The BUILD Program – Flexible Long-Term Funding
To make lasting progress in addressing inequality, social justice organizations need robust, sustainable support. They need investments in their essential programs and operations that help them build a sturdy foundation for their work. They need predictable, flexible support to become more durable and resilient. Social justice institutions also need funds that allow them to seize moments of opportunity and respond quickly to unexpected challenges.
Our Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) initiative is a grantmaking approach focused on helping social justice organizations become stronger and more resilient over time. By providing grantees with five years of general operating support, combined with targeted organizational strengthening support, BUILD aims to equip these organizations with the strategic clarity, people, knowledge, and resources they need to achieve impact and advance systems change over the course of years and decades.
We believe in resilience in People featuring Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee, trustee emeritus and former president of Demos, shares how BUILD allowed Demos to create a diversity, equity, and inclusion program, as well as build staff leadership skills.
We believe in resilience in strategy featuring Nancy Northup
Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, shares how BUILD allowed the Center to engage their staff to shape a global organizational strategy created from the bottom up.
We believe in resilience in financing featuring Marcia Smith
Marcia Smith, president and co-founder of Firelight, shares how the Ford Foundation’s BUILD initiative allowed the production company to create a strategic plan for their long-term financing.
We believe in resilience in systems featuring Purity Kagwiria
Akili Dada, a leadership incubator for girls and young women across East Africa, was one of BUILD’s first grantees. Purity Kagwiria, former Executive Director, shares how BUILD allowed Akili Dada to create a security policy for field work, strengthening its impact.
We believe in Building Resilience in Social Justice Organizations
The Ford Foundation’s BUILD grantees share their views on how receiving longer, larger, more flexible grants has strengthened their organization and their work, and made them reimagine philanthropy.
Building institutions and networks to fight inequality
Organizations that are working to reduce inequality need support for their long-term goals, while they focus on day-to-day operations and immediate challenges. The Ford Foundation’s BUILD program is specially designed to do this, by providing flexible funding and fostering connections to other organizations working with ideas that are changing the world.