For years, Ford Motor Company has produced the most popular police vehicles on the market, and holds a nearly 65 percent market share in that segment. Thus, it would seem strange for the automaker to support a recent movement that aims to “defund the police,” but that’s exactly what The National Pulse is claiming that it’s doing through the Ford Foundation. Problem is, the truth behind this story isn’t so cut and dry.
The report cites the fact that since 2016, the Ford Foundation has given around $7.8 million to Black Lives Matter and a series of similar groups through a partnership with Borealis Philanthropy. They also point to the fact that the foundation also funded the group that originally founded this movement back in 2015, Black Youth Project 100. The report points out that these groups are the public face of the defund the police movement, thus Ford is directly supporting it.
Additionally, the Ford Foundation has also donated millions to The Brookings Institution, Center for American Progress, Forward Justice, ACLU, Center for Popular Democracy, the Guardian newspaper, and ProPublica, all of which purportedly support the defund the police movement.
There are some problems with this argument, however. The biggest relates to the connection between the Ford Motor Company and the Ford Foundation. Henry Ford III, the Director for Investor Relations for Ford Motor Company, joined the foundation’s Board of Trustees in February 2019 to help drive its racial injustice agenda.
Ford responded to the report with a statement clarifying the relationship between the two entities, which appears to be non-existent. “Ford Motor Company and the Ford Foundation are completely separate entities and have operated independent of each other since the mid-1970s. Ford has no control of the Ford Foundation’s grant-making policies or decisions. Ford’s charitable arm is the Ford Motor Company Fund.”
“Contrary to some misinformed stories online, neither Ford Motor Company nor the Ford Motor Company Fund has provided funding to any campaign to ‘defund the police.’ Rather, through technology and innovation, Ford will continue to play a positive role in promoting more safety and accountability in policing and produce even safer police vehicles. Ford will continue to work closely with local and state police associations across the country on positive solutions.” The full statement is available below.
We’ll have more on the developing story as it’s available, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for non-stop Ford news coverage.
Ford Motor Company and the Ford Foundation are completely separate entities and have operated independent of each other since the mid-1970s. Ford has no control of the Ford Foundation’s grant-making policies or decisions. Ford’s charitable arm is the Ford Motor Company Fund.
Ford is proud to be America’s long-time leader in producing police, emergency and first responder vehicles. Our Police Interceptor vehicles are by far the top choice of law enforcement and other emergency services agencies across the country.
To be clear, Ford believes racism, abuse of power and repression in law enforcement must be addressed and stamped out wherever they exist. Good law enforcement agencies and officers play a critical positive role in our communities, but safety and fairness must be inclusive of all, everywhere.
Contrary to some misinformed stories online, neither Ford Motor Company nor the Ford Motor Company Fund has provided funding to any campaign to “defund the police.” Rather, through technology and innovation, Ford will continue to play a positive role in promoting more safety and accountability in policing and produce even safer police vehicles. Ford will continue to work closely with local and state police associations across the country on positive solutions.
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What a bunch of turds. Rather than contribute to law enforcement support groups, they give to a Marxist criminal group.
Wow. Ford....
Let me get this straight, The Ford Foundation gets it's money to Donate where exactly?? Yes, profits from Ford Motor Company. I don't care how you try to separate the two, the cash profits from Ford Police Vehicles is disbursed to shareholders, Majority is the Ford Family, and those profits are sent to defund the police and BLM?
Sorry but no Ford Motor Company Profits, No money for the Ford Foundation to continue to fund BLM.
The Ford Foundation does not get any money from Ford Motor Company whatsoever - not from company profits, not from company stock dividends, not from cash donations made by Ford, nothing. The Ford Foundation gets its money from investment returns on its $12 billion endowment.
Henry Ford II severed the ties between the company and the foundation in 1976, disgusted by what he saw as the foundation's anti-capitalist work, a sort-of "biting the hand that fed it" since it was capitalism which enabled the creation of the foundation in the first place.
https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/12/archives/henry-ford-2d-quits-foundation-urges-appreciation-for-capitalism.html
The Ford family has been disgusted with what has become of the foundation that old Henry created. It was overrun with leftists in the early sixties. The Ford Foundation as it exists today, is an anti American organization that funds radical leftist organizations.
Dosen't matter. Henry Ford the 3rd sets on the board of the Ford foundation. As the current owner of 5 personal and company ford vehicles, I can assure you there will be no more . Ford needs to respond quickly to this and properly address this situation.
So if your great grandson turned into a drug dealing crack head or extreme leftist supporter and you had a small business, it would be fair to say "sorry Eddie cranford, I don't support drug dealers I won't buy from you". Seems pretty irrational dude.
So exactly where does the Ford Foundation get its $$$ from When you funnel money into controversial organizations you should be smart enough to do it through an organization that doesn't bare your name!
Looks to be a pretty good scam to me... we fund BLM... they burn cop cars... cops replace the cars ... we make $$$ ... we Fund BLM... Any Questions?
I may be wrong, but I read years ago about how the Ford Foundation was taken over by Leftards. John Sullivan of National Review Magazine (when it was still readable) once said that "any organization that is not strictly Conservative will eventually be taken over by leftists". The Left are VERY GOOD at infiltrating companies, schools, colleges and institutions-it is their main aim.
HEAR HEAR!!!
Here's my Ford. It's ready for all contingencies. My truck was born at FMC, you know, the company that did not need a bailout in 2008. FMC has provided a clear answer to the funding question. As for the Ford family, their contributions to this great nation are beyond question. Henry Ford was the most important citizen of this country since Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Ford once said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."
I will email the photo of my Truck to Ford Authority.
I guess Police Departments will no longer purchase police cars from this poorly managed company. $3/share is becoming more of a reality every day
Ford stands to loose in an epic wave of consumer anger if it doesn't get out and aggressively support the police with an ad. I love Ford, have my whole life, but this is such a weak response. The internet has this available for those that seek it but the anger on social media has turned into a grass fire during a 35 mph wind. Get loud FORD!!!!
Time to put up or shut up Ford. You can’t supply cop cars and then give money to the racists and leftists looking to destroy our country. Let’s get this out there.
If the stand that Ford II took is correct, which I don't deny that he did that, why didn't he demand the name be changed? It's your family and company name! Now to hear Ford III sits on the board? That doesn't sound like complete separation to me. Definitely a company can support fair & equal justice for everyone without giving money to such radical groups...just read BLM's mission statement
Bingo ^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^
It would be interesting to see where Ford foundation $ comes from... i.e. What Ford family members donate to the Ford Foundation? How much influence Ford family members actually have over the foundation. Obviously a lot since HFIII is on the board. Ford isn't doing enough to distance itself from an anti-american radical organization - I will not be buying Ford in the future.
So why not force the "non-related", "non-Ford supported" organization to remove the Ford name? Simple, if Ford no longer has any connection, take away the Ford name. Permission to use the name is permission to raise money on the Ford reputation.
So exactly where does the Ford Foundation get its $$$ from When you funnel money into controversial organizations you should be smart enough to do it through an organization that doesn't bare your name!
Looks to be a pretty good scam to me... we fund BLM... they burn cop cars... cops replace the cars ... we make $$$ ... we Fund BLM... Any Questions?