Published in Co.Exist
By Ben Paynter
“HOPE.” That’s the one-word message at the center of a new awareness campaign backed by 39 charitable groups in response to recent shooting deaths in places like Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas.
It all started with Ford Foundation CEO Darren Walker, who was attending the international AIDS conference in South Africa in late July as news broke about police officers being shot in Baton Rouge. While he was already in meetings with some of the world’s top philanthropists many expressed feelings of grief and helplessness. “One of the questions I was asked was ‘What can philanthropy do about this?’” he says.
The answer is that many foundations are already doing quite a bit; they’re just really bad about sharing it.
The Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
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