This recent NY Times piece takes a look at the Ford Foundation’s recent decision to put a portion of its $12 billion endowment toward “mission-related investments” or MRIs. I’m sharing this article because it provides a good example of a complimentary relationship between the foundation’s president and board across at least two levels (generative and strategic) of the framework from this week’s video class. In this case, the president drove generative thinking and decision making at the board level by reframing the foundation’s investment activity in mission-related terms, as opposed to solely return-focused terms. Additionally, the board and president worked together at the strategic level to come up with an MRI plan that balanced investment impact and the long-term financial stability of the endowment.

I recommend reading this letter as well (which is linked to in the Times piece) from Ford Foundation president Darren Walker. It explains some more of the background behind the foundation’s recent investment shift.