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18 May 2011Ford Foundation Visionary Featured in USA Today
USA Today reports on the Ford Foundation Visionaries Awards, special grants given to honor 12 extraordinary social change leaders on being recognized as a part of our 75th anniversary. In the article, Jeremy Heimans, co-founder and CEO of Purpose, reflects on what the visionary award means for the future of his work building social change movements online.
More Information
- Learn more about the Ford Foundation Visionaries Awards
- Read the foundation's announcement
- Browse related coverage in The Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, the Chronicle of Philanthropy (subscription required), and the Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo (subscription required; in Portuguese)


How to create a 21st century social movement
May 17, 2011 By Christie GartonMobilizing people around a cause 30 years ago — even 10 years ago — was not such an easy thing to accomplish.
When I started a music mentoring program in college back in 1999, I remember the struggle we had, trying to get our first group of volunteers together. Instead of simply blasting out a recruitment note to friends via Facebook or Twitter, I had to dial each one separately by phone, leaving a voice mail in hopes they'd call me back. Sounds primitive, right?
To see the real impact that these tools are having these days, just ask Jeremy Heimans, who was recently honored as a Ford Foundation Visionary Award recipient.