Ford Foundation

Entrepreneurship can be key to women’s economic security—and freedom from violence. “The footprint of investing in a woman entrepreneur is really massive,” said Asahi Pompey, Global Head of Corporate Engagement and Chair of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, because women tend to reinvest in their communities. She spoke with Stephanie Mehta, CEO and Chief Content Officer at Mansueto Ventures, at Free Future: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World. Watch clips from all the sessions at ourfreefuture.org. #16Days #orangetheworld #FreeFuture

For nearly a century, the Henry Ford Museum (THF) has served as the definitive archive of American ingenuity, housing the nation's most comprehensive collection of artifacts that offer a historical perspective on innovation. THF is not only focused on the past, but also crucially looks towards the future. The Museum is actively working to ensure all young people have access to its programs, regardless of ability, race, or economic status, because ingenuity grows when opportunity does. https://lnkd.in/gucMBQji

The Promote the Vote Fund (PTVF) is an innovative model for structural democracy in Michigan. They’re building on the state’s recent voting rights gains by developing and distributing know your rights guides to voters and officials. By uniting local coalitions and rolling out rapid response systems and hotlines to counter voter suppression efforts, PTVF works to ensure access to the ballot is not merely transactional, but deeply rooted. https://lnkd.in/d8naay6f

Mississippi Engaged deploys a year-round strategy to protect and expand voting rights in the state. They unite local groups to provide extensive community education on election procedures and work to remove systemic barriers to the ballot. Mississippi Engaged works to build long-term community power so every Mississippian can shape their future. https://lnkd.in/ead4tgpY

Ending gender-based violence isn’t a far-fetched dream—it’s a goal that is actually within reach, if only we would treat it that way, and work together to get there. That’s the driving idea behind ALL IN: Global Leaders for Ending Gender-Based Violence—a new landmark initiative launching today, and established with support from the Ford Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, with the Equality Institute as secretariat. And it’s also the driving idea behind Free Future: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World, the annual convening of visionary leaders—three of whom join ALL IN on its inaugural panel of advisors. Here, we hear their words on the Free Future stage over the years. Listen to Tarana Burke, Geeta Rao Gupta and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and know: The crisis of violence is not inevitable. It is solvable. And this is how we do it.

Researchers estimate that experiencing a single act of assault costs a survivor $122,000 over her lifetime. But behind that piece of data are real people, with real lives—who need to be heard. Enter Tony Award-winning performer Kara Young. At this year’s Free Future: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World, she brought to life the real testimony of survivors like Sally and Brooke, who spoke about the lost jobs, financial hardship, long months sleeping on couches that came after their assaults. And they talked about solutions: the economic lifelines that helped them find stability and justice. These pieces were drawn from interviews completed by Rebecca Loya, Ph.D., a research scientist the Institute for Economic and Racial Equity at Brandeis University, who studies the economic impact of sexual violence. Watch all the sessions, and learn more about the work to end violence, at ourfreefuture.org. #16Days #orangetheworld #FreeFuture

When you think of gender-based violence, do you think of poverty? Reema Nanavaty does. As the director of the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA), she sees the ways that women in the informal work economy are vulnerable to economic exploitation and climate change. She has spent her career working to change that. SEWA has grown to represent more than three million women; it is now the world’s largest collective protecting workers in the informal economy. Nanavaty spoke with Ford Foundation’s Sarita Gupta at this year’s Free Future: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World, which explored the link between economic practices and the work to keep women and girls safe from violence. Watch clips from all the sessions at ourfreefuture.org. #16Days #orangetheworld #FreeFuture

The fight for accessible voting is the fight for democracy itself. An audit by our grantee, Detroit Disability Power (DDP), found that only 12% of polling places in the city met accessibility standards, often lacking trained staff and private voting booths. DDP is advocating for better training, working machines, and physical access so that everyone can shape the future of our democracy. More here. https://lnkd.in/ekMSTeRr

What does the economy have to do with gender violence? Everything, says economist Fatimah Ya-Fanah Kelleher. She sat down at this year’s Free Future: Preventing Gender Violence Around the World to discuss the powerful ways our economic lives and our safety are intertwined. Watch clips from all this year’s sessions, read an interview with Kelleher about her work, and learn more about the work to prevent gender-based violence, at ourfreefuture.org. #16Days #orangetheworld #FreeFuture

"Talent is well-distributed, but opportunity is not." Our partners are working to change that! At the Heartland Summit 2025 in Bentonville, Arkansas, we met inspiring entrepreneurs like Elysia and Zach of Gnargo Bike Co. Their thriving custom e-bike business, supported by the Builders + Backers Idea Accelerator program in partnership with Heartland Forward (initiatives we proudly support), proves what’s possible when innovation and opportunity meet! The Summit brings together policymakers, investors, and leaders to unlock better jobs and economic opportunity across the Heartland. Learn more about these innovators and the future they are building! https://lnkd.in/eJauAcn8