Founded in 1936, the Ford Foundation is an international nonprofit organization with a mission to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. To achieve this task it offers grants, fellowships, and investments to communities and individuals.

Examples of the Ford Foundation's work include:

• Building Institutions and Networks (BINT)
  • Global capacity-building program strengthening nonprofit, academic, and civic institutions through leadership training, organizational development, and knowledge-sharing networks.
• Civic Engagement and Democracy Portfolio
  • Funding for initiatives that strengthen democratic participation, including youth civic engagement, digital information integrity, and community-based leadership development.
• Ford Global Fellowship
  • Flagship fellowship supporting emerging leaders advancing social justice, economic equity, and democratic participation worldwide.
• Future of Work Initiative
  • Grantmaking focused on how technological change and labor market restructuring affect workers and inequality, supporting research and worker-centered innovation.
• Higher Education Access and Equity Portfolio
  • Programs improving postsecondary access and completion for low-income and first-generation students through institutional and policy reform.
• Pathways to Higher Education (Egypt)
  • Skills-oriented initiative strengthening university-to-employment pathways for disadvantaged students.
• Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice Program
  • Funding to advance inclusive economic participation and opportunity for historically marginalized communities.

Resource

Ford Foundation. (2025). Ford Foundation Homepage. Ford Foundation. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://www.fordfoundation.org/.