|
|
Ford Foundation Announces 2002 Winners of Leadership Awards 20 Recognized for Outstanding Leadership in U.S. Communities New York, NY – The Ford Foundation today announced the 2002 winners of the Leadership for a Changing World awards. The 20 awardees, selected from 34 finalists in a pool of more than 1400 nominations, represent individuals and leadership teams that are getting results tackling tough social problems in communities across the United States. Each will receive $100,000 to advance their work and an additional $30,000 for supporting activities over the next two years. Leadership for a Changing World (L.C.W.), launched in September 2000, is a program of the Ford Foundation in partnership with the Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. The program seeks to raise awareness that leadership comes in many forms and from diverse communities by recognizing the achievements of outstanding leaders who are not broadly known beyond their immediate communities or fields. It provides financial and other support for their work and brings them together periodically over two years; conducts research with awardees about how leadership is perceived, created and sustained; and contributes to a broader public conversation about community leadership. "L.C.W. awardees demonstrate the kinds of leadership that are particularly effective in addressing the complex social realities of contemporary communities," said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. "They share the ability to bring diverse groups together to overcome divisive issues and take action that will improve people’s lives. By recognizing their accomplishments we want to raise awareness of the rich array of leadership that is making a difference in communities across the United States and strengthening our society as a whole." Working in teams as well as individually, this year’s awardees direct efforts that include community initiatives to secure jobs and affordable housing for low-income, homeless and mentally disabled people; combat unsafe industrial development; train thousands of volunteers from different faiths to provide emotional and spiritual support to people with H.I.V./AIDS; provide seed money and technical assistance to Haitian refugee women starting home-based businesses; and revive Native American cultural traditions, among them a community food system that could help correct a tribe’s severe health problems. Awardees have also used storytelling to weave a sense of community; helped pass a law that allows federal judges discretion to reduce unfair sentences for non-violent, first-time offenders; led a class-action lawsuit that resulted in the recovery of $3 million in back pay and damages for slaughterhouse workers; revived salmon runs and local economies in the Northwest; ensured that more than 17,000 uninsured children were added to Medicaid; and created one of the largest community land trusts in the country. See a list and descriptions of the awardees. The Advocacy Institute is accepting nominations for the next round of awards. For more information, visit the program’s web site at www.leadershipforchange.org or call (202) 777-7575. Information about the program can also be found on the Ford Foundation’s Web site at www.fordfound.org. To be eligible for a Leadership for a Changing World award, candidates must be nominated by someone familiar with their work who can attest to their qualifications. Nominations are reviewed by a team of readers. Subsequent levels of review include regional selection committees and site visits to the recommended finalists. A national committee of independent experts in different fields, the Advocacy Institute and the Ford Foundation select the 20 awardees. This year's National Selection Committee was co-chaired by Emmett E. Carson, president and C.E.O. of the Minneapolis Foundation and Dorothy Stoneman, president of YouthBuild USA. Members included: Diana Autin, executive co-director, Statewide Parent Advocacy Network; David Dodson, president, MDC, Inc.; John Echohawk, executive director, Native American Rights Fund; Peter Edelman, professor of law, Georgetown University Law Center; Don Fraser, former mayor of Minneapolis; Alice Ito, interview programs manager, Densho Project; Wendy Johnson, executive director, Southern Regional Council; Thomas Pérez, professor of law, University of Maryland; Donna Russell Red Wing, director of policy and special initiatives, Gill Foundation; Barbara Schaffer Bacon, project director, Animating Democracy Initiative. 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 of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation, and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia. www.fordfound.org The Advocacy Institute, founded in 1985, works to make a difference around the world by strengthening movements for political, social and economic justice through leadership support, networking and development. With its partners, it helps make democratic institutions accountable. The Institute’s actions link it to a global community of grass-roots activists and nongovernmental organizations that tackle critical human rights issues such as gender equity, peace, sustainable development, public health, ending poverty and protecting the environment. www.advocacy.org 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, 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. www.nyu.edu/wagner For more information on Leadership for a Changing World or to download a nomination brochure, go to www.leadershipforchange.org. Specific questions 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.
|
|
|
home |
about the program |
nomination |
awards recipients |
research
|
|
Copyright © 2008 Institute for Sustainable Communities Site by NetCampaign |
