The Ford Foundation reorganizes its giving into seven areas built around democracy

The Ford Foundation, the New York grantmaker with an $18 billion endowment, announced on October 22 a new strategy that sorts its giving into seven areas and puts democratic governance and the rule of law first. The foundation calls it the first refresh of its areas of work in over a decade.

What did the Ford Foundation announce?

Seven funding areas and a two-year transition. The foundation's announcement lists them as protecting democratic governance and the rule of law; building just and inclusive economies; defending information as a public good; securing safety, justice and fairness; accelerating gender equality; fostering global cooperation; and advancing racial justice. A public report, "How We Meet This Moment," describes the plan, and strategies for each area will launch on a rolling basis over the course of 2027.

The plan comes one year after Heather Gerken was appointed the foundation's 11th president. "The Ford Foundation's new vision is an evolution, not a revolution, of our work," she said in the announcement. In her report to trustees, Gerken framed the changes against an "emboldened strain of 21st-century authoritarianism," the Associated Press reported. She stressed that the work is nonpartisan, the AP said, pointing to $80 million this year for groups safeguarding election results, and said Ford will keep supporting LGBTQ causes, racial justice and other work for marginalized communities.

How much money is involved, and who may lose funding?

The announcement gives no grants budget. A foundation spokesperson estimated that Ford will move about $700 million in grants in 2027, according to the AP, a figure that could rise with new needs and endowment growth.

Some programs will end, but Ford has not said which. Officials declined to say which of the foundation's more than 2,300 grantees will lose funding, the AP reported. Nick Turner, executive vice president for programs, said it is "too early to say" and pledged to exit fields "with respect and grace and care and support." Starting in January 2027, program staff will shift into three functional units focused on strategy design, transitional grantmaking and responsible sunsetting of areas of work, according to the announcement.

Does the plan change how Ford funds nonprofits?

Yes. The foundation says it will deliver larger, multiyear general operating support, meaning money a grantee can spend on any part of its work, and has created an Office of Innovation. It also plans a racial justice fund. The AP noted that Ford had discontinued a flexible general operating program called Building Institutions and Networks; Turner said that approach is being folded into "the DNA of all of our grantmaking."

Democracy remains a small slice of foundation money. Candid has found that democracy grants are about 1.3% of foundation giving, with Ford at the top of its list of consistent funders by dollars; see our report on that finding. Sanjiv Rao, a vice president at Democracy Fund, told the AP that pro-democracy groups need funding "that is less subject to the boom and bust cycle that we know will happen during election years."

What can other nonprofits take from it?

Ask about timing as well as priorities. In our view, a large funder's strategy change is a signal to ask about timelines. Ford says it will exit fields with care but has not named the affected grantees or published transition terms. Nonprofits that rely on a large funder can ask their program officer now what a transition would look like, and boards can plan for a year in which a major grant does not renew.