List of projects of the Ford Foundation

This is a list of projects and initiatives that have received significant funding or organizational support from the Ford Foundation. These projects span areas such as education, broadcasting, culture, and community development.

The list is arranged in alphabetical order A-Z;

• America's Cultural Treasures: a Ford Foundation initiative launched in 2020 to support arts organizations led by people of color.^[1]
• Contemporary Music Project: Originating from the Young Composers Project, a nationwide music-education effort funded by a Foundation grant in 1963.^[2]
• Fund for the Republic: a civil-liberties organization created by the Foundation in 1951 (later became the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions).^[3]
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation: a community-development intermediary created in 1979 by Ford Foundation executives.^[4]
• Mundo Nuevo: a 1960s Latin American literary magazine sponsored by the Foundation.
• National Educational Television: U.S. educational TV network founded via the Foundation’s Fund for Adult Education (precursor to PBS).^[5][6]
• New Israel Fund: an organization funded by Foundation to promote social justice and equality in Israel.^[7][8]
• Omnibus (American TV program): a 1950s–60s cultural series initially sponsored by the Foundation.^[9]
• Public Broadcast Laboratory: an experimental public-affairs TV program with substantial Foundation backing.^[10]
• School Construction Systems Development project: 1960s experiment in standardized school-building systems, launched with major Foundation funding.^[11]
• Southwest Voter Registration Education Project: a voter education and registration initiative for minorities in the Southwest of the United States.^[12]

References

1. Moynihan, Colin (2020-09-25). "New Initiative Will Grant $156 Million to Arts Groups Run by People of Color (Published 2020)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
2. "Contemporary Music Project". Music Educators Journal. 59 (9): 33–48. 1973. doi:10.2307/3394301. ISSN 0027-4321.
3. Walton, Andrea (2015). "Ford's Fund for the Republic: A 1950s-Era Foundation as Educator". American Educational History Journal. 42 (1): 111–126. ISSN 1535-0584.
4. "Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
5. "Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids". digicoll.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
6. "National Educational Television". americanarchive.org. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
7. "New Israel Fund". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
8. J. Frantzman, Seth (2011-04-12). "Terra Incognita: Good riddance to the Ford Foundation | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
9. M. Jones, William M; Walworth, Andrew (1999-11-30). "Saudek's Omnibus: ambitious forerunner of public TV". Current. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
10. "Public TV: Opportunities for Change". Time. 10 November 1967. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
11. Lee, Joshua David (May 2016). "Questioning modern approaches to flexibility : 50 years of learning from the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project". Texas ScholarWorks.
12. Association, Texas State Historical. "The Impact of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project on Mexican-American Political Participation". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-09-01.