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Darren Walker

Darren Walker: Humanitarian and Ford Foundation President (link)
Nationality:

American
Occupation:

President, Ford Foundation

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Darren Walker is as of 2025 the outgoing president of the Ford Foundation, one of the largest left-leaning grantmaking foundations in the United States. 1 In 2015, he implemented a major re-structuring of Ford’s granting priorities designed to create what Walker characterized as a “social-justice infrastructure” that would develop “an entire generation of social-justice leaders around the world.” 2 3 Some representative examples of left-leaning policy advocacy organizations included in the Ford Foundation’s 2019 grants included the Center for Popular Democracy ($1 million), the Center for American Progress ($730,000), Allied Media Projects ($3.2 million), the New America Foundation ($2.5 million), the Center for Community Change ($5.3 million), the Economic Policy Institute ($2.7 million), the Alliance for Justice ($2.6 million), and the Alliance for Youth Organizing ($2 million). 4

In a September 2019 interview with the New York Times titled “How Being a 13-Year-Old Busboy Prepared Darren Walker to Lead the Ford Foundation,” Walker stated that America was producing “the kind of capitalism that Adam Smith would be ashamed of.” Walker argued that, “we capitalists don’t like to talk about two things: redistribution and regulation. If our capitalism is to be successful, we’ve got to talk about those two things.” Walker also said, “This is going to sound snarky, but if you want the American dream, move to Canada, because Canada has a higher level of social mobility and economic mobility than we do in this country.” 5

Walker’s total compensation as president and a trustee of the Ford Foundation was $1.3 million in 2023. 6 Beginning in 2016 and continuing at least until May 2020, Walker was also a board member of PepsiCo. 7 8 In 2017, PepsiCo reported combined annual cash and stock compensation for non-employee directors would be increased to $290,000. 9

In 2024, Walker announced that he would retire from his post as president of Ford in late 2025. Walker has been described as “the most influential foundation leader in modern philanthropy.” 10

Background

Walker was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1959.  At about the age of four, Walker moved to Texas, where he lived with his mother and aunt. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving his undergraduate degree in 1982. In 1986 he graduated from the University of Texas Law School. 11

Early Career

After graduation, Walker moved to New York City to work for the prestigious law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, and Hamilton. He later resigned from the law firm and took a job with UBS selling mortgage-backed securities. These two roles, Walker said, helped him to understand markets, as well as project finance and client management. 11 12

In 1991, Walker saw a copy of The Economist magazine with the headline, “America’s Wasted Blacks.” This led to another career change. Walker left UBS, and for the next year he volunteered at the Children’s Storefront School in Harlem. 13

His next major employment was as the chief operating officer of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, a non-profit development project of the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem. Here he used his background in finance to develop community revitalization projects for Harlem, including the construction of a community school and homes for poor families. 14 15

In 2001, Walker joined the Rockefeller Foundation, where he oversaw poverty program grants in his role as director of U.S. programs from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he was promoted to vice president of foundation initiatives at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he oversaw the Foundation’s programs in response to Hurricane Katrina. 16 17

Ford Foundation and Early Work

The Ford Foundation is a major funder of left-leaning economic, labor, and climate policy organizations. As of the end of 2018, the Ford Foundation held assets of $12.6 billion. As its president, Walker oversaw more than $500 million in annual grants. In 2018, the Foundation gave grants totaling $536 million, down from a record high of $668 million in 2017. Operating expenses for the Foundation were $103 million in 2018, approximately the same as 2016 and 2017. 18

In March 2010, Walker was hired by the Ford Foundation as vice president of one of its three major program areas: Education, Creativity and Free Expression. In that role, Walker was given authority over more than $150 million in annual grants. Upon his hiring, a Ford Foundation statement said Walker would “lead the foundation’s work on school reform, next generation media regulation, development of new arts spaces, and sexual health and rights globally.” 13

During his time as vice president of education, creativity, and free expression, Walker oversaw 30 percent of the Ford Foundation’s grants. Among the projects he funded were Just Films, a fund for left-of-center advocacy documentaries, as well as ArtPlace, a public-private collaboration for cultural development in rural parts of the United States. He also oversaw offices that oversaw grants for Africa and the Middle East. 16

Ford Foundation Presidency

In 2013, Walker took over leadership of the Ford Foundation, becoming the Foundation’s 10th President. The Ford Foundation’s endowment had fallen significantly during the recession of 2008-2009, leading to significant staff cuts. While the endowment had grown after the recession, the Ford Foundation’s staffing remained at a lower level. Upon taking over as president, Walker announced Ford would not “take a formulaic approach to staffing,” but would tailor the Foundation’s staffing levels to their grant-making strategy. 1

Among his early goals, Walker set about to repair the difficult relationship the Ford Foundation had long had with the heirs of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and with the city of Detroit, both of which felt the Ford Foundation had left them behind. In 2014, as Detroit was undergoing a municipal bankruptcy, the bankruptcy mediator appealed to a variety of foundations to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to rescue Detroit from bankruptcy. After months of negotiations, Walker agreed to a Ford Foundation donation of $125 million over 15 years as part of a “grand bargain” to save Detroit, arguing that, “We can’t give up on our cities.” 19

General Funding Priorities

Upon taking over as president of the Ford Foundation, Walker spent two years doing an organizational assessment. In 2015, he announced major strategic and operational changes with his “Ford Forward” plan. The plan reduced the areas in which the Ford Foundation was involved from 35 initiatives to 15. The goal, Walker said, was “to do fewer things better, rather than more at less than our best.” The result was fewer, but larger, grants. The Ford Foundation also began contributing more to fund the operating budgets rather than specific programs of organizations it funded. Walker announced that Ford would wind down its funding for “conditional cash transfers in Latin America, microfinance, and, in the US, our initiatives extending the school day, building arts spaces, engaging religion in the public sphere, and more.” 2

Most significantly, Walker announced Ford “would focus on combating inequality.” The objective of this change was to create what Walker called “social-justice infrastructure” in order to develop “an entire generation of social-justice leaders around the world.” 2 3

Program Areas

The Foundation works in seven areas: Civic Engagement and Government; Creativity and Free Expression; Future of Work(ers); Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice; Just Cities and Regions; Natural Resources and Climate Change; and Technology and Society. 20

Within these seven areas, grant recipients must show how their work addresses inequality. For example, Walker said that Ford would continue to provide grants to help local communities control their natural resources, but grantees now “need to show they protect people who are disproportionately hurt by global warming.” The Ford Foundation will also continue supporting arts and culture, but “artists, filmmakers, and choreographers will need to focus on social justice and challenge ‘dominant narratives’ that perpetuate inequality.” 3

Some representative examples of the left-leaning policy advocacy organizations included in the Ford Foundation’s 2019 general grants priorities included the Center for Popular Democracy ($1 million), the Center for American Progress ($730,000), Allied Media Projects ($1.5 million), the New America Foundation ($2.5 million), Faith in Action ($855,000), the Institute for Policy Studies ($550,000), and Friends of the Earth ($220,000). 4

Also in 2019 Ford gave at least $69.2 million in general grants to four fiscal sponsorship and pass-through organizations with a history of strong support for left-leaning policy programs to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors ($47 million), the New Venture Fund ($10.7 million), NEO Philanthropy ($6.2 million), and Borealis Philanthropy ($5.3 million). 4

Walker has described himself as an advocate of “diversity” but not “wokeness or political correctness.” He claims “I am not actually interested in DEI as an ideology. I’m interested in it because I want the companies that I’m on the board of, for example, to win in the marketplace. And diversity will contribute to that.” 21

Walker has called billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, “probably the boldest, most courageous and visionary philanthropist living today. She has invested in racial justice, gender justice, historically Black colleges and universities and racial equity in philanthropy, which very few living donors are engaged and committed to.” 22

Build Program Funding

In addition to the Ford Foundation’s general grant priorities noted above, Walker’s 2015 philanthropy strategy also included the creation of a special $1 billion commitment over five years to the BUILD program. BUILD was promoted as a project to “strengthen select organizations and networks that are central to our overall strategy to reduce inequality.” 23 24 This marked a major shift away from the wide net approach the Ford Foundation had previously taken, and towards a much more targeted development of “strategic partner” relationships with a select group of grantees who would “work together to influence broader networks and fields.” 25

By 2019, the Ford Foundation’s BUILD program had 270 partner organizations in 26 countries. 26

Ford gave $67.1 million in U.S.-based BUILD grants in 2019. Some representative examples of the left-leaning policy advocacy organizations receiving 2019 BUILD grants included the Center for Community Change ($5.3 million), the Economic Policy Institute ($2.7 million), Allied Media Projects ($1.7 million), the Alliance for Justice ($2.6 million), the Alliance for Youth Organizing ($2 million), the Grassroots Policy Project ($2.4 million). State Voices ($600,000) and Demos ($300,000). 4

Detroit Grand Bargain

In 2014, Walker was involved in the negotiation and implementation of the Detroit Grand Bargain, a spending plan towards alleviating the city’s then-$20 billion debt. In a statement, Walker claimed, “we’re not in the business of solving bankruptcies, but we do solve big problems and work with leaders at the city level and the community level, public and private sectors, to help solve community problems.” 27 28

South Africa

In 2015, the Ford Foundation worked with Open Society Foundations, and Atlantic Philanthropies to launch the $25 million Constitution Fund to support democratic institutions in South Africa. 29

Art for Justice Fund

In 2017, the Ford Foundation launched the $100 million “Art for Justice Fund” through financing from philanthropist Agnes Gund who sold off some of her art collection to raise the funds. The Art for Justice Fund claims to provide grants to nonprofits that seek to reduce “mass incarceration.”  30

America’s Cultural Treasurers

In September 2020, the Ford Foundation worked with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Abrams Foundation, the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, and Tom and Lisa Blumenthal to create the America’s Cultural Treasure fund. The fund claimed it would help support minority-owned artistic organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund was started with $156 million, $50 million of which came from the Ford Foundation. 31

Black Feminist Fund

In 2021, the Ford Foundation launched the Black Feminist Fund with $15 million in funding towards supporting African-American communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Walker claimed, “All around the world we’re seeing that women—specifically women of color—are bearing the brunt of the pandemic and its domino effect of consequences.” 32

Disability Philanthropy

In 2021, Walker announced that the Ford Foundation was launching U.S. Disability Rights, its first grantmaking program focused on supporting disabled individuals. Early grant recipients included the Century Foundation, the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund, and Crushing Colonialism. 33 34

Response to “Conservative Populism”

In 2021, then-U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) referred to the Ford Foundation and the Gates Foundation as “fundamentally cancers on American society but they pretend to be charities, so they benefit from preferential tax treatment” while promoting “radical left-wing ideology.” Then-Senator Vance also suggested that the government should “seize their assets.” 35 36 In response, Walker asked Hudson Institute senior fellow William Schambra to speak to Ford’s board about the threat of “conservative populism” to nonprofits. 35

Resignation

In July 2024, Walker announced that he would step down from his role as president of Ford in late 2025. Walker claimed his decision was “driven by diminishing excitement and exhilaration over the job.” 21 34

Other Work

In December 2024, it was announced that Walker, who was a long-time board member of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., would become president of the organization. 37

In 2022, Walker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the British monarch in recognition of his services supporting U.S.-British relations. Walker had previously worked on projects led by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development which it claimed would help promote government transparency and democratic institutions within the country. 38 That same year, Walker was also awarded the Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his commitment to the arts. 34

Walker sits on the board of Netflix as of 2025. 39

Walker is an active Twitter user at the handle “@DarrenWalker.” He uses Twitter to promote events, shows and media in which he is involved, to promote Ford Foundation initiatives and media coverage, and to offer general commentary on philanthropy. 40 1

In 2019, Walker put forward his vision of philanthropy in a book, From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth, published by the Ford Foundation. In it, Walker and other contributors argued that philanthropy is “a tool for achieving economic, social, and political justice,” and that justice requires “that all members of society recognize their privilege and position, address the root causes of social ills, and seek out and listen to those who live amid and experience injustice.” 41

In addition to his role with the Ford Foundation, Walker is involved with a variety of other organizations. He is a co-chair of New York City’s Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers. He is a member of the Commission on the Future of Rikers Island Correctional Institution, the International Labor Organization Commission on the Future of Work, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 42

Walker sits or has sat on the boards of directors of PepsiCo, Carnegie Hall, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Gallery of Art, the High Line, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Art Bridges, the HOW Institute for Society, VOW to End Child Marriage, and the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment. 42

PepsiCo Controversy

In 2016, Walker joined the Board of Directors of Pepsico. 8 This created controversy because of Ford’s professed major goal of mitigating poverty, the link between obesity and poverty in the United States, and how these factors could potentially conflict with PepsiCo’s business model of selling sugary products while lobbying against regulatory proposals being promoted as remedies for obesity. 8 43

A New York Times report, “An Activist for the Poor Joins Pepsi’s Board. Is That Ethical?,” pointed out Pepsi’s “history of questionable behavior” and questioned whether Walker was being used to soften Pepsi’s reputation. One former Ford Foundation board member, Michael Edwards, said to the Times, “I don’t know why he’d do this … There’s a risk that he will be viewed as inconsistent.” Professor Michael Seigel of Boston University said that “saying they want these problems solved, while at the same time lobbying against public health legislation that would help solve these problems” was “exactly the same thing the tobacco companies did.” 43

Also, soon after Walker joined the PepsiCo board, the Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article by Edwards titled “Foundation CEOs Shouldn’t Serve on Corporate Boards.” Edwards argued Walker was “exploiting an opportunity that isn’t available to 99 percent of his colleagues, one that could earn him millions of dollars over the coming years,” and that this was inconsistent with Walker’s message “that we should do everything we can to make our world more equitable.” 44

As of May 2020, Walker was still on the PepsiCo Board of Directors. 7 In 2017, PepsiCo reported that combined annual cash and stock compensation for non-employee directors would be increased to $290,000. 9

Advocacy Positions

Black Lives Matter

In a November 2020 interview, Walker praised the Black Lives Matter movement: “There is no industry, no sector, no domain of American life where a conversation about race isn’t happening.” According to Walker, prior to the murder of George Floyd, “racism in America remained deniable by white Americans”; afterward, “For the first time in this country there was a reckoning with the reality of racism.” However, Walker also claimed that the George Floyd protests occurred “in a time when at the highest levels of our society, white supremacy is being legitimized and valorized.” 45

Rikers Island

In 2019, Walker wrote an article, “In Defense of Nuance,” supporting the plan by the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform (a commission on which Walker served) to close the Rikers Island jail and replace it with “smaller, replacement jails.” 46 In response, prison-abolition activists, including over 100 Ford Foundation Fellows, wrote an open letter to the Ford Foundation condemning Walker’s “characterization of organizations, activists, and advocates fighting for prison abolition as ‘extremists’ and ‘ideological purists.’” 47

This was followed by a protest at the Ford Foundation headquarters, featuring demonstrators chanting “Darren Walker, we won’t let you sabotage abolition with reformist camouflage.” 48

Criticism of Capitalism

Walker has expressed support for capitalism, saying that his “belief in our capitalist democracy is unwavering.” However, due to inequality, Walker has claimed that America has “the kind of capitalism that Adam Smith would be ashamed of.” Walker argued that, “we capitalists don’t like to talk about two things: redistribution and regulation. If our capitalism is to be successful, we’ve got to talk about those two things.” Walker also said, “This is going to sound snarky, but if you want the American dream, move to Canada, because Canada has a higher level of social mobility and economic mobility than we do in this country.” 5

Walker has also argued that “Philanthropy wouldn’t exist without capitalism. You can’t decouple philanthropy from capitalism.” 49

In a 2020 New York Times interview, Walker claimed inequality is a necessary byproduct of capitalism, stating “Inequality in America was not born of the market’s invisible hand. It was not some unavoidable destiny. It was created by the hands and sustained effort of people who engineered benefits for themselves, to the detriment of everyone else.” 50

Political Donations

Walker has a modest history of campaign donations but strongly leans toward Democrats. He donated a cumulative $750 to the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, and $500 to the 2008 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. Walker has also made donations to a variety of Democratic congressional candidates, including Clyde Williams, former U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk (D). 51

Nonprofit Board Diversity

In September 2019, Walker wrote an op-ed for the New York Times reacting to the resignation of Warren Kanders from the board of the Whitney Museum of American Art after serving for 13 years and donating $10 million to the organization. The op-ed reacted to protests against Kanders for his involvement with defense contracting company Safariland and its contributions towards U.S southern border security. 52

Walker’s op-ed seemingly praised the protests, alleging wealthy donors often “benefit from a distorted economic system that protects and promotes inequality.” The op-ed also advocated for more “diversity” in nonprofit boards.” 52 53

Walker later clarified that claiming a “diverse” board doesn’t preclude having a “wealthy” board, further stating “I’m simply saying that you can have both, and you should have both. It would be a grave error to demonize wealthy people. That is something that I find regrettable about the discourse around the Whitney board, around this whole controversy.” 54

In 2023, Walker co-authored an op-ed in The Commons advocating for “philanthropic pluralism” and against “destructive disagreements.” Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, criticized Walker’s op-ed by claiming, “it’s important not to conflate legitimate questions about the regulatory structure for philanthropy with a threat to “freedom” or an attack on “pluralism.” Or to suggest that, because some foundation leaders might be worried about critique, whether external or internal, they’re not actually free to do as they please if they just have the courage of their convictions.” 55 56

Ableism Accusation

In 2020, Walker claimed it would be “tone deaf” for the National Gallery of Art to display work by Canadian-American artist Philip Guston, which included images of Ku Klux Klan members. Walker was later accused of being “ableist” for allegedly using the term “tone deaf” in a derogatory manner. Following this, Walker made a public apology on Twitter  to “millions of people with disabilities and the disability community” for his “ableist language.” 57

Israel and Gaza

Shortly after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel, Walker issued a statement on behalf of the Ford Foundation condemning “the horrendous acts of terrorism committed by Hamas.” Two days later, Walker issued another statement claimed to committing the Ford Foundation towards providing charitable relief to “Gaza and the Middle East.” 58 59

In June 2024, the Washington Free Beacon released a story criticizing Walker and the Ford Foundation for making donations to groups that had refused to condemn the October 7 attacks including Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development and Action for Hope, which received a combined $6.3 million. 58

In October 2023, Jewish magazine Tablet released an article accusing the Ford Foundation of antisemitism while “carrying on the legacy of its namesake.” Tablet’s article later alleged that the Ford Foundation had previously ceased all funding towards the State of Israel in 2011 and that Walker had previously canceled a planned visit to Israel in the summer of 2023. 60

References

  1. Gose, Ben, “Ford Foundation Names Darren Walker as New CEO,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 24, 2013. Accessed May 21, 2020.
    https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Ford-Foundation-Names-Darren/154553
  2. Walker, Darren, “Moving the Ford Foundation Forward,” November 08, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2020.
    https://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/moving-the-ford-foundation-forward/
  3. Daniels, Alex, “Ford Shifts Grant Making to Focus Entirely on Inequality,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 11, 2015. Accessed May 22, 2020.
    https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Ford-Shifts-Grant-Making-to/230839/
  4. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grants-database/grants-all
  5.  Gelles, David, “How Being a 13-Year-Old Busboy Prepared Darren Walker to Lead the Ford Foundation,” New York Times, September 26, 2019. Accessed May 22, 2020.
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  6. “Ford Foundation Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131684331/202423199349105557/full.
  7. Pepsico, Board of Directors. Accessed May 22, 2020.
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  8. Pepsico press release, PepsiCo Elects Darren Walker to Company’s Board of Directors, August 24, 2016. Accessed May 22, 2020.
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  9. “2018 PepsiCo Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.” U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 16, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2020.  https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/77476/000120677418000850/pepsico3269191-def14a.htm#a_37
  10. “Philanthropy Awards, 2022.” Inside Philanthropy. December 27, 2022. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2022-12-27-philanthropy-awards-2022.
  11.  Murray, Sarah, “At Work with the FT: Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation,” Financial Times, April 06, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020.
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  14. Gelles, David, “How Being a 13-Year-Old Busboy Prepared Darren Walker to Lead the Ford Foundation,” New York Times, September 26, 2019. Accessed May 20, 2020.
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  17. LinkedIn, Darren Walker profile. Accessed May 21, 2020.
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  19. Davey, Monica, “Finding $816 Million, and Fast, to Save Detroit,” New York Times, November 07, 2014. Accessed May 21, 2020.
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  22. Hadero, Haleluya. “Q&A: Ford Foundation’s leader straddles contrasting worlds.” AP News. June 30, 2021. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/europe-philanthropy-race-and-ethnicity-business-9f3af0b50a1375672fa9b8d4d119fdab.
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  24. “Building Institutions and Networks: How it Works.” Ford Foundation. Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/building-institutions-and-networks/how-it-works/
  25. Reich, Kathy, “Changing Grant Making to Change the World: Reflecting on BUILD’s First Year.” Accessed May 21, 2020.
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  26. Cheney, Catherine, “Q&A: Ford Foundation puts the grantee ‘in the driver’s seat’,” Devex, October 04, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2020.
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  27. “Grand Bargain.” Detroit Historical Society. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online-research/encyclopedia-of-detroit/grand-bargain.
  28. “Behind Detroit’s ‘grand bargain’ to emerge from bankruptcy.” PBS News. November 7, 2014. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/detroit.
  29. “New $25 million fund for South African civil society groups working to advance constitutionalism.” Ford Foundation. February 5, 2015. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/new-25-million-fund-for-south-african-civil-society-groups-working-to-advance-constitutionalism/.
  30. Walker, Darren. “Announcing the Art for Justice Fund.” Ford Foundation. June 12, 2017. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/stories/announcing-the-art-for-justice-fund/.
  31. Moynahan, Colin. “New Initiative Will Grant $156 Million to Arts Groups Run by People of Color.” New York Times. September 25, 2020. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/arts/ford-foundation-grants-people-of-color.html.
  32. “Ford Foundation Supports Launch of First Global Fund Addressing Key Issues Facing Black Women.” Ford Foundation. March 25, 2021. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-supports-launch-of-first-global-fund-addressing-key-issues-facing-black-women/.
  33. “Ford Foundation launches first-ever U.S. Disability Rights program.” Ford Foundation. October 14, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-launches-first-ever-u-s-disability-rights-program/.
  34. “Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Announces Departure in 2025.” Ford Foundation. July 22, 2024. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/ford-foundation-president-darren-walker-announces-departure-in-2025/.
  35. Schambra, William. “In the Face of Conservative Populism, Darren Walker Gets It Right.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. December 5, 2024. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/in-the-face-of-conservative-populism-darren-walker-gets-it-right.
  36. Husock, Howard. “JD Vance is right: Reduce the power of big foundations to help charity.” The Hill. November 15, 2024. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4990943-foundations-charitable-giving/.
  37. “Nonprofit nabobery.” The New Criterion. December 2024. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://newcriterion.com/article/nonprofit-nabobery/.
  38. “Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Awarded Honours to Oliver Franklin and Darren Walker.” Global Philadelphia. November 8, 2022. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://globalphiladelphia.org/news/her-late-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-awarded-honours-oliver-franklin-and-darren-walker.
  39. “What Happens When a Nonprofit Thinks Like a Billionaire?.” CEO Today Magazine. June 11, 2025. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2025/06/what-happens-when-a-nonprofit-thinks-like-a-billionaire/.
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  58. Tilman, Owen. “Ford Foundation Sends Millions to Organizations That Have Celebrated Oct. 7 Terrorist Attacks.” Free Beacon. June 17, 2024. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://freebeacon.com/israel/ford-foundation-sends-millions-to-organizations-that-have-celebrated-oct-7-terrorist-attacks/.
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