Ford Foundation

#HappeningNow: Join me at Ford Foundation’s #FreeFuture24: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World. Watch a full day of conversations with leaders from all over the globe, including #MeToo founder Tarana B., UN Global Ambassador Padma Lakshmi, actress and activist Sophia Bush, poet Alok Vaid Menon, and more visionaries fighting on the front lines for gender equity. #UNGAxFord #UNGA https://lnkd.in/ef9n8vrk The Meteor Skoll Foundation UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women

?? #HappeningNow! We are convening the sharpest change-makers, activists, and innovators for #FreeFuture24: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World to reimagine a future without violence.?Watch live: https://lnkd.in/eRu_StUz Between sexual harassment, emotional and psychological abuse, state-sponsored violence, and femicide, one in every three women globally experience gender-based violence. This is an epidemic and it is unacceptable. We deserve better. But the good news is, all around the world, leaders are fighting for a better world. Check out these highlights from last year, and join today's livestream to hear from those leading the charge:?Darren Walker, Tarana B.,?Chase Strangio,?Danai Gurira,?Padma Lakshmi,?Sophia Bush, and many more. You don’t want to miss this. We are hosting Free Future 2024 in partnership with?UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women,?UN Women,?Skoll Foundation?and?The Meteor. #ungaxford?#unga?#endGBV?

Gender-based violence impacts millions of women, girls, and gender-diverse people worldwide. It not only threatens their physical safety but deeply affects their mental health, economic stability, and social opportunities. From domestic violence to systemic oppression, the toll is devastating—limiting futures and perpetuating cycles of harm. We must confront and end this violence. No one should live in fear because of their gender, and the time for change is now. This Tuesday, September 17, join us for Free Future 2024: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World. You can watch a full day of conversations with leaders from all over the globe, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, UN Global Ambassador Padma Lakshmi,?actress and activist Sophia Bush, poet Alok Vaid-Menon, and more visionaries fighting on the front lines for gender equity. #FreeFuture24 #UNGAxFord https://lnkd.in/eRu_StUz

Regenerative agriculture improves the health of communities, as well as, the health of the planet. We all have a role to play in making it the norm. Gabe Brown of Brown's Ranch is inspired by growing consumer demand for the more nutrient-dense food regeneratively farming produces, like the students and parents who took school lunch quality into their own hands by growing food sustainably in their greenhouse. Watch more: fordf.org/HeartlandVoices #IdeasAtFord

Willa Johnson, Appalshop, Inc, recounts a childhood experience that shaped her personal values, and created a strong sense of purpose in rural storytelling. Watch the full #OnWhatMatters conversation to learn more about the vibrant culture and underreported challenges of heartland communities. https://lnkd.in/dEFmSeG4

Read our President's Darren Walker new piece in The Atlantic delving into the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald, our first social justice philanthropist. More here: https://lnkd.in/eXvprWvn

‘Going Varsity in Mariachi’ is now streaming on Netflix. Add this #JustFIlms supported Doc which follows Texas teenagers through the ups and downs of statewide band competitions to your watchlist. https://lnkd.in/ehdb67SM

Make It Count: 117 Gelyn C. W. CEO, Black in AI “Black in AI, a Ford grantee, aims to shift the power dynamic in artificial intelligence by broadening the range of voices contributing to the development, deployment, and regulation of AI technologies. We envision a future where everyone has the opportunity to shape AI in a way that reflects and benefits us all, and where the few do not determine the economic and technological realities of the many. Black in AI’s global membership includes more than 5,900 AI technologists, researchers, founders, and policy experts across 117 countries—that’s more than 60% of the world’s nations. Just like our members, the work we do touches policy, education, research, and entrepreneurship. From submitting briefs to the Congressional Black Caucus to breaking down barriers to professional success, we create opportunities for AI professionals of African descent to impact the present and future of AI. Our programs like ‘Emerging Leaders in AI’ empower our community through financial and social support to pursue graduate school, entrepreneurship, and research. Technology is reflective of those who make it. With artificial intelligence rapidly transforming both industry and daily life, an ethical and equitable future for all depends on AI research, innovation, and policy that prioritizes global perspectives.” More: https://lnkd.in/epsEGkdZ

We're proud to announce plans to support the Appalachian region in partnership with REDF to deploy $6 million to the locally owned businesses powering our economy, supporting owners and their employees and advancing investment priorities of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). This commitment builds on $14+ million in grants and investments we have provided over the past decade to help drive economic development and quality job creation in #Appalachia.

Appalachia is home to some of the most resilient communities and critical economies in our nation. Even so, the region is chronically underserved when it comes to access to capital. In a capitalist system, if you don’t have access to capital you have a problem. ? That’s why the Mission Investments team?Ford Foundation?has made investments and grants in Appalachia to finance small business growth, spur quality job creation, and expand economic opportunity across the region.??Recently in 2022, we invested $10 million in Appalachian Community Capital and?Ford Foundation?has made more than $14M in grants through its Heartland Fund. But wait… there’s more: ? Today, I’m excited to announce that Ford Foundation Mission Investments is embarking upon a new investment initiative in partnership with?REDF. The new initiative is designed to advance the investment priorities of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). New capital will be available to support local businesses, preserving and creating jobs and greater financial stability for workers and their families.? Unlike other financing initiatives, this one will provide custom tailored solutions to fit the needs of the business, rather than off-the-shelf loan products. ? My hope is that this initiative will serve as a model of what’s possible when public, private, and philanthropic sectors collaborate. This financially sophisticated initiative has been years in the making, and I’m grateful for everyone who had a hand in making it possible so that together we can build a stronger, more prosperous, and more hopeful future for all. ? Read more about the investment here:?https://bit.ly/3ASII35 #inclusivecapitalism #Appalachia #economicdevelopment #qualityjobs #jobcreation