Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare.
The Ford Foundation was on Monday, July 15 thrust into the national limelight after President William Ruto boldly accused the American non-governmental organisation of ‘sponsoring’ violence during the recent anti-government protests.
While addressing residents at Keringet Market in Nakuru County, Ruto wondered what the United States (US)-based organization was benefiting from sponsoring the demonstrations, claiming it was channelling funds to unidentified groups in Kenya to stage protests and destabilise the country.
The Head of State went on to sensationally claim that the organisation held sinister motives and was operating against the best interests and the democracy of the country.
“I want to ask the people at the Ford Foundation what benefit do they gain from giving out money to cause violence?” Ruto questioned.
“We are going to call them out and we are going to tell them if they are not interested in democracy in Kenya. if they are going to sponsor violence and anarchy, we are going to tell them they either style up or they leave.”
A protester navigates teargas in Nairobi CBD. /AL JAZEERA
Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Viral Tea takes a look at the profile of the company:
Ford Foundation Profile
The foundation was created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford and was originally funded by a US$25,000 (Ksh3.2 million) gift from Edsel Ford.
By 1947, after the death of the two founders, the foundation owned 90 percent of the non-voting shares of the Ford Motor Company, however, the Ford family retained the voting shares. Between 1955 and 1974, the foundation sold its Ford Motor Company holdings and now plays no role in the automobile company.
In 1949, Henry Ford II created the Ford Philanthropy, a separate corporate foundation that to this day serves as the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company and is not associated with the foundation.
The Ford Foundation makes grants through its headquarters and 10 international field offices. It has had operations in Kenya and the larger East Africa region for decades, with its Nairobi office opened in 1963.
As of now, it has grown to become one of the world’s top philanthropic organisations with operations in 11 regions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America.
For many years, the foundation’s financial endowment was the largest private endowment in the world and it remains among the wealthiest. For fiscal year 2014, it reported assets of US$12.4 billion (Ksh1.6 trillion) and approved US$507.9 million (Ksh65.6 million) in grants.
According to the OECD, the Ford Foundation provided US$194 million (Ksh25 billion) for development in 2019, all of which related to its grant-making activities.
With its headquarters in New York City, Ford Foundation is currently ranked the 11th wealthiest foundation globally with a $13.7 billion (Ksh.1.87 trillion) endowment, behind other notable names in philanthropy such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Welcome Trust and the Mastercard Foundation.
On its website, the organisation says in East Africa, it supports “open civic space, civil society and public dialogue with the government” to ensure Kenyans, Ugandans and Tanzanians can contribute to shaping society.
“Through our civic engagement and government work, we invest in the threads that hold democracies together: basic freedoms, both in the digital domain and our daily lives; an autonomous civil society that can both hold government accountable and bring forth new ideas; and protections for social justice leaders speaking truth to power. We believe that we can end inequality by advancing these democratic values,” the foundation says.
Ford Foundation adds that it supports efforts to advance principles of open government and civil society organizations calling for greater transparency and accountability to prevent systemic corruption.
Prominently known for its grants, the Ford Foundation credits itself with having helped establish the University of Nairobi in 1963 and giving significant grants to universities in Eastern Africa “to invest in the region’s future.”
It has also been at the forefront of advocating for civic justice to protect social justice activists, artists, and marginalised groups.
In April this year, for instance, the foundation announced a ‘Creativity and Civic Space’ grant initiative with a $1.25 million (Ksh.162.5 million) commitment to address “the importance of protecting and expanding civic space across the globe.”
Among the grantees was the Kenyan production company and theatre collective Story Zetu and Too Early For Birds, which has produced several critically acclaimed stage plays and shows in Kenya.
Foundation Hands Ksh3.3 Million To Two Kenyans
In March this year, the Ford Foundation announced two Kenyans among its international 26-member 2024 Ford Global Fellowship cohort, that is, Ashura Michael and Willie Oeba.
The fellowship is a program which aims to connect and support the next generation of leaders from around the world who are advancing innovative solutions to end inequality.
“The Ford Global Fellowship focuses on shared learning across issue areas, building and strengthening connections across borders, and developing a supportive, interconnected cohort from across a wide variety of sectors and regions. It aims to build a powerful network of 240 fellows over the course of the program and serve as a catalyst for the fellows to accelerate the impact of their work, individually and collectively,” a press release that had announced the duo read in part.
Free a Girl’s World Network CEO Ashura Michael (left) and ISM Academy CEO Willie Oeba (right). /VIRAL TEA KE
Michael was picked owing to her role as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Free a Girl’s World Network while Oeba was selected in his capacity as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ISM Academy.
According to the foundation, each new fellow received a no-strings-attached Ksh3.31 million ($25,000) stipend, alongside individualized coaching, to help grow leadership skills and reach new audiences.
Other locally based entities the foundation has supported over the years are the Nairobi Arts Trust, United Nations Development Program Kenya, Albinism Society of Kenya, Law Society of Kenya, Beyond Zero and Amnesty International, among others.