Information Density: Ford Foundation – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

[H1] The Work of Our Moment
We’re building a world where everyone has the power to shape their lives.
The Importance of Democracy and Rule of Law
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A Living Legacy of Social Justice at a Global Scale
Marking 90 years, the Ford Foundation has evolved from a local trust into a global catalyst for justice. By investing in institutions, individuals, and ideas, Ford empowers local leaders to solve systemic challenges and build a more dignified, equitable world.

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Promote the Vote Fund: Ensuring Every Voice Is Heard in Michigan
Learn how Promote the Vote Fund is strengthening voting rights and accessible, fair elections in Michigan through year-round voter education

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Heather Gerken Named to  2026 TIME 100 Philanthropy List
Heather Gerken, who took over in November from longtime Ford Foundation president Darren Walker, believes American democracy currently faces what may be its greatest challenge yet.

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[H2]
Ford Foundation Adds $60 Million in New Funding to Strengthen Democracy
Ford Foundation announced additional grants to nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations protecting and advancing democracy and the rule of law in the United States.

Discover More News and Stories
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[H2] We are advancing equality
We believe in the inherent dignity of all people and that inequality is the defining challenge of our time.
How We Work
[H2] We invest in transformative ideas, individuals and institutions
We’re reimagining philanthropy to catalyze leaders and organizations driving social justice and building movements across the globe.
Our Grants
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[H2] Our Priorities
We believe inequality is at the root of nearly every injustice. To create meaningful, lasting change, we focus on nine interconnected areas.
Why Inequality?

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Civic Engagement and Government

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Creativity and Free Expression

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Disability Rights

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Future of Work(ers)

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Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice

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Global Governance

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Mission Investments

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Natural Resources and Climate Justice

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Technology and Society

[H2] Special Features
Extraordinary stories of change, hope, and resilience from our community.

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The Heartland Initiative

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People-Powered Solutions: Connecting Local Communities and Global Challenges

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[H3]
The Cost of “I Do” in the Disability Community

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[H2] Building on over 90 years of impact
We have supported the work of some of history’s greatest minds, helped build pivotal institutions and seeded big ideas that have fueled groundbreaking movements.
Our History
[H2] Visit Us
Our building—including our garden and gallery—is open to the public.
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[H3] Center for Social Justice
The Ford Foundation is located in New York City at the Center for Social Justice—a hub for social good and the courageous people who devote their lives to achieving it.
About the Center
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[H3] Gallery
In this space, we shine a light on artwork that wrestles with difficult questions, calls out injustice, and points the way toward a more fair and just future.
About the Gallery

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Grants will support nonpartisan nonprofits and veterans organizations working to protect the rule of law, fortify voting rights, and increase civic participation
NEW YORK – Today, the Ford Foundation announced an additional $60 million in grants to nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations protecting and advancing democracy and the rule of law in the United States. Issued in the first 100 days of President Heather Gerken’s tenure at the Ford Foundation, the grants strengthen the efforts of organizations nationwide to safeguard the systems essential to American democracy. In the last ten years alone, the foundation’s Civic Engagement and Government program has provided more than $1 billion in grants to nonpartisan organizations within the United States.
The grants include support for a broad range of nonpartisan organizations across the ideological spectrum pursuing vital work across all 50 states — from increasing civic participation to protecting the fundamental right to vote. Among the organizations receiving funding are Pillars of the Community, Veterans for all Voters, All Voting is Local, Campaign Legal Center, and We the Veterans Military Foundation.
President Gerken has directed $60 million in immediate, critical resources from her presidential reserves to nonpartisan organizations working to bolster the systems that undergird our democratic process. This includes efforts to ensure the fair and safe administration of elections, advance voting rights for citizens across the country, and support veteran and military-family led efforts to increase public confidence in election administration and expand opportunities  for  community  leadership for those who have served.
This infusion of new grantmaking marks the Ford Foundation’s most recent commitment to decades of grantmaking to protect and defend democratic values, a core tenet of the organization’s mission, with democracy work additionally embedded throughout a wide variety of programs across the foundation.
“For 90 years, the Ford Foundation has been steadfast in its commitment to advancing the ideals and principles of democracy,” said Heather Gerken, president of the Ford Foundation. “As we look ahead, it is an honor to deepen this commitment and support the remarkable work taking place around the United States to strengthen democracy and the rule of law at this urgent moment.”
One of the organizations leading the way is Pillars of the Community, a nonprofit organization led by co-chairs Ben Ginsberg and Bob Bauer, two prominent election lawyers who, despite spending decades as chief legal rivals, today have forged a bipartisan partnership to protect the integrity of the American electoral system.
“While in the past we have represented opposing parties and candidates, today we are united in our belief that voters must have confidence in the systems and processes by which elections take place,” said Ben Ginsberg, co-chair of Pillars of the Community.
“At Pillars of the Community, we are committed to supporting the election officials and administrators who are working tirelessly in a nonpartisan fashion to ensure Americans can cast their ballots this year and beyond,” added Bob Bauer, co-chair of Pillars of the Community.
With 900 volunteers representing all 50 states, Veterans for All Voters pursues work with a diverse coalition of veterans — from constitutional conservatives to moderates to progressives — who are leading the charge to reduce polarization in government and protect voting rights. The organization elevates the leadership of veterans nationwide who have spent their careers putting country over party to uphold the rule of law and constitution, and engage veterans and military families as poll workers.
Alberto Ramos, chief executive officer of Veterans for All Voters, said, “For centuries, America’s veterans and military families have risked everything to defend democracy and rule of law; we know firsthand the stakes when those values are threatened. We are thrilled to be able to bring this work to our local communities, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity for their voices to be heard and be a part of finding common sense solutions to the problems we face.”
Campaign Legal Center is another organization working to advance democracy through policy change at the federal, state, and local levels, fighting for the opportunity of every American to participate in the democratic process and have a responsive government. It was founded in 2002 by its current president, Trevor Potter, a former commissioner of the Federal Election Commission.
Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, said,  “The ability to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we hold as Americans, it is the key feature of our democracy. We are working with diligence and speed to ensure voters are able to access the ballot box and know their vote is counted.”
Gerken, a nationally recognized expert on constitutional law and democracy, joined the Ford Foundation in November 2025, and immediately committed to providing substantial funding to organizations doing nonpartisan work to safeguard democracy and protect the rule of law.  In an op-ed published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy today, Gerken spoke about how those on the front lines doing the hard work of sustaining our democracy gives her tremendous hope for the future.
[H2] The Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For 90 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Learn more at www.fordfoundation.org.
[H2] Media Contacts
Press LineTel (+1) 212-573-5128Fax (+1) 212-351-3643[email protected]

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[H2] Explore a selection of what we’re learning:

Learning Reflections
29 May 2026

[H3]
A Seat at the Table, A Voice on the Floor: How to Elevate Global Labor Dignity at the ILC

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Learning Reflections
26 May 2026

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Next Generation Investment Talent: Appalachian Students Leading the Way

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Learning Reflections
15 Jan. 2026

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Steps of Faith: Restoring Possibilities Through Prosthetic Care

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Research Reports
16 Dec. 2025

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Celebrating 65 Years of Partnership With West Africa

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Program Evaluations
03 Dec. 2025

[H3]
Evaluation of Ford’s Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice International Strategy

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Learning Reflections
24 Sep. 2025

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Learning Report of Bard Associates Program

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Program Evaluations
08 Aug. 2025

[H3]
Evaluation of Ford’s BUILD Initiative

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Learning Reflections
17 July 2025

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Disability Rights Moves Forward

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Learning Reflections
23 June 2025

[H3]
Closing the feedback loop: Results from our Grantee Perception Survey

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Learning Reflections
30 Oct. 2024

[H3]
Keeping Those on the Front Lines of Change Safe: Five Years of the Ford Foundation Grantee Safety Program

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We believe in the inherent dignity of all people. Yet around the world, billions of people are excluded from full participation in the political, economic, and cultural systems that shape their lives.
We view this fundamental inequality as the defining challenge of our time, one that limits the potential of all people, everywhere. Addressing inequality is at the center of everything we do.
[H2] What’s driving inequality
We have identified five underlying drivers of inequality—common factors that, worldwide, contribute to inequality’s many manifestations.
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Entrenched cultural narratives that undermine fairness, tolerance, and inclusion
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Failure to invest in and protect vital public goods such as education and natural resources
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Unfair rules of the economy that magnify unequal opportunity and outcomes
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Unequal access to government decision making and resources
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Persistent prejudice and discrimination against women, people with disabilities and racial, ethnic, and caste minorities
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[H2] What we work on
To address and respond to these drivers, we work and make grants in nine interconnected areas that together, we believe, can help challenge inequality.

[IMG: A vibrant collage illustrating civic engagement and community power. It features diverse activists speaking, hands joined in unity, and a historic legislative chamber. This artistic composition emphasizes grassroots organizing, political participation, and social justice advocacy in a modern democratic society.]

[H3]
Civic Engagement and Government

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Creativity and Free Expression

[IMG: A black-and-white collage celebrating disability rights and inclusion. It features a diverse group of smiling individuals, including people with visible and invisible disabilities, such as a wheelchair user and a man with a white cane. This visual emphasizes empowerment, accessibility, and diverse representation.]

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Disability Rights

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[H3]
Future of Work(ers)

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Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice

[IMG: Two hands shaking in between to cellphones above a board table.]

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Global Governance

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Mission Investments

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Natural Resources and Climate Justice

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Technology and Society

Very intentionally, we do not see these program areas as silos. They are entry points that our eleven offices—considering local context and local partners—combine in creative ways to target the drivers of inequality. It is at the intersections of these areas that we believe real change is possible. And our core values, including commitment to human rights and working with those closest to the problems, infuse and inform everything we do.
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[H2] How we work
How we work is as important as what we work on. Throughout our history, the foundation’s approach has been characterized by a continuous emphasis on building institutions and networks, investing in individuals and leadership, and supporting new ideas. These are our three I’s.
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[H3] Ideas
We have invested in the ideas, insights, and research that have seeded pioneering movements like public broadcasting, microfinance, legal services for the poor, community development, and Internet rights—to name a few.
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[H3] Individuals
We have stood behind thousands of extraordinary individuals, ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. to Nelson Mandela, James Baldwin to Gloria Steinem, Muhammad Yunus to Ai-jen Poo. Nearly 50 Nobel laureates were Ford Foundation grantees—before they won their prizes.
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[H3] Institutions
We have helped launch institutions like Human Rights Watch, the Public Broadcasting Service, and South Africa’s Legal Resources Centre.