FUNDing to universities by the Ford Foundation

Introduction

With its strong focus on supporting higher education, the Ford Foundation is one of the US top 10 charitable endowments with assets of over $12.2bn.  According to our study of its university giving over the past 10 years Ford has disbursed 1,510 grants totalling $358m in funding to 286 universities and higher education institutions in 39 countries.  

• Our analysis of its giving from 2009-18 shows that US institutions are the largest beneficiaries of its university giving. Between 2009-18 110 American universities received 65% ($228.7m) of giving.

• Chinese institutions are second place receiving 8% of giving (£28.4m) between 52 universities, while South African universities are the third biggest beneficiary benefitting from 7% of funding (£24.4m) shared between 13 institutions.

• The top five country beneficiaries of Ford Foundation higher education giving are:

  • US (65%)

  • China (8%)

  • South Africa (7%)

  • Brazil (4%)

  • Egypt (2.5%)

• Columbia University in New York is the biggest individual beneficiary of Ford Foundation giving in this survey, receiving 5.6% of all giving to higher education institutions.  Between 2014-18, it received $20.2m.

• The top three university beneficiaries are all US institutions – Columbia University ($20.2m), Harvard ($18.8m), and New York University ($16.9m).

• The single largest Ford Foundation contribution to a university was a gift of $3.2m in 2015 to the University of Maryland to fund its Institute of Arts Management.

• Harvard University has received the most Ford Foundation awards – 74 amounting to $18.8m

• Eight out of the top 10 beneficiaries are US universities, receiving $105m. 

• The two non-US universities in the top 10 are both South African – the University of the Witwatersrand which received 28 grants totalling $6.7m; and the University of Cape Town which received 32 grants amounting to $6.3m. 

• In Asia - the second biggest regional recipient after North America – Chinese universities received 72% of all giving in the region. Peking University heads the list, receiving $4.3m. 

• Latin America is the third biggest region to benefit from Ford giving.  40% of its university giving in Latin America ($32.4m) goes to Brazilian institutions.  The University of the Andes in Colombia tops the Latin American beneficiaries, receiving $5.2m. 

• Africa is the fourth biggest region to benefit from Ford giving, with South Africa the main beneficiary.  13 Institutions in South Africa received 80% of all giving to African universities ($30.6m).  

• Ford has distributed around $14m to five universities in the Middle East and North Africa region, with Egypt receiving over 60% of the giving.

• In Europe, 14 universities in 9 countries received $7.7m. The University of Oxford is the biggest beneficiary receiving $2.6m.