Global Grant Making
Q. I represent Home-Start International, a UK-based umbrella organisation for local, community-led, family-support charities in 20 countries around the world. I was unable to find information within your eight core issues that relates to global work. Where is this information or when will it be published?
Leah Stuttard
London, UK
A. We currently make grants in the United States and in 10 other regions around the world. In addition, we periodically provide support to institutions that have a global reach and whose work may benefit nations and communities where the foundation does not ordinarily have a presence. Historically, about 10 percent of the foundation's grant making meets this criteria.
In the fall, when our new fiscal year begins, we will introduce more comprehensive information about the new focus of our work. This will include some basic information about our global grant making. We anticipate that our global efforts will include the following areas: human rights, such as migrant rights, women's rights, and rights related to HIV/AIDS; global financial governance; access to financial services, such as microfinance; sustainable development; and reproductive health and rights.
Our global grant making focuses on supporting institutions, advocacy and practice development where we believe global efforts are necessary to secure the social justice aims of the foundation.
If your organization has a global footprint and your programming aligns with one of the issues described above, and you would like to be considered for a grant, please visit the Grant Inquiry section of our Web site, select Global region, and begin the inquiry process.
Global Warming and Farming
Q. While making a film about grassroots inventors and innovators, we found that many farmers in my country have traditional knowledge about facing global warming problems. Unfortunately, it is difficult to spread this knowledge among farmers in Indonesia. Would the Ford Foundation support efforts to collect, package and distribute traditional knowledge for the benefit of our farmers?
Ruly Bernaputra
Bogor, Indonesia
A. Interesting question. Our regional office in Jakarta, Indonesia, is engaged in the foundation's Natural Resources and Sustainable Development work. We would consider funding the knowledge sharing among farmers that you propose if the activities focus on the needs of natural resource-dependent communities.
In Indonesia, we address the issues of environmental sustainability in general and climate change in particular in terms of poverty alleviation. We focus on how the impact of global warming and efforts to mitigate the threat may influence the livelihood options of poor and marginalized groups.
We would require more information about the specifics of the proposed project, its anticipated benefits and the organization that would undertake the work in order to determine whether it would warrant a grant. To be considered for Ford Foundation support, please submit an application using our grant inquiry process.
Grant Making in Mexico
Q. In your Economic Fairness and Opportunity section you have a focus on affordable housing. We are a nonprofit in San Miguel de Allende made up of Mexicans, Americans and Canadians building innovative affordable housing using adobe bricks. We have made significant progress in building homes after a redesign of our houses by a group of Rhode Island School of Design students in January 2008. With the press on the narcotics war, and now swine flu, Mexico and its tourism have been hit very hard. San Miguel de Allende, which is dependent on tourism, has been particularly hard hit and the poorest in our community who were already struggling have fared even worse. Does your housing initiative provide grants in Mexico?
Carol Jackson
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
A. Over the years, our work in Mexico and Central America has evolved in response to the shifting political and economic landscape and the changing needs and priorities of the local communities. Our new regional office strategy, which will be officially applied in October 2009 when our new fiscal year starts, will focus on two inter-related issues: exclusion and migration.
Our Affordable Homeownership grants support projects in the United States. In Mexico, our work within the Economic Fairness and Opportunities program will focus on Creating Economic Opportunities for the Rural Poor. This will include providing low-income rural people with viable economic opportunities at home, rather than being forced to migrate to earn a living, if they prefer not to; and channeling remittances towards activities that promote local development, while reducing the cost of transferring remittances. The specific approaches that we will pursue include: research on related issues, capacity-building for organizations of the rural poor, and advocacy efforts to improve public policies related to financial, business development and organizational services for rural enterprises.
It sounds like your organization is doing some innovative work. If you think you have a project that aligns well with our new issues and strategies and you wish to apply for a grant, please visit the Grants section of our Web site or contact the Mexico City office directly at mca@fordfound.org for further inquiry.
Opportunities for Grassroots Organizations
Q. I am the director of the Women's Employment Opportunity Project, Inc. It has been my experience when applying for funds and researching grants that it is difficult for community-based nonprofit organizations to find funding. Larger organizations are setting stricter funding guidelines, therefore community-based organizations that are truly making a difference and working on the grassroots level are not receiving equitable funding opportunities. Will the Ford Foundation continue to analyze, look objectively, and be all inclusive in providing opportunities for grassroots organizations to receive funding to address the needs of rural and urban areas plagued by unemployment and low job skills?
Marionette Ball
Atlanta, Ga.
A. The Ford Foundation believes that the best way to meet the challenges facing society is to encourage initiatives by those living and working closest to the problems. This has always been one of our key criteria. Whether your organization is large or small, growing or established, what is most important to us is that you have a connection with and acute understanding of the community you are serving and an innovative and effective approach that aligns with the focus of our work and has the potential to serve as a national model.
Review the new focus of our grant making and take a look, in particular, at our work on Economic Fairness and Opportunity issues. This work focuses on a range of economic security matters including workforce development strategies, metropolitan opportunity and the needs of the rural poor that may reflect the initiatives of your organization.
If you decide you would like to apply for a grant, you may submit your proposal using our grant inquiry process.
Social Ventures and PRIs
Q. My nonprofit serves the low-income population in San Ysidro, Calif., along the border, and owns a new start-up for-profit social venture. Does the Ford Foundation fund these types of ventures where the profits are used for charitable purposes for the low-income population and also to provide long-term sustainability for the nonprofit? If so, is a grant or PRI most appropriate?
Michael Sloan
San Diego, Calif.
A. The Ford Foundation does fund select for-profit activities, including development of social ventures, using loans, or what we call "program-related investments," or PRIs.
The Ford Foundation created and pioneered the use of PRIs in 1968. Basically they are loans directly from our endowment, rather than grants from our annual program budgets, which we expect to recover over time. Over the years, thousands of foundations have adopted the PRI approach, which is now relatively common in philanthropy. We have committed nearly $500 million to PRI support over the years.
PRIs are usually loans made at below-market interest rates. These investments can be made to both nonprofit and for-profit businesses as long as the money is used for a charitable purpose. PRIs are helpful to businesses and social enterprises whose access to the mainstream financial system is limited because of a lack of credit history or uncertainty about the eventual success of a project. A PRI may include loans, loan guarantees, equity investments or deposits in banks to help grantee organizations gain access to capital. Sometimes a grant can be coupled with a PRI to provide technical assistance or other support to guarantee the success of a PRI.
We sometimes provide PRIs to finance social ventures started by our grantees. Social ventures are businesses established by nonprofit organizations that seek to achieve both social and financial objectives. To be successful, the venture must achieve its social objectives and ultimately become self-sufficient by covering all of its operating and financing expenses from its revenues. Recent social ventures in which we have invested include workforce development businesses, school reform activities, and development of software and information services for public radio and television.
In addition to the development of social ventures, Ford provides PRIs for enterprise development, affordable housing development and development of nonprofit facilities. Each year, PRIs account for a modest portion of our grant making. In 2008, we provided $23.3 million in PRIs.
We would require more information to determine whether the nature of your start-up aligns with the focus of our work. As to whether a grant or a PRI would be the more appropriate form of support, we only make PRIs available to existing grantees of the foundation. If you would like to be considered for Ford Foundation funding, please submit an inquiry using our grant inquiry process.
Support for Direct Services
Q. I work for the East Side Health District located in East St. Louis, Ill., a city that is in a very distressed state both socially and economically. The East Side Health District is a local health department that continues to serve anyone who needs help regardless of their ability to pay. We provide family planning and HIV/AIDS services in our clinic, but because the local hospital shut its doors, we need additional space to accommodate clients from the community. We really need funding to renovate and repair the clinic building to which we plan to relocate. Can you shed any light on funding that may be available through your office?
Ruby Allen-Ellis
East St. Louis, Ill.
A. Thank you for your question. The Ford Foundation engages in strategic philanthropy, addressing the root causes of social injustices in order to make durable and lasting change in the lives of those most in need. We recognize that you are providing a valuable service to your local community, but unfortunately we do not make grants for direct services or building repair. We hope that you find the right supporters for your project.
What We Don't Fund
Q. I have a preliminary real estate proposal that I would like to submit. How do I go about having it considered?
Donald Moore Jr.
Garden City, Mich.
A. Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, we do not award undergraduate scholarships or make grants for personal needs, business assistance or real estate ventures. Other areas frequently inquired about, but not funded, include health care, vehicle purchase, student loan repayment and scientific inventions. Except for limited grant making through our Good Neighbor Committee to institutions located near the foundation's offices, we also do not generally support after-school programs, athletic leagues, orphanages or elder care.
Grant Making Deadlines
Q. What are your deadlines for grant applications? Does your organization provide grant support for work in Australia or New Zealand?
Dr. Carrine H. Bishop
Jackson, Miss.
A. We do not have deadlines. The Ford Foundation accepts applications and makes grants throughout the year.
Since 1953, we have maintained an office in Jakarta, Indonesia. Over the years, our work in the region has evolved in response to the shifting political and economic landscape and the changing needs and priorities of Indonesia's people and communities.
While we do not support programs that are carried out in Australia, we do a limited amount of grant making to Australian entities to provide technical assistance to Indonesian NGOs and universities. For example, we have recently provided support to the University of Sydney for a project to promote the development of health service providers in Indonesia that are accessible and affordable for poor women. The goal of this work is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the rural areas of five districts in the West Java region of Indonesia.
We do not do any grant making in New Zealand.
Documentary Film Support
Q. I am currently filming a documentary about race relations in America. Is it possible to apply for funding for this project as an individual?
Teah Michael
Gulfport, Fla.
A. Yes. We provide documentary film funding to individuals if they are incorporated and have a federal ID number. We also offer support to nonprofits.
Since the late 1970s, the Ford Foundation has been committed to providing grants to documentary projects that through narrative and journalism bring into sharp focus important social justice issues that have previously received little airing in the public sphere. Over the years, we have supported the landmark civil rights series "Eyes on the Prize," and more recently, "HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes," "Please Vote for Me," and the 2009 Oscar-nominated films "Trouble the Water" and "Smile Pinki" (which won in the Documentary Short category).
Every year we receive hundreds of applications for documentary grants, but we are only able to support a handful of the films. If you would like to seek a grant for your documentary project, please use our grant inquiry process. In Step 3, at the end of the process, you are given the option to attach a document. For documentary film support we request that a letter be attached here that includes a brief description of your project and creative approach, the primary purpose of the film, the current stage of the project and whether any other funds have been raised for the film. Once your inquiry and letter are received a decision is usually made within four months.
Grants For Health Organizations
Q. Why doesn't the Ford Foundation fund health organizations?
Rabi
Jos, Nigeria
A. Good question.
Throughout its history, the foundation has focused on addressing the root causes of social injustices. A primary goal of our work, therefore, is to ensure people everywhere are able to take part in the decisions that affect their lives. Where we have invested in health-related issues it is where doing so advances people's ability to take control of their lives and have a voice.
For years, for example, we have supported the advancement of women's rights through our work in Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights. Our work on HIV/AIDS, which began more than 25 years ago, also reflects our commitment to addressing the underlying social justice issues that contribute to the spread of HIV. Our grant making in Nigeria (and many other places around the world, including the United States) has encompassed both these areas.
We have also provided support for media that amplifies the social justice aspects of health issues, such as the 2008 documentary, "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?"
Many other foundations and donors focus on the health more specifically. These include the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Others, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, devote a significant amount to their resources to the science of health.
Since the Ford Foundation's early years, we have used our social justice mission as guide in thinking about where our resources can have the greatest impact. Our approach has been to look at the power structures and social systems that shape people's lives, and guide our grant making into areas where we have developed expertise over the years. In keeping with our mission and unique history, we invest in areas such as human rights, good governance, economic opportunity, and access to education — all of which we believe are key drivers of individual and social health and well-being.
Interdisciplinary Projects
Q. Do you support interdisciplinary projects? Say, a project based on your work in Access to Education and Sexuality and Reproductive Health—as these two are highly interrelated in the perspective of India. Can we submit a project interrelating these two? If yes, where shall I send the proposal?
Tanmoy Bhattacharyea
Kolkata, India
A. Thanks for your question. We fully support interdisciplinary approaches by our grantees. Often, progress is not possible without an interdisciplinary approach, and our program officers regularly collaborate and share knowledge. As just one example, we recently made a grant to Interfaith Worker Justice in support of low-wage workers in the United States that involved four program officers with diverse portfolios—religion, workforce development, civic participation, and immigration.
Our new lines of work were developed by teams of program officers working together, and the strategies they developed often explicitly call for interdisciplinary approaches. This way of thinking and working will continue to be central to our grant making.
Regardless of the nature of your proposal, it should always go to the office in the country in which your work will take place. If we do not have an office in your country, it should go to the nearest country office in your region. You should be aware that Ford makes grants in a limited number of countries, allowing us to focus our work and help bring the efforts of our grantees to scale.
In your case, you may submit your proposal to our regional office in New Delhi using our grant inquiry process.
Seeking Grants Under New Strategies
Q. Is it possible for organizations to seek grants under the new grant making strategies now?
Jobkevin Ngunyi
Nairobi, Kenya
Q. I submitted a proposal once. Now, after learning about the new strategies you revealed, can I submit a fresh proposal?
Shrikant Gadre
Pune, India
A. Yes. The Ford Foundation continuously accepts applications for grants. While this is a transition year and most of the grants that will be made for the remainder of this fiscal year have already been planned, organizations may apply now for grants under our new grant making focus and strategy. Those proposals that meet our objectives will receive funding beginning in October 2009, when our new fiscal year starts. We are no longer considering grant applications under our previous program focus. If you have recently submitted a grant proposal that is still pending, there is no need to act further. Your application will be considered under our new program focus.
If you have a project that aligns well with our new issues and strategies and you wish to apply for a grant, visit the Grants section of our Web site to learn more.