Newsroom
In the Headlines
20 July 2015‘An important shift for American philanthropy’
In this op-ed, Tom Watson, president of CauseWired and a columnist for The Chronicle of Philanthropy, explains why Ford's commitment to general operating support matters to the broader landscape of funding for social change. The foundation's move is "a clear recognition that organizations do the heavy lifting—often over the course of decades—in fighting social ills, conquering disease, and forging new policy," he writes. "It’s a mature and serious nod to the general realization that making progress on problems like inequality, poverty, disease, and climate change is more like a tugboat shifting an ocean liner across a busy harbor than a speedboat racing to the finish line."
Media Contacts
Press Line
- Tel
- (+1) 212-573-5128
- Fax
- (+1) 212-351-3643
- pressline@fordfoundation.org
Joshua Cinelli
- Media Relations Chief
- j.cinelli@fordfoundation.org
-
-
All of our content may be republished or reused
for free,except for most photographs,illustrations
and videos. For more information see the terms. -
- 81,319 Followers Follow us on Twitter
-
- 0 Likes Like us on Facebook
-
- Followers Follow us on LinkedIn
-
- 137,010 Followers Join us on Google +
Smart Donors Are Putting Nonprofits Back in Charge
July 16, 2015 By Tom WatsonSo far, this has been a summer of political campaigning and stunning social change: hateful flags coming down, rainbow flags going up—and deeper meaningful conversations in the United States about the forces that still divide us.
Among those voices has been that of Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation and keeper of its $12-billion-plus endowment, who announced last month that the second-largest philanthropy in the nation will focus much of its grant making on inequality, aiming to use its capital to create a "social-justice infrastructure." This fits our changing times like a glove.
But so does Mr. Walker’s other major strategic shift: doubling Ford’s commitment to unrestricted grants for nonprofit operating support.