Overview Principal Office: USA Key Words: community natural resources, livelihoods and small enterprises, climate change, social justice Website: Link The Ford Foundation is a large grant maker on a world scale, chartered in 1936. The goals of the Foundation are to work with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. Ford makes its grants to organizations, and it also funds a fellowships program for individuals. The Foundation makes grants in the USA and internationally by defining eight issues of social justice. Among them is “Sustainable Development,” which focuses on the developing world. Additionally, “Economic Fairness” includes a theme to help economically poor rural households in developing countries with alternative livelihoods, often based on natural resources. Grant Programs for Agriculture, Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources 1 -- Sustainable Development. Ford’s grants in this issue focus on (i) expanding community rights over natural resources, and (ii) climate change responses that strengthen rural communities. The beneficiaries are poor rural communities, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, and women. - - Link 2 -- Economic Fairness. This issue includes expanding the livelihood opportunities of poor households, with an emphasis on rural areas. The program aims to help small and micro enterprises with product development, marketing, finance, and policy support in sectors that include agriculture and natural resources. – Link Most grants in Sustainable Development and Economic Fairness range from US$100 thousand to US$500 thousand, with exceptions above and below this range. APPLICATION (for 1-2 above): Grant seekers study the objectives and criteria in each of the Foundation’s funding areas, as well as Ford’s application guidelines. -- Link Applicants fill out a grant inquiry form, which is submitted online. The form asks for information about the applicant’s organization; the individuals in the project; the purpose of the project and the issues it will address; and the estimated project budget and time frame. Grant inquiries can be submitted any time; there is no deadline. If the Foundation’s program officers are interested in a submitted grant inquiry, they contact the applicant to request a formal proposal. The Foundation works in English and several regional languages. About how to apply. – Link Geographical Distribution of Grant Activities in Developing Countries Ford’s regional structure corresponds to the following geographical structure in the Terra Viva Grants Directory. Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands East Asia South Asia Middle East and North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America and Caribbean Note: The following developing countries and regions are priorities in “Sustainable Development” – Indonesia; China; India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka; East Africa; Brazil; and Mexico and Central America. Note: The following developing countries and regions are priorities in the livelihoods theme of “Economic Fairness” – India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka; East Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa; Mexico and Central America; and the Andean Region and Southern Cone. Comments The Foundation’s website is available in English. Some of Ford’s regional offices offer additional languages. In 2011, the Foundation made 1,400 grants for an expenditure of over US$400 million. The expenditure in Sustainable Development was about US$17 million (this figure is from 2010). The Foundation lists its recent grants in each issues area, which can help grant seekers understand the projects that receive support. Ford makes grants to individuals for fellowships towards advanced degrees in areas of interest to the Foundation (see the “International Fellowships Program”). However, the program is ending, and the Foundation is not accepting new applications. -- Link Ford’s website provides the contact information for its headquarters in New York, and for each of its regional offices. – Link The Foundation publishes annual reports. – Link Last Profile Review January 2012 © Copyright
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