Published in The State of SIE

By Cara Mertes

Ford Foundation strategy rests on the five key drivers of inequality it perceives: persistent prejudice; cultural narratives that undermine fairness and inclusion; unequal access to government; unfair rules of the economy; and failure to protect public goods.

Following this, there is a generation of thought leaders, creatives, funders, and social justice stakeholders who understand that culture itself has become a primary battleground for gaining and maintaining the power to effect progressive social change, and this demands new strategies. The principles of democracy are under duress around the world — therefore, popular cultural interventions also become part of a social justice foundation’s strategy to disrupt systems that reproduce inequality, modeling the values of justice, tolerance and equity.