2020 ANNUAL REPORT

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A letter from the Ford Fund president

As I reflect upon my first year as president of Ford Motor Company Fund, it is incredible to think about how much the world has changed. 2020 was a year like no other, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption and hardship that made the work we do to strengthen communities more vital than ever. 

As Ford engineers and researchers went to work developing ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment in the early days of the pandemic, at Ford Fund we jumped in at the local level, directing more than $3 million in funding to support nonprofits in their efforts to address hunger, housing, access to mobility and other urgent needs.

We converted idle Ford employee shuttle vans into delivery vehicles that transported hot meals to hospital workers and helped nonprofits bring food and supplies to community centers, homeless shelters, seniors and families throughout Southeast Michigan. Our global Ford Resource and Engagement Centers served as distribution hubs for providing needed food and other critical services to local residents. We continue to lead Ford’s effort to distribute medical-grade face masks to at-risk communities across the United States. In fact, we are well on our way to achieving our goal of donating 120 million masks by mid-2021.

But one of the most heartwarming outcomes of our work over the last year has been the response from Ford employees. After Ford closed its doors last March, we were overwhelmed with notes from employees asking how they could help. With traditional methods of volunteering not practical, our COVID-19 donation match gave employees a way to safely support the relief efforts of 47 community organizations in 20 countries.

In September, Ford employees rallied once again for our annual Global Caring Month – performing acts of kindness for friends, family and neighbors in need and nominating local community organizations to receive grants in support of the work they are doing to address COVID-19. 

That same month, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Ford Volunteer Corps with Executive Chairman Bill Ford, who created our employee volunteer network in 2005. To commemorate the milestone, we recognized 15 employee All Stars who go above and beyond in their efforts to serve communities and help people in need. 

While we were managing the far-reaching effects of the pandemic, communities across the U.S. also found themselves grappling with unrest as a result of racial and social injustice.

Supporting the African American community and investing in organizations and programs that promote understanding and open doors for all multicultural communities has always been a key focus of our work at the Ford Fund. As other companies were jumping in to partner with organizations for the first time, we were able to harness our longstanding relationships to convene conversations on race for our Ford Motor Company employees and within the communities we serve.

As we look to the future, it is clear that we will be dealing with the impacts of the events of 2020 well into this year and beyond. And as the philanthropic arm of Ford, we remain unwavering in our commitment to helping individuals, families and communities succeed. 

By leveraging the power and expertise of the Ford Motor Company network – our employees, dealers and community partners – we will continue to provide resources and opportunities people need to overcome obstacles that limit access to upward mobility. Working together, we can help keep the road to a better future open to all who dream of moving forward.

Below are just a few of the ways we helped make a difference in 2020. You can learn more about these and many other Ford Fund initiatives by exploring this site.

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Mary Culler
President, Ford Motor Company Fund

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"2020 was a year like no other, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption and hardship that made the work we do to strengthen communities more vital than ever.

By leveraging the power and expertise of the Ford Motor Company network – our employees, dealers and community partners – we will continue to provide resources and opportunities people need to overcome obstacles that limit access to upward mobility. Working together, we can help keep the road to a better future open to all who dream of moving forward."


- Mary Culler, president, Ford Motor Company Fund

Our Reach

More than

$2.1 billion

invested since 1949
More than

1.7 million

employee volunteer hours since 2005
Active in

50

countries

2020: Ford Fund COVID-19 Response

Contributed more than


$1.13 million

to COVID relief through our employee donation match program

Distributed more than


50 million face masks

in all 50 states in 2020 – halfway to our goal of donating 120 million masks by mid-2021

Provided


$500,000

in emergency funding to Detroit-area nonprofits

Converted


20 Ford employee shuttles

into delivery vehicles that transported meals to more than 8,000 families and seniors and over 11,000+ hospital workers

Awarded


$380,000 in grants

to nonprofits worldwide to support COVID relief during Global Caring Month

Distributed


1.65 million pounds of food

through our community centers in Detroit

Delivered more than


3.7 million meals

through our Bangkok community center COVID relief efforts

Grew and delivered


5,000 pounds

of vegetables through social enterprises at our Romania community center

Provided


$400,000 in emergency relief

to Black and Hispanic students

Awarded


$1 million in grants and resources

to Black and Latina small business owners and entrepreneurs

Invested


$200,000

to provide 50,000 books and other supplies to 2,600 teachers and nearly 80,000 students

2020: Ford Fund in Action

Below is a compilation of just a few of our key accomplishments. We invite you to explore the following links to learn more about the resources and opportunities we provided for Ford employees and the communities we serve.

Online Resource Library

To assist our employees, their families or anyone looking for things to do while homebound during the pandemic, we created a library of free online resources provided by our community partners

Critical Conversations

In partnership with the Detroit Police Athletic League, we brought students and police officers together to discuss ways to promote positive relations between the community and law enforcement

Race and Social Justice Discussions

Leveraging our longstanding partnerships, we were able to convene authentic conversations about race for Ford employees

Increasing Literacy Among Youth During COVID-19

Elena Ford hosted a live virtual reading party for more than 10,000 elementary students from Ford dealer-nominated schools

15 Years of the Ford Volunteer Corps

Executive Chairman Bill Ford hosted a virtual event to celebrate the milestone and recognize 15 All Star Ford employee volunteers

The Daily Drive

In lieu of hands-on driver training events, Ford Driving Skills for Life created a podcast to provide safe driving tips, facts and instruction for teens and parents during the pandemic