Ford Foundation Announces National Finalists

2003 Leadership for a Changing World Award

Washington, DC - Washington, D.C- - The Ford Foundation announced today 29 national finalists in the Leadership for a Changing World awards program.

View complete list of finalists

"These individuals demonstrate the depth and complexity of community leadership in America," said Kathleen D. Sheekey, President and CEO of the D.C.-based Advocacy Institute. "Every day, thousands of leaders make great contributions to our nation, though their names may not often appear in the newspaper or nightly news. In fact, these leaders are sometimes even hesitant to call themselves leaders. Yet Americans in every sector -- from the non-profit world to the corporate sphere -- can learn much about leadership from the Leadership for a Changing World finalists."

Leadership for a Changing World is a program of the Ford Foundation in partnership with the Advocacy Institute and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. The program’s award recognizes leaders or leadership teams across the United States who are tackling the nation’s most entrenched social problems, getting results and changing lives.

This year’s finalists include two Californians who made real César Chávez’s dream by creating a powerful domestic workers movement; a woman who uses cutting edge Internet technology and teams of photographers, journalists, filmmakers and academicians to tackle hard social issues; rural leaders in Montana who fight against extremist militia organizations and for gay rights; an organizer who signed the first agricultural collective bargaining contract in Oregon’s history; a Deaf woman and rape survivor in Seattle who raises national awareness about violence toward the Deaf and the Deaf-Blind; an advocate for the civil and economic rights of 300,000 low-income Arab-American residents of Detroit and Southeast Michigan; and others.

Selected through a highly competitive process, the 29 finalists are eligible to become one of the seventeen national award winners who will individually receive $100,000 each to advance their work and an additional $15,000 for supporting activities. The final winners will be announced on October 7, 2003.

Leadership for a Changing World hopes to ignite a new conversation about the importance and quality of community leadership, one that encourages people to appreciate that leadership comes in different forms and from many different communities. With this vision, LCW:

• Recognizes the achievements of outstanding leaders who are not well-known outside their immediate communities or fields;
• Provides financial support and other assistance for their work;
• Explores with awardees how leadership is perceived, created and sustained; and
• Contributes to current public discourse on leadership.

During an eight-year period that began in 2000, the Leadership for a Changing World program will recognize nearly 100 outstanding leaders and leadership teams not broadly known beyond their immediate community or field. The program also includes a major, multi-year, collaborative research initiative that will work with awardees to explore how leadership is created and sustained. In addition, numerous forums will bring awardees together with other leaders to share experiences, address specific challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.

For more information on Leadership for a Changing World, including past winners, or to download a nomination brochure, go to www.leadershipforchange.org. Specific questions about the nomination process can be submitted via email (info@leadershipforchange.org), phone (202) 777-7560 or by writing to Leadership for a Changing World, Advocacy Institute, 1629 K St., NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20006-1629.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.

The Advocacy Institute, founded in 1985, works to make social justice leadership strategic, effective, and sustainable in pursuit of a just world. Advocacy Institute is grounded in the core values of justice for those denied justice, economic equality for those denied sustenance and opportunity, public health and security for those at preventable risk, and access to political power for those who have been denied an equal voice in the policy-making process. Through reflection, networking with fellow advocates and skill strengthening, Advocacy Institute facilitates capacity building workshops and seminars that aim to strengthen social movements.

The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, established in 1938, offers advanced programs leading to the professional degrees of Master of Public Administration, Master of Urban Planning, and Master of Science in management, and Doctor of Philosophy. Through these programs, the Wagner School educates the future leaders of public, nonprofit, and health institutions as well as private organizations serving the public sector. As the largest school of public service in the country, it is committed to preparing people who can translate ideas into action.

If you would like to interview Leadership for a Changing World finalists or prior winners, please contact Deborah Walter at (908) 522-1677, or e-mail her at mediahits@comcast.net.

Copyright © 2008 Institute for Sustainable Communities
Leadership for a Changing World, Institute for Sustainable Communities
1629 K Street, NW  Suite 200  Washington DC  20006-1629
p 202.777.7560    f 202.777.7577

Site by NetCampaign