The Ford Foundation has announced a $75 million commitment in support of nonprofit and advocacy organizations working to advance justice in the U.S. South.

Funded with the proceeds of the foundation's $1 billion social bond issuance in 2020, the grants will support organizations across the region, with more than $22 million earmarked for organizations in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and more than $14 million to organizations in rural areas, where nonprofits have been historically underresourced. Grants will support organizations working in the areas of arts, culture, and media that empower historically marginalized communities to voice their own narratives; advocacy and legal organizations working to ensure fair redistricting processes, civic engagement across diverse communities, and safe, fair, and equitable access to voting; and institutions and campaigns supporting economic justice driven by and for working people and advancing labor and social protections. Recipients include Advancing Black Strategists Initiative at Morehouse College, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture), the Southern Power Fund, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and Women With A Vision.

In addition to providing direct general operating support to organizations, the foundation is collaborating with regional grantmakers and funding networks to more effectively mobilize, leverage, and align resources and foster a more robust social justice ecosystem that can effectively advance change.

The commitment brings to more than $175 million the Ford Foundation's total grantmaking in the U.S. South since 2016. To date, proceeds from the foundation's social bond offering have funded $180 million in new funding for U.S. racial justice efforts; $85 million in support of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous arts organizations; and $10 million to advance equity work in Puerto Rico.

"There is incredible possibility and organizing taking place across the U.S. South and we have seen firsthand the impact that work can have on the region and the entire United States," said Ford Foundation vice president of U.S. programs Maria Torres-Springer. "The U.S. South is a seedbed for innovative advocacy, and it is our hope that more funders will invest in the leaders and organizations who are paving the way forward."

(Photo credit: Women With A Vision)