At the Ford Foundation, we believe a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is critical to the success of any social justice organization. We have created a toolkit to help funders, organizations and the philanthropic community at large identify and instill best practices for DEI-related issues.

The case studies and guides draw from four real-life scenarios to help grantmakers and grantees become more adept in establishing processes and policies in their own work.


Learning: #MeToo

What is the role of funders in responding to abuses alleged within the organizations we support? Read the article “Grantmaking in the #MeToo era,” by Bess Rothenberg of the Ford Foundation, on the Stanford Social Innovation Review website.

Women protesters holding up signs

Funder’s Guide 

This guide captures lessons from our team’s experience navigating challenging situations. Its aim is to help funders build a system of grantmaking based on DEI values by offering real-world experiences and lessons.


Case Studies 

This series, which draws upon real-life experiences, looks at four challenging scenarios faced by grantees and how our team worked with them to identify solutions.

Drawn from Ford’s learning efforts with its program staff, this guide offers a starting point for any grantmaker looking to integrate a disability perspective into their work.

DEI Learning Series - Funders Guidance and Case Studies for Disability-Inclusive Grantmaking report cover

Facilitator’s Guide

This guide is designed for use with the case studies to foster discussion and help funders become better equipped to address issues as they arise.