Foreword by Darren Walker

In 2015, I had the opportunity to visit the New York Eastern Correctional Facility to witness the transformative work of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), a Ford Foundation grantee. During the visit, John Barlow, a Bard student who was incarcerated at the time, asked me a question that struck me: Would I consider hiring formerly incarcerated individuals at the Ford Foundation? 

Frankly, at that time, the Ford Foundation hadn’t yet fully considered the profound ways we could support individuals reentering society after incarceration. John’s question served as a powerful reminder, urging me to internalize the principles we championed and to honestly evaluate if the Ford Foundation was doing all that it could. I knew then—with absolute certainty—that we had a responsibility to act. As I left the facility, I immediately called the foundation’s People and Culture team, urging them to begin developing a fellowship program; one that was designed to offer these talented individuals a genuine opportunity to gain meaningful professional experience.

That urgency and commitment resulted in the Bard Associates Program, or BAP. This initiative was conceived not as a superficial gesture, but as a deeply intentional effort to cultivate the skills, talents, and passions of the people in the program—empowering them to thrive professionally and personally. We aimed to move beyond tokenizing workforce inclusion to instead build a model of genuine, substantive belonging in our work. To achieve this, the program centered on the individuals in the program, prioritizing their needs and ensuring they received the most valuable resources for their career and personal development. 

Consequently, BAP was envisioned with three primary goals. First and foremost, it was created to help BPI graduates enter the professional workforce in a supportive and nourishing environment—one that fostered their personal and professional ambitions. Secondly, the program was intended as a powerful signal to other employers, and to society at large, that justice-involved individuals are motivated, capable, and eager to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and emerge as future leaders. Finally, BAP also served as a way for the foundation to influence the broader field, demonstrating through a program grounded in genuine inclusion that improved reintegration efforts could indeed decrease recidivism and increase the chances of a successful return home. 

As Max Kenner, the visionary founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, so eloquently put it, this program embodies a type of inclusion that is neither condescending nor prescriptive. Ford is a space where individuals are not defined or limited by their past, nor relegated to menial tasks. Having witnessed the remarkable intellect and drive of the Bard students, my goal was to create opportunities that recognized their unique strengths and I wanted to offer them opportunities based on their unique strengths and aspirations—recognizing their potential rather than tokenizing their lived experiences.

Systemically, this program was also strategically designed to send a clear message to other employers and foundations. We wanted to demonstrate unequivocally that individuals who were formerly incarcerated are not only capable of excelling in professional environments, but that they deserve a real chance—an opportunity that transcends superficial diversity initiatives. Therefore, a core tenet of this program was to actively maximize employment opportunities, both for those directly in the program and other justice-involved individuals seeking to rebuild their lives. 

The hypothesis that began to form in my mind after leaving Eastern Correctional Facility was one I felt compelled to explore with my colleagues at the foundation. It was this: If we provide genuine reintegration pathways through meaningful employment, a living wage, and stability, we would significantly increase the likelihood of a successful return home. While the Ford Foundation was already investing in reintegration efforts—such as the Justice and Mobility Fund—we lacked a tangible example within our own walls to truly validate this belief.

Under the guidance of Kamilah Duggins and William Kelley, our global directors on Ford’s People and Culture team, the Bard Associates Program was launched at the foundation in 2016. Since its inception, it has been a marvelous success, offering truly life-changing opportunities to the fellows who have been a part of it. This one program, while undoubtedly a source of immense pride, is not enough. We at the Ford Foundation believe in the power of collaboration and shared purpose. We strongly encourage our colleagues in the philanthropic community to explore and adopt similar initiatives. By creating pathways for individuals with diverse lived experiences—including those who have been incarcerated—we can collectively foster a more just and equitable society. We must all consider how we are envisioning a world where one’s past does not dictate their future. Everyone deserves to reach their full potential and chart their own path. The Bard Associates Program embodies this belief, and it underscores the urgent need for all of us to consider how we can expand opportunities for people with lived experiences different from our own. For our world to truly thrive, we must ensure that everyone has dignity and the ability to flourish.

This learning report, based on research conducted from September 2024 to January 2025, summarizes the knowledge and learnings from the Bard Associates Program, as well as communicates the positive impact this kind of professional development program can have on formerly incarcerated individuals. In doing so, this learning report aims to tackle the following question: What have been the achievements of the Bard Associates Program to date? The answer to this question will be uncovered two ways. First, by gauging success from those directly impacted—the participants themselves—through survey data and interviews. Second, the report will consider the program’s unintended consequences, particularly how it has shaped the Ford Foundation’s work culture from the perspective of managers who worked closely with associates.