• Ford Fund is awarding $700,000 in grants to 149 community organizations in 34 countries to advance their humanitarian missions
• Nominated by Ford employees from around the world, the groups will receive funding in support of their efforts focused on education, economic and community development, health and basic needs programs
  
• September is Global Caring Month, an annual event of the Ford Volunteer Corps, which has continued safely serving people and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 1, 2021 – Ford Motor Company Fund is awarding $700,000 in grants to 149 employee-nominated nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations around the world during the automaker’s annual Global Caring Month.

Service to others has underpinned Ford since its beginning. Each September, Ford Volunteer Corps rallies employees to support humanitarian efforts in Ford communities around the world that are suffering from food insecurity, poor healthcare, gaps in education, lack of housing, or have other basic daily needs. Typically, thousands of Ford volunteers fan out into communities across six continents to participate in hands-on service projects throughout the month.

This year, Ford Volunteer Corps provided an alternate way for employees to support the focus on community service. To maintain health and safety, Ford employees nominated nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits to receive a grant up to $5,000 USD to either purchase tools, supplies and materials to support community service projects or help meet the needs of their communities during the pandemic.

“Stewardship has always been one of Ford’s key values and giving back through initiatives like Global Caring Month remains at the heart of our efforts to serve people and help build a better world,” said Mary Culler, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, our employees have a long history of supporting nonprofits in the communities where they live and work, and we are so grateful for the energy and enthusiasm they continue to demonstrate when planning and coordinating community service opportunities – not only during Global Caring Month, but all throughout the year.”

Examples of nonprofit and nongovernmental organization projects supported during Global Caring Month 2021 include:

• Sorting, packing and delivering fresh produce in China
• Cleaning up the Rhine River in Germany
• Preparing and delivering meals to the homeless in Hungary
• Rebuilding and furnishing a community center in Mexico
• Building a new pipeline for clean drinking water from a reservoir in the Philippines
• Purchasing and distributing personal hygiene kits in South Africa
• Creating a special STEM-themed section of a school library in Detroit
• Building playgrounds in Vietnam

In select markets, Ford employees are also participating in virtual or in-person community service projects. All volunteer projects must adhere to local government and company regulations and safety protocols regarding COVID-19.

Managed by Ford Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, Ford Volunteer Corps is a global network of thousands of Ford employees and retirees who have logged more than 1.7 million hours volunteering across six continents since 2005. Ford Motor Company offers its U.S. salaried employees up to 16 hours of paid time each year to volunteer in community service projects.

To learn more about the Ford Volunteer Corps, which celebrated 15 years of serving communities in 2020, visit www.fordfund.org/volunteer.