Our Mission
The Ford Foundation is a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide. Our goals for more than half a century have been to:
* Strengthen democratic values
* Reduce poverty and injustice
* Promote international cooperation
* Advance human achievement
A fundamental challenge facing every society is to create political, economic and social systems that promote peace, human welfare and the sustainability of the environment on which life depends.
We believe that the best way to meet this challenge is to encourage initiatives by those living and working closest to where problems are located; to promote collaboration among the nonprofit, government and business sectors; and to ensure participation by men and women from diverse communities and all levels of society. In our experience, such activities help build common understanding, enhance excellence, enable people to improve their lives and reinforce their commitment to society.
We work mainly by making grants or loans that build knowledge and strengthen organizations and networks. Since our financial resources are modest compared with societal needs, we focus on key problem areas and program strategies.
Created with gifts and bequests by Edsel and Henry Ford, the foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, with its own board, and is entirely separate from the Ford Motor Company. The trustees of the foundation set policy and delegate authority to the president and senior staff for the foundation’s grant making and operations. Program officers in the United States, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Russia explore opportunities to pursue the foundation’s goals, formulate strategies and recommend proposals for funding.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance the ideals of a free, democratic society by investing in our children, communities and country.
We believe civic health is not only essential to building the real power of society, it is the Foundation. For this reason, civic health is our common purpose. It unites all aspects of the McCormick Foundation’s work, from investments in human services, journalism, citizenship and early childhood education, to investments that deliver programs and services to hundreds of thousands of people through Cantigny – our public park – and the Foundation’s three museums.
Philanthropy has always been about believing that a better life is possible. The power of our approach lies in our partnerships, our program and facility integration, and our passion to serve. We strive to be a catalyst for change. Every action we take is intended to inspire meaningful dialogue and deliver results that will improve our country’s civic health and make things better for our children, our communities and our country for years to come.
History
For more than 50 years, the McCormick Foundation has been serving the needs of our children, communities and country. As one of the nation’s largest public charities, we’ve granted more than $1 billion to organizations in local communities across the country.
The Foundation is more than just a grantmaking organization. We fundraise and offer many programs and services to the public through Cantigny, our 500-acre park and golf course in Wheaton, Ill., and three museums: First Division Museum at Cantigny, Robert R. McCormick Museum and McCormick Freedom Museum.
In 2005, the Foundation raised more than $9.4 million from nearly 47,000 as part of the Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina Relief Campaign. The Foundation matched the first $2 million raised at 50 percent and covered all administrative costs.
Our Mission
We are a national foundation with local roots. We choose, as the Knight brothers chose, to seek opportunities that can transform both communities and journalism, and help them reach their highest potential. We want to ensure that each community’s citizens get the information they need to thrive in a democracy.
And we ask, as we evaluate opportunities and grants, “Is this truly transformational?”
Because grant making requires a sound financial base, we preserve the Knight brothers’ gift through prudent investment and careful management.
We passionately believe things can get better
We believe nothing big happens without a big idea, nothing new without a new idea. In every project we fund, the idea comes first.
Every day, we ask the question, of ourselves and our partners, “Is this the best there is?” We seek out leaders who ask the same, who can identify the best opportunities and turn the big ideas into action.
The five basics that all transformational projects seem to have:
* Discovery of the facts
* The vision to see what’s possible
* The courage to push for change
* The know-how to get it done
* The tenacity that gets results
