Ford Foundation

About Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is a private, independent, nonprofit grantmaking foundation established in 1936 by Edsel Ford with an initial gift of $25,000. It is legally separate from Ford Motor Company and has no financial authority, decision-making or funding relationship with it. Its aims include lowering poverty and inequity, bolstering democracy, fostering global collaboration and expanding human accomplishment. Its work spans initiatives in civic engagement, human rights and climate justice, carried out through grants to organizations and programs worldwide.

Headquartered in New York City, the foundation has occupied a landmark building at 320 East 43rd Street, designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, whose construction its own materials describe as completed in 1967. Because that building is being renovated, the organization has worked from temporary offices at 1440 Broadway. It is governed by a board of trustees, its president is Heather Gerken, and it reports an endowment of about $16 billion. It also operates regional offices in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, and supports programs in more than 50 countries.

Organization profile based on its official website and public sources (reviewed October 29, 2026). Attorney list from the New York State Unified Court System registration data. Not affiliated with Ford Foundation.

Registered attorneys

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