Cities and States

In the US, state governments wield enormous power and can create precedents that set the stage for sweeping national reforms of major policy. From the passage of minimum wage and paid sick leave to pioneering marriage equality and automatic voter registration, states have often taken the first steps towards massive social reforms.

But states have also been major sources of regression: restricting access to reproductive rights; limiting LGTBQ rights; fueling incarceration through punitive sentencing reforms; stymying local inclusionary housing and economic development policies;  and undermining democracy through gerrymandering and the passage of  voter ID laws—that are replicated across states and elevated to national debate.

In 2017, the Ford Foundation launched an integrated, multi-theme initiative in a handful of states to counter these trends - to expand democratic participation, racial and gender equity, and economic mobility.

We work to strengthen state-based and regional organizations, coalitions, and networks. Our support helps those committed to inclusive change combine approaches, such as grassroots organizing, strategic litigation, civic engagement, policy and budget advocacy, and creative storytelling. Much of our support takes the form of flexible, multi-year grants that enable bolder campaigns and alliances to take shape.

Vital to this effort are investments that build the leadership, agency, and voice of low income rural and urban communities, and women and people of color—and, in so doing, bridge key divides. The desire to protect and strengthen our democracy and make government work for everyone is bringing together diverse constituencies to focus on shared concerns across lines of race, class, culture, gender, and geography to focus on shared concerns. We believe this is critical to the larger effort to address inequality.

Housing insecurity and unaffordability is a growing crisis that has been decades in the making.  Years of discriminatory federal, state and local housing and land use policies ⁠— from redlining and urban renewal to the construction of the federal highway system ⁠— have fueled the country’s enormous racial wealth gap creating hyper-segregated regions that have perpetuated inequality across a broad range of issues including employment, mass incarceration, and voting rights. African Americans and LatinX communities, low-income families, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and women have been hard hit and suffered the deepest consequences. In the aftermath of the Great Recession, housing prices have risen much faster than wages, leaving low-wage workers unable to afford and secure housing. About half of American renters face unaffordable costs, with millions spending most of their monthly income on rent. Every year, millions also face eviction or cycle from one unstable, insecure home to another.

Our work aims to address the serious and chronic challenges facing renters in America. We focus on protecting what’s currently affordable and significantly expanding the supply of permanently affordable homes—especially rental housing that low- and moderate-income workers and families can afford. We also recognize the importance for families of stable stable communities that offer quality opportunities, with decent jobs, schools and public transit nearby.

We work with community leaders, advocates and policymakers to build the will for transformative change, and to test and scale powerful innovation in policy and practice. We are working to link grassroots movements to policy advocacy and build networks of uncommon allies. And we are working to change up the narrative. We want Americans’ to understand and have a sense of urgency about the importance of affordable rental housing - not only for fostering strong families and communities, but also as a public good that advances the common good.

Recognizing the need for a new chapter for housing in America, we are especially interested in fresh approaches to organizing, advocacy and storytelling that mobilize new champions; expand public revenue and public-private finance; and advance the preservation and production of permanently affordable housing.

Our hopes and aspirations for Detroit are rooted in a commitment that spans decades. From supporting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Institute of the Arts in the 1940s, to the city’s Grand Bargain in 2014, we’ve invested in building the essential elements of a prosperous, just, and sustainable city.

Today, after a period of profound challenges for Detroit, we are working toward an inclusive, equitable recovery for this great American city.

Our grant making supports efforts to advance change in three connected areas. Along with this work, all the foundation’s programmatic areas make grants to support an equitable and inclusive Detroit. A dedicated working group includes staff from across the foundation.

At a city and state level, we seek to advance policies and practices to disrupt entrenched inequality. We work with government and civil society partners across Michigan to ensure strong, inclusive leadership for the city as it moves forward. And we foster collaboration between all those who are committed to realizing a thriving city.

In the near term, over the next four years, we aim to advance policies that help Detroit realize its potential as a resilient, just, and equitable city. At the same time, we are working to build local infrastructure and engagement to support, implement, and sustain those policies over the long term—and to steer continuing efforts to revive Detroit in ways that benefit all its residents.

As the leaders of their city’s revitalization, the people of Detroit are at the center of all this work.