A Legacy that Guides Us
January 7, 2008
Leading the Ford Foundation is a great honor. The foundation has a long history of supporting the people and institutions who drive social innovation and the quest for human justice. It's a history that spans more than 70 years, including groundbreaking support for higher education, economic justice, and the Green Revolution under Henry Ford II, Paul Hoffman, H. Rowan Gaither and Henry Heald. And it's a legacy deepened by McGeorge Bundy's pioneering support of civil rights, Franklin Thomas and his work in urban development and the fight against Apartheid, and Susan Berresford and her steadfast support for women, human rights, and the battle against HIV/AIDS. This remarkable legacy anchors Ford and will guide how we move forward.
The Ford Foundation is committed to tackling enduring problems that require sustained effort and resolve — challenges such as poverty, protection of human rights, peace-building and governance reform, access to educational opportunity, and creating space for artistic creativity and expression. Each of my predecessors has introduced new thinking that has shaped and enriched our approach to these challenges. I welcome the opportunity to build on that record, to continue fostering an environment of creativity and innovation for our staff, and to keep the promise inherent in Ford's mission: to be a resource for the courageous people around the world.
In the months prior to my official arrival at the foundation I traveled to some of our regional offices with Kathryn Fuller, Chair of our Board of Trustees. The visits to China and Mexico highlighted the remarkable depth of our work and relationships on the ground, demonstrating how valuable it is that we work close to the problems we seek to address. In the coming weeks I will continue to listen and learn from our staff, our grantees, our philanthropic peers and our public and private sector partners.
This ongoing exchange will help enable me, our trustees, and our staff to examine how we can focus ever more intensely on having long term social impact on issues of social justice. We will work together to strengthen existing initiatives and to identify new initiatives that will define Ford for the current generation. And we will continue to challenge ourselves to employ the most innovative and courageous approaches in philanthropy.
The work of the foundation has always been and will continue to be ambitious, long-term and focused on achieving lasting human welfare. And while understanding that much of our work is complex and often takes decades to realize, we will continue to value qualitative and quantitative measurement of our efforts.
Finally, I am committed to providing the most innovative tools and best infrastructure to help this organization advance its mission. The new Web site, launched this month, will grow as a tool within and beyond the foundation. It conveys more clearly the work we support and why, shares what we are learning, and makes it easier for grantseekers to engage with the foundation.
I hope you will check back periodically to learn more about what the foundation is accomplishing in partnership with the many talented grantees and organizations whose courageous work is making a better world for us all.
Luis A. Ubiñas
President
Ford Foundation