Ford Foundation

Ford Foundation
FoundedJanuary 15, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-01-15)
FoundersEdsel Ford
Henry Ford
Type501(c)(3), charitable organization[1]
13-1684331[1]
PurposeTo reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.
Location
Area served
United States, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Asia
MethodGrants, funding
Chairman
Francisco G. Cigarroa
President
Darren Walker
EndowmentUS$16 billion[2]
Websitewww.fordfoundation.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare.[3][4][5][6] Created in 1936[7] by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford.[4] By 1947, after the death of the two founders, the foundation owned 90% of the non-voting shares of the Ford Motor Company. (The Ford family retained the voting shares.[8]) Between 1955 and 1974, the foundation sold its Ford Motor Company holdings and now plays no role in the automobile company.

In 1949, Henry Ford II created § Ford Philanthropy, a separate corporate foundation that to this day serves as the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company and is not associated with the foundation.

The Ford Foundation makes grants through its headquarters and ten international field offices.[9] For many years, the foundation's financial endowment was the largest private endowment in the world; it remains among the wealthiest. For fiscal year 2014, it reported assets of $12.4 billion and approved $507.9 million in grants.[2][10] According to the OECD, the Ford Foundation provided $194 million for development in 2019, all of which related to its grant-making activities.[11]

  1. ^ a b "FORD FOUNDATION |". www.open990.org. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "About". Ford Foundation. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Ford Foundation (Grants)". Urban Ministry: TechMission. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "History: Overview". Ford Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Walsh, Evelyn C.; Atwater, Verne S. (August 9, 2012). "A Memoir of the Ford Foundation: The Early Years". The Foundation Center: Philanthropy News Digest. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Development Studies: Foundations & Philanthropies". Wellesley College. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  7. ^ Dietrich II, William S. (Fall 2011). "In the American grain: The amazing story of Henry Ford". Pittsburgh Quarterly. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "The Ford Foundation History". Funding Universe. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Regions". Ford Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  10. ^ "Grants". Ford Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Ford Foundation | Development Co-operation Profiles – Ford Foundation | OECD iLibrary".