News from Ford

New Annual Report Details Next Generation of Ford Foundation Grant Making

• Our Logo and Tagline Communicating visually our commitment to social change makers worldwide

NEW YORK, 18 September 2009 — Following a year long effort to focus its work on many of the central social justice challenges of our time, the Ford Foundation today released an annual report highlighting the nine core issues at the heart of its grant making around the globe. The new report details the comprehensive set of strategies launched by the foundation's staff to build lasting social change around these issues.

Each of the nine issues is deeply grounded in the mission and history of the Ford Foundation: Democratic and Accountable Government, Economic Fairness, Educational Opportunity and Scholarship, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Metropolitan Opportunity, Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights, Social Justice Philanthropy and Sustainable Development.

"Energized by renewed focus and anchored in longstanding values, the Ford Foundation is stepping up to the urgent challenges being faced worldwide," said Luis A. Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation. "Our new annual report provides information about the strategies that drive this work and details our efforts to bring fairness and opportunity to more people throughout the world."

The report also serves as an introduction to a fresh approach by the foundation to communicate its mission and work. Foundation officials say that the new words and visuals—including a refreshed logo—reflect a commitment to convey more clearly the courageous work of its grantees on the frontlines of social change worldwide. These new elements will be introduced throughout the foundation's operations, including on its updated Web site at www.fordfoundation.org.

About Our Logo and New Tagline

Our 2008 annual report introduces the core issues on which our work is focused, as well as fresh approaches to how Ford expresses its longstanding mission and values.

For the past several years we have actively engaged our grantees, our colleagues in philanthropy, our staff, and our board of trustees on how we can communicate more effectively the essence and impact of the foundation's grant making. We learned a great deal from these interactions. Most importantly, we learned that we must convey in a clearer, more consistent and compelling voice, what we do, why we do it and the impact we're achieving.

Our new program strategies seek to gain impact on a large scale by attracting other resources and partners to the work of our grantees. We recognize that to achieve this, we must communicate a clear understanding of our objectives and how our mission and values inform those goals. We hope that by communicating our belief in the inherent dignity of all people and our aspirations for society, others may be inspired to work alongside us to promote positive social change.

The Significance of the Logo and New Tagline

The logo and new tagline are one way of expressing the important work in which our grantees are engaged. We work with visionaries on the frontlines of social change—people unafraid to take risks in order to find lasting solutions to the world's most urgent problems. The tagline pays tribute to their courage and commitment to transforming lives.

In an age where visual expression has taken on new meaning, our logo represents an attempt to communicate to a universal audience that we are an organization that partners with social change makers worldwide. These diverse visionaries work in multiple locations on varying issues and are linked by our regional network. The edges of the globe are intentionally open, reflecting the need to be exposed to new ideas and solutions that address the world's most intractable problems.

Media Contacts

Press Line

Tel

(+1) 212-573-5128

Fax

(+1) 212-351-3643

Email

office-of-communications@fordfoundation.org

• Fiona Guthrie Media Relations Chief (+1) 212-573-4825
• Joe Voeller Senior Communications Officer (+1) 212-573-4821