The Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments program launched in 2017 with the goal of making grants, program-related investments, and mission-related investments that improve how capitalism works for people. We support opportunities in the United States and the Global South, including Latin America, Africa, China, India, Indonesia, and the Middle East.

Our capital helps grow the impact investing sector, and our work creates a more inclusive form of capitalism and a more economically just world. We invest primarily in private equity and venture capital firms that address specific impact themes.

Mission-Related Investments

In 2017, Ford made a historic commitment to invest up to $1 billion of our endowment over a 10-year period in mission-related investments (MRIs) to address social problems while seeking risk-adjusted financial returns. In practice, we seek a level of financial returns required to sustain a perpetual foundation endowment.

Program-Related Investments

Since 1968, Ford has committed over $865 million in program-related investments (PRIs).  Today, the $350 million PRI Fund supports investment opportunities that meet IRS-qualifying charitable investment criteria, are catalytic and innovative in nature, and advance the Foundation’s broad programmatic objectives.

Grants

Our grantmaking supports institutions, networks, and standards that encourage capital markets to work for, rather than against, our mission to promote human flourishing and address inequality.    

If you believe your organization, strategy, and proposal fit our criteria, you may submit your materials to [email protected]. Please note that we can only respond to those proposals that we believe meet our criteria.

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