Ford Foundation

We invest in the individuals, ideas, and institutions essential to addressing the complex, deeply rooted drivers of inequality. We believe individuals drive ideas and make institutions run, and together, they create lasting social change. Over the last 85 years, we have both created and supported a multitude of initiatives to cultivate leaders around the world. These initiatives range from awards to pursue academic and creative pursuits, to programs to advance emerging fields like public interest law and technology, to a wide array of fellowships. Through these ventures, we have supported renowned leaders such as Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus, and Condoleezza Rice, notable writers like James Baldwin, Saul Bellow, and Katherine Anne Porter, constitutional lawyers in South Africa, doctoral students of color in the United States, and many more. Together, these individuals have become a global community of game-changers who bring new and emerging ideas to the table and lead movements and institutions to make a meaningful dent in the fight for social justice.