Ford Foundation
One of the largest foundations, with a mission-investing mandate.
Institutional LP CapitalFirmGlobal, U.S.-centric
Target market
Established managers, plus mission-aligned and diverse emerging managers
Typical check
Foundation-scale commitments; smaller checks via mission-related program
Geography
Global, U.S.-centric
Overview
The Ford Foundation invests a multi-billion-dollar endowment to fund grant-making in perpetuity, with a long-standing private-markets program that includes venture. In 2017 it committed $1 billion of its endowment to mission-related investments — a program that has made it one of the most prominent institutional backers of diverse and mission-aligned fund managers. For emerging GPs whose strategy carries genuine impact or access dimensions, Ford is one of the few endowment-scale LPs with an explicit mandate to look beyond the established roster.
Key facts
- One of the largest private foundations in the United States
- Committed $1B of endowment to mission-related investments in 2017
- Prominent backer of diverse and first-time fund managers
- Permanent capital invested to sustain perpetual grant-making
- Headquartered in New York