Promoting Transparent, Effective and Accountable Government
Where We Work
Our regional offices in China, the Middle East and North Africa, Indonesia, Southern Africa, West Africa, Mexico and Central America, Andean Region and Southern Cone, and India, Sri Lanka and Nepal are working on this initiative.
Grants made by our regional offices generally fund organizations based in the countries where those offices are located. Typically, our offices only support organizations based in other countries when they have specific expertise or other particular advantages that cannot be found in the countries where they work.
Our New York office funds a wider range of organizations, including U.S.-based institutions and those with a global scope and/or influence.
What We Fund
Grants made through our New York office support efforts to improve the transparency and integrity of government institutions and processes, encourage broad participation in establishing public priorities and policies, and promote effective implementation and oversight of public programs.
Our grant making focuses on the following:
- Strengthening key advocacy and research organizations
- Promoting strategic communications to advance national, regional and international debates about government transparency and accountability
- Supporting training and education programs for public officials, advocacy groups and civic organizations to improve skills and practices
- Helping resource centers and network hubs to deepen the capacity of civic groups and policymakers
- Developing pilot projects and experiments that promote innovations in participatory, effective and accountable governance
To Apply for a Grant
Follow these steps:
- Review the Initiative(s) most relevant to your work.
- Read our Grant Application Guide, which describes our grant-making process.
- If you determine that your work aligns with our priorities, submit a Grant Inquiry. (While we welcome submissions, please keep in mind that our funds are limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile inquiries we receive. In a typical year, less than 1 percent of unsolicited inquiries result in a grant.)
Please Note:
It is important that you use our grant inquiry form—and refrain from contacting program officers directly. Given the volume of inquiries we receive, this allows us to log, track and respond quickly to your application.
Fellowships
The vast majority of foundation grants go to organizations. We provide a very limited number of fellowship opportunities for individuals through the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships Program, which aims to diversify the faculties of American colleges and universities.
The foundation does not have any other active fellowship opportunities at this time.
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