Darren Walker in the News

President Darren Walker Announces Departure in 2025

President Darren Walker has shared his plans to step down from the foundation by the end of 2025. The Ford Foundation Board of Trustees will oversee the presidential leadership transition process.

Portrait of Darren Walker
A man in a suit, Darren Walker, smiles at the camera in a room with a podium displaying the U.S. presidential seal. Another person, President Biden, is speaking at the podium, with portraits and ornate curtains in the background.

National Endowment for the Humanities Awards Darren Walker with the National Humanities Medal

The National Humanities Medal, inaugurated in 1997, honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened our citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages,…

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There is no leadership without risk

Fearless leaders have been essential to the survival of America’s grand experiment from the very beginning. On scales large and small, the vision of our leaders has always changed the…

Darren Walker, in a suit and tie, standing at a podium, speech on March 4, 2024, at Cooper Union’s Great Hall in New York City as part of the Benjamin Menschel Distinguished Lecture series.

Democracy at a Crossroads: A Call for Courageous Leadership

The only way to protect democracy, to preserve democracy, is through the give and take—through the slow, sometimes-frustrating, consensus-building machinery that our founders engineered.

A hand holding a cellphone. The screen is completely black the Open Ai logo in the center.

Opinion: AI changes everything. We need new guardrails to survive it. And soon.

Machine learning is poised to radically reshape the future of everything for good and for ill.

New Gospel of Wealth

The Future of Philanthropy

A bold vision for philanthropy in the 21st century is needed—one that moves giving from generosity to justice.

White nationalists and supremacists and neo Nazis carrying torches, surrounded and taunted counter protestors in Charlottesville.

Rejecting the Rising Tide of Antisemitism

Antisemitism is not new, but it is both on the rise and dangerously brazen. If we ignore the hate that fuels it and allow the indifference that enables us to overlook or ignore it, everyone suffers.

An environmental activist removes plastic waste stuck in mangrove plants

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Must Lead the Way to a Just Energy Transition

As leaders from government and the private sector convene for COP28 to find new frameworks for climate finance and a just energy transition, local and Indigenous voices must be front and center. And there must be a verifiable commitment to respect and protect their rights

Portrait of Darren Walker

Darren Walker: Optimist, Realist, Prophet.

Darren Walker speaks with Town & Country about the future of philanthropy, art’s ability to help us see the humanity in others, and how we must all question our role in the social challenges we want to solve.

A collage illustration of healthcare workers, board members, and people on the construction site of a house. All against a teal background.

Five years of Mission Investments

Five years after committing $1 billion to impact investing, we evaluate the performance of our Mission Investments portfolio and share the lessons we’ve learned to deliver even more impact in the years to come.

On a clear day, flags from various nations billow in the wind in front of the UN headquarters in New York: a modern rectangular skyscraper.

Guest Essay: A More Inclusive Global Order Is Possible

At the United Nations General Assembly, we must reorganize our efforts around the needs of people and communities, not just nation states—so governments, civil society, and private sector entities all…