From the President

Reflections on Our 75th Year

“Just City” panel featuring moderator E.J. Dionne Jr., columnist for The Washington Post; Isabel Wilkerson, journalist and author; Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland, Calif.; Christine Todd Whitman, president of The Whitman Strategy Group; and the Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick.

January 2012

This past year marked the Ford Foundation’s 75th anniversary— a remarkable milestone in our history. In many ways, the foundation’s 75th anniversary was celebrated in a time similar to the time of its founding: a period of great economic and social dislocation. A time when many people were asking: What comes next? What will the future bring? It was against such a backdrop of dynamic change and questioning that we welcomed some of the most provocative and path-breaking thinkers, innovators and policymakers from around the world to our headquarters in New York City to join us in addressing and offering solutions to some of the most critical social issues of our time.

“Beyond Conventions” panel with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Desmond Tutu, chair of The Elders.

It was an extraordinary year of discussion and debate. We explored many of today’s most daunting global challenges: How do we harness the democratic spirit unleashed by popular political uprisings and turn it into lasting reforms that recognize, protect and further the rights of all? With economic pressure creating ever-higher rates of migration to the world’s urban melting pots, how do we see to it that our cities are defined by the tenets of fairness and equal opportunity? How do we ensure that the most vulnerable citizens of the world—those persistently oppressed and discriminated against—gain equal access to the opportunities and resources that will enable them to live in dignity? How do we support artists in advancing social justice, providing greater economic and creative opportunities and ultimately re-shaping our communities, our countries and our shared future? And today, at a time when we are more digitally connected than ever before, how do we ensure that technology’s evolutionary arc bends toward justice and transparency? As Tim Berners-Lee, the respected Web pioneer who recently joined our board of trustees, put it, “Everything we’ve done, the whole stack, relies upon the Internet being this reliable, trustworthy resource.”

“Fresh Angle” live performance by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal.

These 75th anniversary conversations spurred new dialogues, fostered new discussions and helped refine our initiatives in ways that we believe can transform how society addresses these issues today and into the future. And they reminded us that by mindfully marshaling our resources, we can navigate an era of uncertainty more effectively while sharpening the impact of our work.

This year also marked the end of a period of profound change at the foundation: a year in which we completed the transformation of our programs and our operations to engage with the next generation of social change. Our redefined grant-making program, one of deep engagement with a clear set of priorities guided by well-articulated strategies, is now underway and showing promising early results. In the United States, our focus on extending the school day is resulting in a national dialogue and nascent policy changes faster than we ever anticipated. In places like Kenya and Nigeria, our support for democratic participation and reforms has been welcomed as transformative. Ford’s ability to bring deep resources, expert staff and both global and local convening power to bear on our set of well-defined social justice initiatives is making change happen.

Similarly, with changes in how we manage our finances and operations now nearly complete, the foundation enters its next quarter century strong. In 2009, when we were in the depths of an economic crisis, we pledged to sacrifice internally in order to devote as many of our resources as possible to our social justice initiatives. That effort has transferred more than $40 million per year from internal operations to external grant-making—double our initial goal—while improving our responsiveness to grantees. As a result, we begin 2012 with the highest core grant budget in the foundation’s history, a full 25 percent higher than in 2007. And a reformulation of our investment strategy has allowed us to restore the endowment to its 2007 high point, apart from the funds we have used over that period to make grants and keep our doors open—a substantial accomplishment given today’s economic climate.

This strong operating and financial standing enables us to stay the course and advance our mission in a new global landscape that continues to be defined by social justice challenges that defy easy resolution. Yet we know that fresh ideas, workable solutions and the passion and commitment to solve them abound. That’s why our 75th year was a year of opening our doors, literally and figuratively, to thousands of courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide. Listening and learning, being inspired by them and by you, is what refreshes and renews our conviction that seemingly intractable problems can be overcome—and that millions of people’s lives can be made better.

Warmest regards,

Luis A. Ubiñas
President
Ford Foundation