Darren Walker
President, Ford Foundation
Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a global social justice philanthropy where he was previously vice president of education, creativity, and free expression. Prior to this, he was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation, and in the 1990s he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization. Walker co-founded and serves on the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. His board service also includes the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. A member of the first Head Start class in 1965, Walker has been honored on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list, Out magazine’s Power 50, and with Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, among others.
Previously
Over a century ago, Andrew Carnegie wrote the “Gospel of Wealth,” challenging his wealthy peers to be generous with their largesse. Today, in his new book, Ford Foundation pre...
Foundations and individual philanthropists are often criticized for the positions they take on politically fraught, hot-button issues. As policy and cultural issues become inc...
Talking Heads co-founder and Arbutus creator David Byrne joins Ford Foundation President Darren Walker for a lively conversation about art and life and the role of artists in...
If you’re white and middle class, you were probably raised thinking that discussing race was impolite. Color blindness was seen as a virtue — and it’s a persistent one. A 2014...