NAIROBI (May 8, 2025) – The Ford Foundation today announced the appointment of Margaret Mliwa as the next regional director of its East Africa office. Based in Nairobi, the Ford Foundation’s East Africa office is a nonpolitical organization committed to advancing social justice, equity, and the public good across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and to support open civic space, civil society, and public dialogue with the governments across the region. 

“We are thrilled to recognize and celebrate Margaret Mliwa’s leadership as the regional director for the Ford Foundation’s East Africa office,” said Martín Abregu, vice president for international programs at the Ford Foundation. “Margaret’s range of skills—from adept storytelling, mentorship, and relationship-building across the sector—will only strengthen our work in East Africa.”

Mliwa joined the foundation in 2017 and has held roles as a program officer, senior program officer, and acting regional director. During her tenure, Mliwa developed a diverse grants portfolio that encompassed community organizing, national advocacy, independent media, and leadership strengthening within civil society and public service, with an emphasis on defending basic freedoms and civil society voices in East Africa. 

“It is an honor to lead the Ford Foundation’s East Africa regional office and continue our legacy of impact in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda,” said Margaret Mliwa, East Africa regional director for the Ford Foundation. “Since 1963, our work has been exemplified by collaboration with East Africa’s changemakers and institutions. I look forward to advancing this history in partnership with the grantees and partners we serve and the values of dignity, justice, and equity that we hold dear.” 

Mliwa has more than 20 years of public sector experience, working with government, civil society, and philanthropy to advocate for and implement policies that champion community-driven programs. Her work has emphasized youth voice, rights-based approaches, and strengthening leadership and capacity development among youth-led networks and organizations. 

Prior to joining Ford, Mliwa was country director of Restless Development Tanzania, a global youth-led development agency. Before that, she served as head of the Youth Social Mobilization Unit of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the government of Kenya and as lead consultant in the development of the National Youth Service framework for the Sierra Leonean government. Mliwa is a recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship and holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Kenyatta University and master of applied philosophy and ethics in progress from Strathmore University. 

The Ford Foundation’s Nairobi office opened in 1963, against the backdrop of independence in East Africa. During this early period, Ford supported the capacity of institutions to train the civil servants and technical experts who have become leaders across society. Since then, Ford has supported initiatives including the development of Kenya’s microfinance sector; growth in critical areas such as research academia, agriculture, health, and business; and investment in influential human rights organizations across the region. The foundation has also championed the arts, culture, and media as critical pathways to national progress.

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Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice | 320 E 43rd Street, New York

On View: June 5-August 2, 2025
Opening Event: June 5, 2025  | 5-7pm
Gallery Hours: Monday-Saturday | 11am-6pm

New York, NY – The Ford Foundation Gallery and NXTHVN are pleased to present THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! NXTHVN Through the Years, opening on June 5th with a celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. to honor the visionary model of arts incubator NXTHVN and the thriving artistic community that surrounds it. Building on their tradition of concluding each cohort’s year with a culminating show, this exhibition features virtuosic work by alumni artists from the first five years of the program. 

Since 2018, NXTHVN has catalyzed the careers of 41 artists and 12 curators through a 10-month intensive fellowship program of mentorship and professional development. Co-founded by renowned multidisciplinary artist Titus Kaphar and impact investor Jason Price, NXTHVN is a space where artists expand their skills, networks, and confidence. The exhibition foregrounds the vital significance of the networks, camaraderie, and connections that take root through art residencies. At a time when initiatives for the arts and unconsidered individuals are vulnerable, NXTHVN stands firm in supporting the work of talented artists and curators from around the world. 

Featuring artists from countries around the globe and curated by Marissa Del Toro, THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! underscores the work and history of NXTHVN as an arts model that empowers artists and curators through education and access to a vibrant artistic ecosystem. Each year, Kaphar advises the newly admitted fellows that their time at NXTHVN will be quick but special with a reminder that “this [experience] is not a retreat.” Instead, it is a space where artists and curators learn to fortify themselves with entrepreneurial knowledge, deeper creative purpose, inspiration, and strengthened community. This exhibition celebrates the individuals who have contributed, experienced, supported, and made NXTHVN into a prominent institution where access, knowledge, independence, excellence, artistic liberation, and innovation flourish. 

The exhibition’s title suggests not just the program’s rigorousness but also the bold new ways of understanding and relating that the works draw into view. In upending the framework of a “retreat,” the show invites reflection on the possibilities that come forward through active formal experimentation expressing new ideas in a collective context and spirit. In keeping with the truth that nothing exists in a vacuum, this exhibition’s tangible poetics consider objects and ideas brought together in material movements over perceptual landscapes. This ingenuity surfaces layers of being, memory, identity, time, self-discovery, and belonging, articulating complex and subtle facets of experience to deepen connections. 

Spanning media including drawing, painting, prints, installation, etchings, and sculpture, reimagined everyday elements and otherworldly scenes intermingle to urge reconsideration of the received order of things, suggesting forms of collective dreaming. Through diverse techniques and mediums, portraiture in the show explores personal journeys through lenses of time, experience, and empowerment. Narratives conjured by color, shadow, contrast, and form pose questions about identity, memory, and ways toward greater understanding. An emphasis on process and materiality invites contemplation of the continuity and transformation of selves in cultural and social contexts, and the interconnections that lead communities forward.

Just before and in tandem with this show, James Cohan Gallery and NXTHVN will present a group exhibition of work by NXTHVN’s Cohort 06 Fellows, titled The Things Left Unsaid, from May 8th to June 21st, 2025 at James Cohan’s Grand Street location, opening with a reception on Thursday, May 8th from 6-8 PM. For more details on this exhibition please visit the James Cohan website. For more information on registration for the opening celebration for THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! please follow the Ford Foundation Gallery’s social media. 

Exhibiting artists: Felipe Baeza, Layo Bright, Allana Clarke, Alexandria Couch, Kenturah Davis, Anindita Dutta, Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack, Merik Goma, John Guzman, Eric Hart Jr., Fidelis Joseph, Alyssa Klauer, Africanus Okokon, Esteban Ramón Pérez, Jamaal Peterman, Alexander Puz, Patrick Quarm, Athena Quispe, Daniel Ramos, Ilana Savdie, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Vaughn Spann, Capt. James Stovall V, Warith Taha, and Vincent Valdez.

About the Curator

Marissa Del Toro is Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Programs at NXTHVN in New Haven, CT. Since 2021, Del Toro has also worked with Museums Moving Forward, a data-driven initiative to support greater equity and accountability in art museum workplaces. Previously, she served as 2021-2022 Curatorial Fellow at NXTHVN and as the 2018-2020 Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI) Curatorial Fellow at Phoenix Art Museum. She holds an MA in Art History from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and is originally from Southern California, where she received her BA in Art History from the University of California, Riverside. 

About NXTHVN

NXTHVN is a groundbreaking institution that combines the best of arts and entrepreneurship. Through access, education, programming, and impact investing, NXTHVN launches the careers of artists and curators and strengthens the livelihood of its local community. Located in the historically African American Dixwell neighborhood of New Haven, CT, the expansive adapted-reuse campus houses gallery, studio, library, office, coworking, performance, and living spaces in addition to a forthcoming storefront cafe. Cornerstone programs include a renowned fellowship to educate and accelerate emerging and underrepresented artists and curators, paid arts apprenticeships for local high school students, and business incubation to nurture cultural and capital value in the neighborhood. Co-founded in 2018 by acclaimed visual artist Titus Kaphar and private equity investor Jason Price—both longtime residents of New Haven—NXTHVN represents a new national arts model for developing an equitable society. Learn more at www.nxthvn.com.

About The Ford Foundation Gallery

Opened in March 2019 at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City, the Ford Foundation Gallery spotlights artwork that wrestles with difficult questions, calls out injustice, and points the way toward a fair and just future. The gallery functions as a responsive and adaptive space and one that serves the public in its openness to experimentation, contemplation, and conversation. Located near the United Nations, it draws visitors from around the world, addresses questions that cross borders, and speaks to the universal struggle for human dignity. 

The gallery is accessible to the public through the Ford Foundation building entrance on 43rd Street, east of Second Avenue.

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NEW YORK (April 21, 2025) – The Ford Foundation announced today the election of Richard R. Verma, former ambassador and United States deputy secretary of state for management and resources, to its board. Verma, who will assume the role of chief administrative officer at Mastercard in May, rejoins the Ford Foundation Board after serving as a trustee from 2022 to 2023.

Verma brings international experience across senior levels of government, diplomacy, law and the private sector. Recently, he served as the United States deputy secretary of state for management and resources. Prior to his appointment, Verma was the general counsel and head of global public policy at Mastercard. He served as the U.S. ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017, where he led one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions and championed historic progress in bilateral cooperation on defense, trade, and clean energy. Verma held prominent positions as the assistant secretary of State for Legislative Affairs at the US Department of State and as a national security advisor to former US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He was also a member of the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Commission and a co-author of the commission’s landmark report, “World at Risk.”  

“I look forward to rejoining the Ford Foundation’s work to advance equity worldwide,” Verma said. “At this critical juncture, it is an honor to work alongside my fellow trustees to challenge inequality and protect the inherent dignity of all people.”

Verma was also a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He has served on a number of boards and commissions, including the National Endowment for Democracy, Lehigh University, and the T. Rowe Price corporate board. 

Verma is a US Air Force veteran and is the recipient of numerous military and civilian honors and awards. Verma holds multiple degrees, including his Ph.D. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law. 

Francisco G. Cigarroa, Chair of the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees, said “It is an honor to welcome Richard R. Verma back to the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees. I look forward to working with Richard because of his extensive U.S. and international expertise, including his exemplary leadership attributes. His thoughtful intellect and wisdom will inform our Board’s work, helping to support the foundation’s mission focused on reducing poverty and injustice, strengthening democratic values, promoting international cooperation, and advancing human achievement.”

Verma has long ties to the Ford Foundation as his father immigrated from India to the United States in 1963 to pursue a masters degree on a Ford Foundation fellowship. 

Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation said, “We are fortunate to have Richard’s expertise and unique perspective as a leader who has spent his career tackling the world’s greatest challenges. His insights and passion will be essential to furthering our mission of a more just and equitable world.”

Ford Foundation trustees are elected by the board and serve six-year terms. Trustees set broad policies relating to grantmaking, geographic focus, investments, governance, and professional standards, and they oversee independent audits. The foundation’s trustees come from around the world and have extensive experience in the worlds of higher education, business and finance, technology, law, government, and the nonprofit sector.

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Targets 25% of all funding to be inclusive of people with disabilities by 2027

NEW YORK (April 3, 2025) – The Ford Foundation announced today a major commitment of $15 million over the next three years to advance disability rights worldwide. This investment underscores Ford’s sustained commitment to advancing disability rights as a strategy to accelerate equality around the world.

In addition to this dedicated funding, the foundation announced at least 25% of all of its grantmaking will be inclusive of people with disabilities. This pledge represents a significant step toward embedding disability inclusion into the broader landscape of social justice funding.

“At the Ford Foundation, we believe that advancing disability rights is essential to achieving equality around the world,” said Martín Abregú, vice president for International Programs at the Ford Foundation. “The leadership, resilience, and contributions of the one billion people with disabilities worldwide inspire our commitment to breaking down barriers. We are guided by the expertise of the disability community, whose advocacy helps shape a more inclusive and just society.”

The grants made with this funding will strengthen the inclusion of people with disabilities in Ford’s core programmatic areas, including democracy and civic engagement, gender justice and the care economy, climate justice, and technology.

“For too long, disability has been treated as a niche issue rather than a fundamental component of social justice,” said Catherine Hyde Townsend, senior advisor for disability inclusion at the Ford Foundation. “By embedding disability inclusion across all our funding and advocacy efforts, we aim to create systemic change that ensures people with disabilities have equal opportunities, access, and representation in building a more just and equitable world.”

This commitment builds on the Ford Foundation’s long-standing inclusion of people with disabilities in all its operations and grantmaking. Ford began its work towards disability inclusion under the leadership of Darren Walker, its outgoing president.

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Huntington, W. Va – The Ford Foundation and REDF Impact Investing Fund (RIIF) are deepening their commitment to the future of the Appalachian region, announcing a groundbreaking $5 million initiative that puts investment capital directly in the hands of local students. The Emerging Appalachian Investors Fund will empower students from Marshall University, West Virginia University, and Ohio University to become the next generation of community-focused investors, with plans to expand to more institutions in the future.

The initiative transforms traditional investment education by giving students real-world experience in directing capital to projects that matter to their communities. The fund will support Appalachian Regional Commission initiatives focused on empowering community leaders to use economic development as a catalyst for positive change. This innovative program builds on the Ford Foundation’s recent $6 million investment in the Appalachian Growth Fund (AGF), reflecting a comprehensive strategy to fuel economic growth from within the region. It will support Ford’s ongoing Heartland Initiative, which benefits organizations and individuals in the Midwest, the South, Appalachia, and rural America. Over the past two decades, the Ford Foundation has committed more than $87 million in funding to projects aimed at increasing economic opportunity in the Appalachian region and the Heartland, comprising communities in the Midwest, the South and rural America.

“The entrepreneurial spirit of Appalachia has always been one of its greatest strengths, and now we’re investing in the next generation to amplify that power,” said Roy Swan, Ford Foundation director of Mission Investments. “By putting investment decisions in the hands of emerging Appalachian leaders and their mentors, we’re not just funding businesses—we’re building a new network of local investors who understand their communities’ needs firsthand. This partnership with RIIF and Central Appalachian  universities demonstrates our commitment to creating sustainable economic opportunities that start and stay in Appalachia, and we hope other capital providers will join us in supporting these emerging investors who are shaping their region’s future.”

This program aims to develop a cohort of emerging finance professionals from Appalachian educational institutions. Student investors will gain hands-on experience in early-stage venture capital investments, including deal sourcing, due diligence and underwriting, and portfolio management of the Fund. The initiative will provide learning opportunities for students while also driving capital allocation to early-stage investments, including opportunities that advance Appalachian regional economic priorities. To connect students with regional venture investors, the Fund will collaborate with groups like the West Virginia Investor Collaborative, Wing2Wing Ventures, and Vantage Ventures.

These investments will be managed by RIIF Capital LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the REDF Impact Investing Fund, in partnership with local stakeholders.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Appalachia Emerging Investors Fund. Under president Brad Smith, our strategic plan is to become a prosperity platform for the region,” said Brandon Dennison, Marshall University vice president for Economic and Workforce Development. “Strong partners such as RIIF and the Ford Foundation bring crucial investments and expertise to accelerate economic development for our communities while creating life-changing opportunities for our students in the process.” 

“This important support from the Ford Foundation will give WVU students hands-on experience in impact investing, benefiting businesses today while preparing our students for career success,” said Anne Jones, director of the Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab at West Virginia University.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with REDF and our peer institutions on this groundbreaking initiative. It’s a natural extension of Ohio University’s Bobcat Seed Fund, which has successfully launched student-led ventures and significantly enhanced career opportunities for our student investors,” said Jackie Rees Ulmer, dean of the Ohio University College of Business. “By creating new sources of capital for Appalachian entrepreneurs and building on the success of our partners at TechGROWTH Ohio—a regional venture development fund—this effort can support vibrant, thriving communities across our region. Our goal is to have a positive societal impact, and this collaboration puts us closer to realizing that vision.”

“The firsthand experience students gain in directing capital to impactful projects will help demonstrate how economic development can play an integral role in creating more vibrant communities,” said Carrie McKellogg, CEO of REDF Impact Investing Fund. “By putting capital in the hands of the next generation of venture investors from Appalachia, we can build a diverse bench of proximate leaders who influence long-term economic growth in the region.”

ABOUT REDF IMPACT INVESTING FUND

The REDF Impact Investing Fund (RIIF) provides financing and capacity-building assistance to businesses with a mission to offer jobs, training, and support to people breaking through barriers to employment. RIIF, a certified nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), helps catalyze growth in companies to create more jobs for overlooked talent nationwide. RIIF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation that was incorporated by REDF in 2019. For more information about RIIF, visit redf.org/impact-investing.

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Reverberations: Lineages in Design History features over fifty artists and designers with artworks reflecting rich cultural ancestries through pattern, type, technique, form and beyond. On view March 4 through May 3, the exhibition transforms the gallery into an expansive educational space, reimagining design history to feature Indigenous, Black and People of Color designers and cultural figures.

Published in IMPULSE Magazine  | March 13, 2025

Visual Lineages

By Sterling Corum

Text and dialogue play a key role in understanding culture through linear, traditional learning structure, but Reverberations: Lineages in Design History explore beyond the expected. It is a modicum of learning materials mixed with interactive elements, proving that visual design patterns can be viable tools for understanding how design fits into our lives across generations. Its classroom of works reimagines the medium of protest and dissent, from typical motifs of picket signs to the hints of oppression used in traditional woven Māori panels to the digital reliquary of BIPOC design history, a series of online lectures by Polymode that inspired the exhibition. While this may sound academically rigorous, what you’ll find inside the gallery’s quaint walls is actually a collection that spans lifetimes and speaks for itself, which it now has to. There are no attributions or captions posted next to any of the art pieces—a move that subverts the traditional gallery structure and forces viewers to make connections and absorb each work’s visual impact independently, putting poetry, textile, graphic design, and 3D-printed ceramic all on the same playing field.

Published in STIRworld  | April 2, 2025

‘Reverberations’ reframes narratives of BIPOC design history from a pluriversal lens

By Asmita Singh

Design, like culture, can never stand to be neutral—it often upholds existing power structures or dares to disrupt them. Reverberations: Lineages in Design History, the group exhibition at the Ford Foundation Gallery in New York, makes this tension its central premise. The exhibition offers an educational space reimagining narratives of design traditions, with Indigenous, Black and POC voices as central to its history. From provocative displays of visual and spatial installations to interactive augmented reality experiences imagining a more equitable future, Reverberations is on view at the gallery from March 4 – May 3, 2025.

Published in Hyperallergic  | April 20, 2025

A Vision of Design That Transcends Empire’s Grid

By Petala Ironcloud

Western design has long obeyed the dicta of fin de siècle and early 20th-century Berlin and Paris — that ornament is crime, that form follows function, that clarity trumps complexity. Non-European traditions, however, weren’t peripheral influences to design, but rather systems with their own complex codes. Slipping past the now-famous glass-enclosed forest at the Ford Foundation, I felt the water rippling toward something percussive, living, and deeply modern in Reverberations: Lineages in Design History. The exhibition traces design’s pulse across Indigenous, Black, and other historically marginalized cultures — not as isolated oases, but as multiple continuous and resounding centers. 

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New York, NY — Today, the Ford Foundation announced that Maria Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor of New York City, will return to the foundation as a senior fellow. Senior fellows are leaders who have served with distinction in leadership roles at nonprofits or public interest organizations in the United States and internationally. The Ford Foundation has hosted a select number of senior fellows over the past 20 years.

During her fellowship, Torres-Springer will examine how leaders across the country can drive complex policy solutions in the areas of housing affordability, climate change, and economic insecurity in an increasingly challenging landscape. Before her work in the mayor’s office, Torres-Springer was vice president for U.S. programs at the Ford Foundation, leading domestic grantmaking efforts.

“I am thrilled to welcome back Maria Torres-Springer to the Ford Foundation,” said Ford Foundation president Darren Walker. “Her unwavering commitment to public service has helped better the lives of people and uplift communities in New York City and beyond. I look forward to working together once again and seeing the continued impact of her leadership and vision.”

“The Ford Foundation’s work and mission to dismantle inequality in all its forms is needed now more than ever,” said Torres-Springer. “Across this country, Americans are struggling to find secure footing as costs rise and the bedrocks of stability—affordable places to call home, good jobs, and pathways to opportunity—feel increasingly out of reach. I’m looking forward to once again working with the talented team at Ford, led by the indomitable Darren Walker, and with the broader philanthropic sector in pursuit of new solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges.”

Most recently, Torres-Springer served as New York City’s first deputy mayor as well as deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce, where she led the city’s landmark “City of Yes” plan, the most significant pro-housing reform in New York City history through a range of historic zoning reforms, and oversaw back-to-back record-setting years creating affordable housing for New Yorkers. She also oversaw economic recovery efforts in the wake of COVID-19, helping break New York City’s record for the most jobs created eight times in the last three years. She led transformative investments in public housing, workforce and small business development, and arts and culture while ensuring the city’s most vulnerable communities were not left behind.  

As first deputy mayor, Torres-Springer oversaw the day-to-day operations of the City of New York and had strategic and budgetary oversight of a 300,000+ public sector workforce and an annual $110 billion budget. Previously, as commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Torres-Springer focused on the production of housing for the city’s most vulnerable communities while also launching several new programs to protect tenants’ rights. Earlier in her career, as president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Torres-Springer led the implementation of the new citywide ferry service and made major investments in key sectors of the city’s economy. Prior to that, as commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, Torres-Springer prioritized efforts to raise wages and support women- and immigrant-owned businesses and worked to prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs.  

Torres-Springer received her bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University and her master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. She has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the New York Public Library, WTC Performing Arts Center, New York City Public Housing Authority, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Association for a Better New York’s Spirit of ABNY Award, City & State/Responsible 100’s Lifetime Achievement Award, New Yorkers for Parks’ City Leadership Award, LiveOn NY’s Human Spirit Award, Asian Americans for Equality’s Pioneer Spirit Award, Citizens Housing Planning Council’s Impact Award, New York Housing Conference’s Leadership Award, and women’s leadership awards from The Metropolitan Museum of New York, Crain’s, Bisnow, and Women’s Builders Council.

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The Ford Foundation commits $5.7 million to supporting an intersectional, multi-program, and partner initiative on just energy transitions in Africa

As part of the Ford Foundation’s broader mission to combat inequality around the globe, the foundation has initiated a multi-faceted, five-year initiative to support the advancement of Africa’s just energy transition. The initiative brings together partners based in and working across Africa to advance equitable and just energy transitions. Supported by three Ford Foundation programs (Natural Resources and Climate Justice, Civic Engagement and Government, and Future of Workers), this initiative recognizes that a just energy transition is a whole-of-society endeavor that must respect human and environmental rights, promote sustainable development and economic justice, reduce poverty and inequality, and create decent work and quality jobs.

This initiative recognizes that as African countries initiate their respective energy transitions, they will display a range of approaches and needs. These differences emerge from the unique contexts of their transitions and the different impacts on various stakeholders. A just energy transition will not come from a one-size-fits-all approach; social, economic, and environmental justice—underpinned by inclusion, transparency, and rights protection—must be at the core of its design, ambition, and implementation.  

“Energy transitions will have systemic, far-reaching consequences with differing impacts on various communities, sectors, and more. Working with diverse partners from across civil society, labour, government, and the private sector, this initiative aims to support multi-stakeholder processes of negotiating this distribution of losses and gains in an equitable way that advances climate justice and delivers social and economic development,” said Emmanuel Kuyole, Ford Foundation program officer, Natural Resources and Climate Justice in the Office of West Africa.

“A just and viable transition must include all voices from civil society, Indigenous communities, and those protecting the environment, as well as address different justice claims, and any alternative peaceful views must not be criminalized or punished,” said Otto Saki, Ford Foundation program officer, Civic Engagement and Government International.  

This initiative brings together a diverse group of partner organizations that will navigate and respond to competing definitions of justice through grants, convenings, learning, and research. It will help nurture the broad-based societal coalitions, made up of civil society organizations, policymakers, the private sector, and others, that are needed to advance transformative action that puts Africa on a path towards a more equitable and inclusive low-carbon development trajectory. Additionally, this initiative will prioritize impacts on historically excluded communities and workers and embed gender justice and feminist thinking and approaches.

“A just energy transition needs to be worker-centered and gender-transformative in order to be truly just,” said Ghada Abdel Tawab, Ford Foundation senior program officer, Future of Work(ers). In that sense, the need for social dialogue and negotiation is at the heart of the fund’s mission to catalyze broad social coalitions that can agree on how to balance impacts on communities with different— and often conflicting— justice claims. 

In collaboration with Ford’s Office of Strategy and Learning, the initiative will also produce analytical pieces and case studies that will provide evidence and reflections on what it means to center justice in energy transitions. Through this collaborative effort, where the different strengths of partners are leveraged in the interest of furthering the just transition, the collective influence and expertise of these organizations will support decision-making that keeps the well-being of those most affected by the transition at the forefront. 

“Successful just energy transitions that reduce inequalities will require agreements in which the voices of the majority of—and ideally all—societal actors are represented and have some degree of power, but also in which all actors are prepared to compromise, and in that way build a broad coalition in support of these transitions,” said Anthony Bebbington, Ford Foundation International Director, Natural Resources and Climate Justice. 

The five main partners for this initiative were selected to tackle specific challenges surrounding the just energy transition in Africa:

The Coalition for Human Rights in Development (CHRD): A worldwide Global South association of movements, communities, and organizations that demands accountability from DFIs, governments, and corporations.

Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP): An organization based in Ghana that works to improve economic transformation and inclusive sustainable development in Africa’s extractive governance space.

The African Climate Foundation (ACF): An organization based in South Africa that focuses on developing, supporting, elevating, and catalyzing climate action across Africa through grants, research, technical assistance, and targeted advocacy.

The International Trade Union Confederation Just Transition Center (JTC): An organization that brings together workers, businesses, and governments in social dialogue to ensure that labor is actively engaged in planning for a just transition.

ENDA Energie: A Senegal-based nonprofit with the objective of supporting and guiding communities through transition processes towards lasting and sustainable development.

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Publicado en Relatto

Por Paola Villamarín

De su infancia no quiere hablar. En su casa, en la ciudad de Buenaventura (Pacífico colombiano), no se sentía protegida. Como niña errante, iba de un lugar a otro, sin que nadie la cuidara, lo que la hizo presa de abusos. De su mamá dice que “la relación nunca ha sido ni será”, de su papá no habla y de su abuela materna, que no era el tipo de abuela que “recoge” a una familia. Antes de los 18 años terminó yéndose a vivir con un hombre 14 años mayor que ella, con el que –supo muy pronto– no podía contar. A los 18, sin desearlo, Ana Bolena Rodríguez se convirtió en madre. Y si hasta entonces su vida ya era lo suficientemente compleja, lo que ocurrió el día del parto de su hijo mayor, Juan Sebastián, y lo que vino después la transformaron completamente.

Un parto “violento” de 18 horas, “con golpes físicos y emocionales”, le provocó asfixia perinatal a Juan Sebastián. La abuela paterna fue la primera en notar que no era un niño como los otros. Después, la directora del jardín infantil le dijo que era retraído, que solo le daba relevancia a ciertas cosas. Transcurrieron dos años sin que tuviera idea de qué le pasaba a su hijo. “Lo llevé a una cita con una terapista de lenguaje y me dijo: ‘¿Es que tú no sabes que él es autista?’. En esa época nadie hablaba de autismo; de hecho, yo nunca había oído esa palabra. Salí en trance y quedé atrapada en una crisis nerviosa que duró varios años”, recuerda.

Vino la negación. Luego, la búsqueda incesante de una cura. Eran tiempos de depresión en los que se iba de viaje con su hijo, sin un peso en el bolsillo, para que recibiera algún tratamiento mágico. Tiempos en los que se sentía sola, perdida y desamparada. Tiempos en los que hubiera preferido no vivir, borrarse de este mundo. “Yo no solo era mujer, sino una mujer negra y pobre”, suspira. Era también la madre y cuidadora de un niño con discapacidad que nunca había conocido a otra persona como él en Buenaventura.

Esta mañana, Ana Bolena Rodríguez anda en su casa con mucho qué resolver porque su fundación, Asesorarte, lanzará la investigación exploratoria ‘Derechos de las personas afrodescendientes con discapacidad en Colombia, caso de Buenaventura’.

Leer el artículo completo

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The Ford Foundation’s JustFilms program is pleased to announce an estimated $4.2 million in funding for 2024 to empower documentary filmmakers and organizations addressing some of the world’s most pressing social issues. This investment will support 46 film projects and initiatives, highlighting the foundation’s unwavering commitment to advancing narrative power and justice through the art of storytelling.  

In addition to production grants, this year’s funding also deepens Ford’s commitment to historically marginalized voices through initiatives like the International Access Consortium, an industry-led effort to advance disability inclusion, and support for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated filmmakers. These efforts highlight the foundation’s proactive response to shifting distribution challenges and its dedication to fostering accessibility and equity across the industry. 

Among the forthcoming projects are six documentaries set to premiere in competition at the US & World documentaries categories at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, reflecting a diverse array of urgent and timely issues: 

“Free Leonard Peltier,” a feature documentary film that aims to shed light on the urgent legal battle of a former leader of the American Indian Movement. 

“Heightened Scrutiny” explores the reversal in US media’s reporting on trans issues, delving into its effects on trans lives and questioning how this shift occurred. 

“How to Build a Library” is a documentary film following the revitalization and decolonization of a dilapidated colonial library in downtown Nairobi. 

“Seeds,” a documentary film depicting a portrait of a centennial African-American farm in Thomasville, Georgia. 

“Life After” explores the complex ethical challenges faced by disabled communities and the media narratives that shape their experience. 

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” to explore the groundbreaking achievements of deaf actress Marlee Matlin, chronicling her career as an actor, author, and advocate. 

More information on this years’ selection  

At JustFilms, we pride ourselves in supporting a broad spectrum of documentary features and filmmakers from diverse geographies whose work creatively engages with reality through the themes of environmental justice, disability rights, labor movements, and Indigenous activism, among others.  

“The documentary field is at a critical inflection point. As media consolidation accelerates and streaming platforms focus on formulaic, profit-driven content, independent filmmakers face shrinking opportunities to fund, distribute, and connect their work with audiences,” said Jon-Sesrie Goff, Program Officer, JustFilms, Creativity and Free Expression.  

“In the U.S., public media—a historically vital platform for diverse and courageous storytelling—remains critically underfunded, ranking among the lowest globally in per capita investment. This underfunding leaves significant gaps in access to independent stories that challenge dominant narratives, build community, inspire collective action. Independent films have the unique ability to serve as a window to other worlds and, for audiences with mobility challenges or incarcerated populations, can act as a rare portal for connection through accessible programming.” 

Documentaries can expand our understanding of the world as they bring to light stories that bridge divides to inspire collective action. By funding work that develops new artistic methods, puts forth unseen perspectives, and tackles urgent social issues, we help ensure that these outstanding works of non-fiction contribute meaningfully to building a more just and inclusive society. 

“We are committed to supporting independent filmmakers as central agents of narrative power,” said Paulina Suárez, Program Officer, JustFilms, Creativity and Free Expression. “By addressing systemic barriers and championing films with the potential to shift public consciousness, we work toward building a more equitable future. This moment calls for renewed investment in a just documentary ecosystem—one that nurtures the voices and stories essential for global connection and meaningful change.” 

For a full list of documentary film projects funded in 2024 by JustFilms, please visit: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/justfilms/ 

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
Director(s): Shoshannah Stern
Producer(s): Robyn Kopp, Shoshannah Stern, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen
In 1987 Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and at twenty-one was thrust into the national spotlight. Reflecting on her life for the first time in her primary language of ASL, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be the first. 

Untitled
Director(s): Giselle Bailey & Stephen Bailey (co-directors)
Producer(s): Giselle Bailey & Stephen Bailey (co-producers)
This secret hybrid feature film travels through time to unravel a recurring American nightmare. Flashing between an unsolved mystery from decades past and a tense present-day investigation, this unfolding story probes the very core of our nation’s ideals: Who in America is truly allowed to achieve freedom and at what cost? 

Let No One Lose Heart
Director(s): Alexandra Norris
Producer(s): Alexandra Norris, Cora Atkinson, Jonathan Hall, Lucy Sexton
The story of Sharon Lavigne, a 74-year-old grandmother and activist fighting industrial pollution in “Cancer Alley,” Louisiana. Her faith fuels her battle against environmental injustice and corporate accountability. 

The Franchise
Director(s): Vee Bravo
Producer(s): Vee Bravo
After serving 32 years in the prison system, Alejo Rodriguez uncovers the intricate connections between industry profits and incarceration in New York. The Franchise explores the economic ties between upstate New York’s prison townships and South Bronx communities, examining the impacts of a prison economy on marginalized populations. 

Gu juk gio gu Yooxiꞌ 
Director(s): Selene Galindo
Producer(s): Luna Marán, Selene Galindo
A poetic journey through family history and territory in the O’dam Sierra in southern Durango, Mexico. The film traverses mourning, memories, and animation to tell a larger story of loss and resilience. 

Pülö: bloodstream of the Kirike
Director(s): Christina Ifubaraboye
Producer(s): Ufuoma Ogagarue
Pülö means blood and oil. Oil is the blood of Kirike, it keeps the people going. Blood is the stream of life, what happens when this stream is poisoned? The lives of the Kirike people, who rely on the island’s water, are under threat. 

Drowned Land
Director(s): Colleen Thurston
Producer(s): Michelle Svenson
Deep in the Choctaw Nation of rural Oklahoma rages a fight to preserve the Kiamichi River, reckoning with a cycle of land loss for the Indigenous diaspora and the community at large. 

NURSE STATION
Director(s): Peter Nicks
Producer(s): Hannah Roodman
A cinéma vérité documentary following three nurses as they care for others—and themselves—amid the wake of a global pandemic. 

The Quiet Part
Director(s): Rachel Lauren Mueller
Producer(s): Ariel Tilson
The arrival of a white supremacist pagan church ignites a struggle for the soul of an American town. An unsettling look at the conditions that allow overt racism to fester, the film considers how quickly resistance turns to habituation, offering a disturbing warning about the normalization of extremism. 

Shadow of Nanook
Director(s): Jim Compton, Peadar King
Producer(s): Melvin Estrella, Pegi Vail, Peadar King
Nanook of the North director Robert Flaherty’s unacknowledged granddaughter Martha Flaherty explores the darker side of the film’s legacy on the descendants the filmmaker left behind and seeks justice for her Inuit family’s exile to the High Arctic by Canada to serve as ‘human flags’ during the cold war. She passes on the torch of Indigenous activism to her children. 

Survival Floating
Director(s): Tracy Heather Strain
Producer(s): Tracy Heather Strain, Robin Hessman, Randall MacLowry and Yvonne Welbon
Through archival materials and evocative imagery, this feature documentary explores Black peoples’ complex relationships with water and the impact of racial discrimination on swimming. 

Natchez
Director(s): Suzannah Herbert
Producer(s): Darcy McKinnon
In a rural Mississippi town reliant on its antebellum past to survive, a reckoning is at hand. Haunting and gothic, NATCHEZ captures an unsettling clash between memory and history, revealing a panorama of hoop skirts, shackles, drag queens, pilgrimages, and long-buried truths…Who gets to tell America’s story? 

The Inventory
Director(s): ilana coleman
Producer(s): Jamie Gonçalves, Natalia Nava, Ivonne Villalón
The Inventory juxtaposes the nonfiction testimonials of mothers searching for their sons who disappeared in Mexico against a bureaucratic committee of linguists searching for a missing word. 

For Venida, For Kalief
Director(s): Sisa Bueno
Producer(s): Sisa Bueno
A poetic exploration of Venida Browder’s life and activism following the tragic loss of her son, Kalief, weaving visuals and storytelling into a bold reimagining of criminal justice reform. 

Time Hunter
Director(s): Daniel Chein, Mushiva
Producer(s): David Felix Sutcliffe, Daniel Chein
A sci-fi documentary blending verité, hip-hop, and African futurism to tell the story of Mushiva, a creative technologist and his alter ego, a bionic agitator resisting colonial forces. 

Eyes on the Prize Reclaimed
Director(s): Marco Williams
Producer(s): Marco Williams, Maia Harris, Danielle Beverly
Reexamines the seminal Eyes on the Prize documentary, exploring whether this critical history of the Civil Rights Movement is at risk of censorship and erasure. 

Papertown
Director(s): Jeremy Seifert
Producer(s): Chris Pruett, Colby Sexton, Ryan Suffern, Rebekah Fergusson
When a paper mill in a small Appalachian town suddenly closes, leaving 1,200 people without jobs and undoing the economic fabric that has held the town together for over a century, how will its people navigate the impending transformation of their way of life and identity as a community? 

Untitled Marlon James Jamaica Gay Liberation Documentary
Director(s): Stephen Winter
Producer(s): Brian Montopoli, Marlon James, Stephen Winter
Booker Prize-winning novelist Marlon James returns to Jamaica to confront the colonial roots of homophobia and celebrate untold stories of LGBTQIA triumph and resilience. 

Good Morning Buffalo
Director(s): Thomas Allen Harris
Producer(s): Jennifer Tucker
In 2022, a white teenager drove 200 miles to kill Black people in a neighborhood supermarket in downtown Buffalo. After the cameras leave, and a traumatized community is trying to heal, a local father and daughter legal team, whose family survived an earlier mass shooting, takes on social media companies and the arms industry to fight for justice. 

A City in the Forest
Director(s): Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber-Rhoades
Producer(s): Ike Rofe
Chronicles the battle to protect Atlanta’s urban forest against the construction of a massive police training facility, exploring themes of environmental racism, political corruption, and activism. 

Nine
Director(s): Rachael DeCruz and Jeremy S. Levine
Producer(s): Rajal Pitroda
Follows Gerald “Nine” Hankerson’s journey from life in prison to freedom, as he organizes to help his incarcerated mentor, Henry, come home. 

Life After
Director(s): Reid Davenport
Producer(s): Colleen Cassingham
Investigates the story of Elizabeth Bouvia, a disabled woman whose fight for the right to die in 1983 sparked a national debate on autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. 

Molly vs the Machines
Director(s): Marc Silver
Producer(s): Kat Mansoor, Natalie Humphreys
Follows the tragic story of Molly Russell, whose death at age 14 ignited a fight against social media corporations and the systems prioritizing profit over children’s safety. 

Untitled
Director(s): Suja A. Thomas
Producer(s): Kirsten Johnson
Through humor and activism, law professor Suja A. Thomas critiques the American justice system, exposing its flaws and calling for reform through engaging storytelling. 

American Coup: Wilmington 1898
Director(s): Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen
Producer(s): Rachel Raney and Cameo George
Explores the only coup d’état in U.S. history, a deadly insurrection in Wilmington, NC, that dismantled Black political and economic power. 

With Time
Director(s): Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus
Producer(s): Jesse Miller
A hybrid film featuring trans elders participating in a storytelling workshop that culminates in scripted scenes exploring moments of trans euphoria and connection. 

Aanikoobijigan (ancestor / great-grandparent / great-grandchild)
Director(s): Adam and Zack Khalil
Producer(s): Grace Remington, Steve Holmgren, Franny Alfano, Tiffany Sia
Follows tribal repatriation specialists fighting to return Indigenous human remains from museum archives while confronting the colonial worldviews that justified their collection. 

The Ride Ahead
Director(s): Samuel Habib and Dan Habib
Producer(s): Dan Habib, Erica Lupinacci
Follows Samuel Habib, a disabled young man, as he seeks to navigate adulthood, find love, and build a future with the support of a disability activist community. 

Untitled (Art and Disability Culture)
Director(s): Reveca Torres
Producer(s): Reveca Torres
Through a tapestry of letters, journals, and art, Chicago-based artist Reveca Torres engages in a dialogue with iconic disabled artists Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse who have inspired her own work. Bridging time and space, she intertwines their lives and works with the works of contemporary artists with disabilities. 

Untitled Pennhurst Film
Director(s): Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, Kat Poljak
Producer(s): Daniel Chalfen
A deep dive into the untold stories of the Pennhurst asylum and the lives it impacted. 

Black Voters Matter
Director(s): Daresha Kyi
Producer(s): Trevite Willis
Black Voters Matter is a feature length documentary about the co-founders of the Black Voters Matter Fund, Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown, the work they do to empower African American communities especially in the rural south, and the crucial role they played in flipping Georgia from red to blue in the 2020 Presidential election and the 2021 Georgia Senate Runoffs. 

Between Starshine and Clay: The Hidden Diary of Diahann Carroll
Director(s): Susanne Rostock & Suzanne Kay
Producer(s): Ben Arnon, Erika Alexander, Suzanne Kay, Susanne Rostock
Diahann Carroll’s daughter Suzanne Kay unearths her mother’s hidden diary, revealing untold stories of a Harlem-born icon’s life and legacy. 

Unplanned
Director(s): Josephine Decker
Producer(s): Michael Gottwald
Artist and filmmaker Josephine Decker returns to her hometown of Dallas to understand the impact of Dobbs on Texan women and families. As these teen moms navigate Dallas’ labyrinthian housing voucher program and work 10-hour days to support their kids and partners and afford transportation, their challenges reveal a crisis of resources. 

Captions Will Be Needed
Director(s): Natalia Almada
Producer(s): Josh Penn, Esther Robinson
A magical-realist documentary exploring the filmmaker’s journey through a rare cancer diagnosis and a world of uncertainty shaped by omnipotent technology. 

Untitled Animal Project
Director(s): Jessica Kingdon
Producer(s): Nathan Truesdell and Jamie Gonçalves
Examines humanity’s ambivalent relationships with animals, from factory farming to recreational spaces, exploring themes of sentience and exploitation. 

Finding Má
Director(s): Thanh Tran
Producer(s): Eurie Chung, Anthony Pedone, Grace Lee
After 20 years apart, a Vietnamese American family shattered by the foster care and prison systems reunites to heal old wounds and rebuild their family, starting with finding their unhoused mother in the streets of Sacramento. 

The People Vs. Austerity / El Pueblo Vs. La Austeridad
Director(s): Vivian Vázquez Irizarry and Gretchen Hildebran
Producer(s): Vivian Vázquez Irizarry, Gretchen Hildebran and Neyda Martinez
Explores the impact of austerity measures in Puerto Rico and the resilience of families fighting to meet basic needs while questioning political accountability. 

MUJERES PUBLICAS (PUBLIC WOMEN)
Director(s): Agustina Comedi
Producer(s): ISLA BONITA FILMS (Magali Mérida) 

Matininó
Director(s): Gabriela Arp
Producer(s): Karla Claudio, Wendy Muñiz, Guillermo Zouain 

Untitled Chilean Film
Director(s): Carola Fuentes
An international team of journalists investigates the environmental costs left by US-based multinationals in Latin America. 

Les Creuseurs: Beyond The Cobalt Rush
Director(s): Cydney Tucker
In the heart of the southern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a small mining community fights for autonomy and its way of life amid the next iteration of the global green revolution. See how local farmers and families work together to fight a multinational land grab for their region’s most precious resources, cobalt, and lithium. Through activism, protests, and grass-roots organizing, Les Creuseurs shows the power of community, and what it means to bear witness and combat against modern-day colonialism. 

The Inquisitor
Director(s): Angela Tucker
Producer(s): Trevite Willis, Moira Griffin
A trailblazer in American politics, Barbara Jordan shattered barriers as the first Black woman to serve in Congress from the South, becoming a powerful voice for civil rights and constitutional integrity during the tumultuous Watergate era. This documentary unravels her enduring legacy, exploring her eloquent advocacy for justice and her complex personal journey in a nation grappling with its own identity. 

Free Leonard Peltier
Director(s): Jesse Short Bull, David France
Producer(s): David France, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Bird Runningwater
Leonard Peltier, one of the surviving leaders of the American Indian Movement, has been in prison for 50 years following a contentious conviction. A new generation of Native activists is committed to winning his freedom before he dies. 

Heightened Scrutiny
Director(s): Sam Feder
Producer(s): Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
Fearless civil rights lawyer, Chase Strangio, battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents’ access to life-saving healthcare, confronting not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the fight for trans rights. 

Latino Vote ‘24
Director(s): Bernardo Ruiz
Producer(s): Andres Cediel, Marcia Robiou, Bernardo Ruiz
A cross-platform, journalism-driven documentary project examining the priorities of a politically and racially diverse Latino/x/e electorate in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. 

WITHIN SIGHT AND SOUND
Director(s): Assia Boundaoui
Producer(s): Jess Devaney
Intimately follows grassroots organizers in Chicago as they mobilize their communities as part of a nation-wide movement to end U.S. aid for the ongoing genocide in Gaza; through historic and contemporary archives the film cinematically grapples with the haunting echoes of the anti-war zeitgeist of 1968 and the specter of history repeating itself.

Collateral Echoes
Director(s): Baff Akoto
Producer(s): Lidz-Ama Appiah
A Feature Documentary Artist Film concerned with the disproportionate instances of Black and Immigrant Britons who have died at the hands of the police since records began in 1969.

Walk With Me
Director(s): Denise Alder
Producer(s): Maxine Watson, Luti Fagbenle, Andy Mundy-Castle
In July 2020, Rob Bliss, a young, white journalist, posted a video of what happened when he held up a ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign in Harrison, Arkansas, ‘the most racist town in America’. It went viral, attracting 12 million views. What Bliss did next was remarkable. Bliss decides to walk 1500 miles through the American South, wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt, inviting the people he meets to walk with him.

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