Ford Foundation

Today, our president, Darren Walker, announced his departure in 2025, and our Board of Trustees will begin the search for a new president. Read Darren’s reflection on the legacy of social justice during his 11-year tenure, and his dedication to challenging leaders across sectors to address #inequality, in The New York Times.

We’re delighted to welcome Diane Headley Samuels, Vice President & Chief People Officer at Ford Foundation, to the Women in Work New York line-up. In her role at Ford, Diane leads the organization’s efforts to cultivate a fair and fulfilling workplace. With a commitment to advancing people and culture, Diane brings her knowledge and expertise to every step of the employee experience - strategy development, recruitment of new talent, people and organizational development and employee benefits and compensation. Diane has been at the forefront of driving staff diversity, building equality, and advocating for inclusive practices. From transparent policies, implementation and robust cultural initiatives, hear Diane talk about why and how the Ford Foundation chose to embrace whole scale business transformation that prioritizes the health and wellness of all genders. 📍Women in Work Summit, 583 Park Avenue, New York 🗓️ October 30th 2024 🔗 Register now to hear Diane speak: https://lnkd.in/eQBAMCy8 #WomenInWork #WiWNY #SupportingWomen

With the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) rising in popularity as young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continue to bring eyes to women’s basketball, Clara Wu Tsai talks about balancing equality and the business of women’s sports. She hopes that the NY LIBERTY will become the first women’s sports franchise to be worth a billion dollars. Keep up with the #IdeasAtFord conversation at https://lnkd.in/et73psK9.

It's time to reclaim technology as a global public good that advances gender equality and creates inclusive, equitable, and safe spaces for all. We have partnered with the Numun Fund to reimagine the role and design of technology, helping those who are facing technology-facilitated, gender-based violence. Over the past few years, our International Program Director for Gender, Race, and Ethnic Justice, Monica Aleman Cunningham, and jac sm kee, founder of the Numun Fund, have worked together and shared the role of redefining technology to support community-making to combat gender-based violence, promoting gender equality. Read their new piece in Devex on how philanthropy can play a role.

We are excited to continue our partnership with the Mellon Foundation and United States Artists in supporting the Disability Futures Fellowship. Today, we announce the next cohort of creatives who are working at the intersection of disability rights, the arts, and social justice at large. These artists hail from incredibly diverse backgrounds and places. Join us in welcoming them to the #DisabilityFutures Fellows family! https://lnkd.in/dNDjRQK6

In the first #IdeasAtFord conversation with Charles Blow, Billie Jean King and Clara Wu Tsai, NY LIBERTY, discuss their work to champion equity in women’s sports. Join the conversation at https://lnkd.in/evSxT2jH.

This latest piece in a year-long partnership between FORGE: Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy and Devex highlights the critical role of women workers in ending gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. Hear directly from inspiring leaders like Lorraine Sibanda (StreetNet International) and Adriana Paz Ramírez (International Domestic Workers Federation) who are at the forefront of this movement, and who are calling out the ways climate change is inflaming GBVH experienced by workers. Women worker leadership is essential and must be supported.

Are you interested in Community-based Violence Intervention? Our own Sarita Gupta interviewed Jamila Hodge of Equal Justice USA for our #OnWhatMatters series. Jamila outlines the importance of community-based responses to violence that take a trauma-informed approach and meet people where they are. Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ea2EW6PK Learn more about EJUSA at: https://ejusa.org/

Technology can either bridge across differences or exacerbate systemic inequities. As Divya Siddarth puts it, “You have to work on the problem in society at the same time that you work on the bias in the model.” The field of Public Interest Technology (PIT) helps do both. Learn more about this growing field in this piece featuring PIT leaders Sherrell Dorsey, Charlton McIlwain, Marika A. Pfefferkorn, and Divya Siddarth.

Making progress on critical issues like climate change, technology or social justice requires debate and compromise. But polarization threatens to get in the way of that progress and increases inequality. Independence Day is a reminder to reflect on our shared values and commit to seeing across differences to create a truly United States. Recently, leaders gathered at the Ford Foundation for Worlds Apart: Lessons on Polarization from Global Leaders, which made clear the risk polarization poses to the United States and the essential work that must continue to safeguard democracy. International leaders shared how working together, across differences, a peaceful, respectful, and pluralistic nation is possible. Learn how we can find common ground through Ford and Institute for Integrated Transitions - IFIT’s Global Initiative on Polarization (https://lnkd.in/dUtsVsdU) and our partnership platform with Economist Impact: The Path to Depolarization (https://lnkd.in/ebSNmUCE). You can explore more about how we can overcome polarization, through essays and videos that will be released over the coming weeks. #OvercomePolarization