The top grantees of the Ford Foundation

Over the past five years, the Ford Foundation has given away $4.2 billion. While much of that funding has gone to organizations to deliver work in its native United States, this article examines $1.4 billion of grants that went to projects that are either dedicated exclusively to the global south, or labeled as worldwide. These grants are drawn from two different sources of funding: the foundation’s regular endowment and its social bond. The idea of a social bond is the foundation’s innovation in philanthropy, born out of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ford is the first foundation to issue a social bond on the United States bond market, and it has used the money raised to increase its grant funding from $600 million to $1.1 billion from 2020 to 2021. Ford also innovated by introducing a grantmaking mechanism that prioritizes general operating support for organizations, which is its Building Institutions and Networks, or BUILD initiative, which will be covered in a separate analysis within the next few weeks. Grant information is available on the Ford Foundation’s website, and all figures were converted to 2024 constant prices. Where does the money go? Year on year, the foundation has increased its grantmaking incrementally, starting with $227.8 million in 2020 and rising to $299.1 million in 2024. There was a spike in funding of $453.5 million in 2021, partly due to the launch of the social bond mechanism. Geographically, the Ford Foundation gave the most to initiatives with a worldwide reach — $379.4 million over the past five years. Following this are initiatives that target the African continent as a whole, which amounted to $88.4 million. At a country level, projects that will benefit Brazil received the most with $69.6 million, followed by India with $57.8 million, Indonesia with $51.1 million, and Nigeria with $46 million. Who got the most? Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing WIEGO received a total of three grants worth $30 million. The largest of which was $28.9 million funded from the social bond to secure livelihoods for the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy. Climate and Land Use Alliance, LLC Climate and Land Use Alliance received four awards overall worth $28.5 million. The largest was worth $24.7 million to ensure land resource rights for Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and local communities. New Venture Fund New Venture Fund received 18 grants worth $28.1 million. The largest was worth $16.7 million to implement governance, management, strategies, grantmaking, and learning for the Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors received 17 grants worth $24.6 million. The largest of these was a $8.8 million grant to support the creation of the International Resource for Impact and Storytelling, or IRIS. Oxfam America Oxfam America got 17 awards worth $22.3 million. The biggest was worth $6.9 million for the Climate Media Collaborative for Economic Justice and Community Rights initiative. Equality Fund The Equality Fund received one award worth $17.4 million to enhance and effectively fund women’s rights organizations and movements all around the world. The Global Fund for Women The Global Fund for Women got six grants worth $14.1 million. The biggest grant, worth $10.2 million, was to support the launch of the Black Feminist Fund. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights The Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights received only one award, worth $11.6 million, that went toward core support for the Sister Funds’ Collective Care program. Institute of International Education The Institute of International Education received six awards worth $10.9 million. The biggest grant, worth $8.3 million, was to assist IIE in awarding small grants to organizations and other program-related learning activities. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace CEIP acquired nine grants worth $10.5 million. The largest of them amounted to $5.8 million for the advancement of research and analysis for the furtherance of peace and order. Update, June 19, 2025: This article has been updated to clarify that the Ford Foundation has given away $4.2 billion over the last five years. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.