China
History
In 1979, the Government of China invited the Ford Foundation to help advance China's reform and opening by promoting international cooperation in the social sciences. A year later, we made our first grant in China. In 1988, we opened a regional office in Beijing. The foundation continues to operate in China through its Beijing office as a guest of the Chinese government.
The Early Years
The foundation has made grants totaling more than $275 million dollars in China. In the early years, our grants supported international cooperation in economics, law and international relations. In later years, we expanded our support to include new areas reflecting China's evolving needs and changing priorities. Two programs were added in 1989 and 1990, environment and development, and reproductive health; a program in education and culture was introduced in 2001.
Meeting the Challenges
After more than 30 years, China's government and citizens and the country's research community have come to appreciate that economic reform and opening bring far-reaching social and environmental challenges. There is growing recognition of the need for balanced development and for the mobilization of China's social resources, including civil society organizations, to meet the challenges facing the country.
In response to changing needs, in 2009 the foundation refocused its work on helping to build the social sector and support system-wide improvements so that all people can enjoy the benefits of balanced growth. Today, each of our seven initiatives works toward this objective.
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