP provides transformative educational opportunities for leaders from the world's most vulnerable populations, enabling them to drive systemic change.
• Long-Term Fellow Support
  The program represents a decade-long investment in social change, ensuring sustained engagement and development for fellows.
• Supports Various Fields
  The program encompasses a wide range of academic disciplines, facilitating tailored educational paths that address specific social justice issues.

Mission Investments

The Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments program launched in 2017 to make grants, program-related investments, and mission-related investments that improve how capitalism works for people. It supports opportunities in the United States and the Global South, including Latin America, Africa, China, India, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Our capital helps grow the impact investing sector, creating a more inclusive form of capitalism and a more economically just world.

• Operates Globally
  Addresses inequalities in diverse regions by promoting social equity.
• Diverse Investment Strategies
  Utilizes a combination of funding strategies to ensure impactful social justice initiatives.
• Focus On Impact Investments
  Targets investments in firms that align with specific social impact themes to foster sustainable change.
• Promotes Economic Justice
  Champions economic opportunities and support initiatives that address systemic inequalities.

Social Bond

A social bond initiative that allocates up to $1 billion over two years to support under-resourced organizations and address inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19.

• Reinforces Organizations Addressing Inequality
  Provides crucial resources to organizations working to combat social injustices and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on marginalized communities.
• Funds Up To $1 Billion
  This substantial financial commitment aims to bolster nonprofit organizations fighting for essential rights and equitable recovery efforts.
• Supports Under-Resourced Regions
  By directing resources to areas that are often overlooked, the initiative aims to empower local communities and enhance their resilience.
• Mitigates COVID-19 Effects
  Organizations receive support to meet urgent needs of communities affected by the pandemic and work towards equitable recovery.

Dignity And Justice Fund

The Dignity and Justice Fund is a pooled grantmaking fund aimed at advancing social justice and equity globally. Established by the Ford Foundation, the fund aligns philanthropic resources from various donors with Ford's strategic goals. It supports targeted grantmaking across diverse areas, including technology, gender, racial, and ethnic justice, and creativity. As a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, it seeks to address and mitigate systemic inequalities.

• Aligns Resources To Maximize Impact
  By pooling resources, the fund enhances the overall impact of philanthropic contributions toward addressing systemic inequalities.
• Covers Diverse Justice Issues
  Focuses on multiple critical areas of social justice, ensuring inclusivity and responsiveness to urgent global issues.
• Ensures Operational Efficiency
  Provides necessary administrative support, allowing grantees to focus on their social justice initiatives without additional burdens.

The Heartland Initiative

The Heartland Initiative allocates funding to support organizations and individuals across the Midwest, South, Appalachia, and rural America, focusing on creating better jobs and economic opportunities. In 2022, the Ford Foundation committed $40 million to this initiative, which aims to empower visionary leaders and groups to drive social and economic advancements in their regions.

• Supports Diverse Organizations
  Provides critical funding to a wide range of organizations in rural America, focusing on social and economic justice.
• Enhances Local Leadership
  Strengthens local leadership by funding programs that foster innovative solutions addressing regional challenges.
• Addresses Regional Needs
  Tailors initiatives to meet the specific economic and social needs of diverse communities in targeted regions.