Our Strategy

Our mission

Rooted in rural, we relentlessly pursue happy, healthy lives FOR KIDS. The future depends on it.

Three green leaves labeled ‘Strong Starts,’ ‘Bright Futures,’ and ‘Thriving Communities,’ surrounded by a blue infinity-shaped path labeled ‘people,’ ‘organizations,’ and ‘systems.

Amplifying the power and promise of rural

We know that kids with strong support systems and opportunities grow up ready to succeed and contribute to the well-being of their communities. Yet these essential systems and opportunities are often less available for kids and families in rural areas.

The Ford Family Foundation is committed to closing these gaps.

Through grantmaking, scholarships, research, convening, collaboration, grassroots power building and a focus on systems change, we work to ensure that rural kids grow up in thriving communities with strong starts and bright futures.

A man in a blue shirt and child in pink dress in a grassy area at sunset

Our focus areas

To realize our mission, we support direct, kid-centered strategies and systems AND address the community conditions that help rural kids and families thrive. We do this through the relentless pursuit of impact in three focus areas.

Strong Starts

Children and families have the supports they need in a child’s earliest years.

Strong Starts

Bright Futures

Every rural kid has opportunities for growth from early education to career.

Bright Futures

Thriving Communities

Rural people have power, influence and opportunity to chart their own futures.

Thriving Communities

Our approach

We aim to strengthen rural capacity, foster innovation and build influence in rural communities.

We invest in people through scholarships, training and leadership development.
We make grants to organizations to strengthen social and economic supports for children and families.
We provide tools, resources and avenues for rural leaders and changemakers to engage with and influence the systems and structures that impact the lives of kids and their communities.

With nearly three decades of expertise and partnership, we also use our own voice, research and influence to bring statewide attention to rural issues and encourage statewide policies and systems that positively impact rural children, families and communities.

Stories of impact

Action needed to support Oregon’s transfer students

Creating easy-to-navigate transfer pathways from two- to four-year colleges and universities is not an impossible task. We need bold action to create the transfer system our students deserve.

The backbone of rural Oregon’s economy

Launched in 2021, GRO currently supports a small cohort of rural communities to build a network — a community ecosystem — that wraps around in support of local entrepreneurs. Find inspiration for ways to support small business in your community from these standout examples.

Meeting families where they are: Statewide coordination of home visiting programs promises transformational change

Meeting families where they are: Home visiting coordination promises transformational change

Over nearly a decade, The Ford Family Foundation has supported a growing movement to coordinate home visiting systems in Oregon. We are now at a pivotal moment.

Our Strategy

Our mission

Rooted in rural, we relentlessly pursue happy, healthy lives FOR KIDS. The future depends on it.

Amplifying the power and promise of rural

Our focus areas

Strong Starts

Strong Starts

Bright Futures

Bright Futures

Thriving Communities

Thriving Communities

Our approach

We aim to strengthen rural capacity, foster innovation and build influence in rural communities.

Stories of impact

Action needed to support Oregon’s transfer students

The backbone of rural Oregon’s economy

Meeting families where they are: Home visiting coordination promises transformational change

Our organization’s values are rooted in those that guided our founders throughout their lives: integrity, stewardship, respect, independence and community.