Ford Presidential Foundation Launches $12 Million FORD50 Campaign for Civic Education
Honoring 50 Years of President Ford’s Legacy with Bold Programs that Champion Integrity and Public Service
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of President Ford's inauguration in 1974, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation is launching the $12 million FORD50 Campaign to further civic education locally, statewide, and nationally. We seek to inspire three primary audiences — school-aged youth, college-aged and young adults, and lifelong learners. In a period of national divisiveness, now is the time to teach more people the qualities of character that President and Mrs. Ford exhibited — cooperation, bipartisanship, civil discourse, patriotism, decency, and integrity.
We are ambitious for President and Mrs. Ford’s principles to be shared and stories to be told. Because of their leadership and service, we have a great story to tell the American people. The Ford is more than a museum. It is an ideal by which President Ford lived: integrity at the helm. Because of the Fords' example and the generosity of our donor community, we can envision a campus that inspires; a civic gateway that expands our capacity to educate and activate more people to participate in growing the Ford legacy. It is what America desperately needs today.
“With everything that is going on in the world today, I wanted to support a President who stood for something.”
About the FORD50 Civic Education Campaign
The Ford50 campaign’s 5-year plan (2026-2030), will include programs such as:
Building the Next Generation of Civic Leaders
● Expanding in-person K–12 engagement by more than 200% (3,500 in the 2024-25 to 8,500 students a year) school year to about through DeVos Learning Center programs, Scouting America and Girl Scouts initiatives, and class visits to the Museum.
● Launching statewide and national virtual programming aligned with Michigan social studies standards, making Ford-inspired learning accessible to high school teachers everywhere in the state.
● Creating high school leadership cohorts that will prepare 1,500 students to step into roles of service and civic impact.
● Doubling participation in the national Student Writing Challenge, awarding more than $7,000 in scholarships each year to inspire young voices.
Empowering Young Adults to Lead with Character
● Expanding our free, virtue-based leadership program for congressional staffers in Washington, D.C., strengthening ethical decision-making in the heart of policymaking.
● Launching a Lansing legislative staffers program to foster bipartisan dialogue and build principled leadership in Michigan’s capital.
● Developing a high school leadership program in West Michigan to heighten civic knowledge and inspire students to pursue lives of public service.
● Providing civic education opportunities rooted in President and Betty Ford’s character to organizations that help us reach new communities and demographics.
● Growing the reach of our weekly Observer newsletter, offering thoughtful, nonpartisan essays that reinforce democratic norms, virtuous leadership and patriotic service.
Modernizing the Ford Civic Legacy for Lifelong Learners
● Launching a regular, globally streamed podcast where influential voices tackle the pressing issues,
big ideas, and perennial principles Ford championed.
● Featuring headline-making speakers—leaders and changemakers shaping today’s civic conversations—to carry Ford’s civic message through livestreams, partner networks, and more.
● Staging marquee events in cities across America with powerhouse partners like the National Constitution Center and the Carter Center.
