Independent Sector Honors Susan V. Berresford with the
2007 John W. Gardner Leadership Award

Susan Berresford visits with clients of Ford Foundation grantee Capital Aid for Employment of the Poor in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo by Nguyen Viet Dung Gardner Award home page Program Tribute Video Tribute Susan's Acceptance Remarks

Independent Sector honored Susan Vail Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation, with the 2007 John W. Gardner Leadership Award in recognition of her work worldwide to build leadership in marginalized communities and to strengthen institutions that advance civil society. IS presented the award at the 2007 Independent Sector Annual Conference in Los Angeles, October 21-23.

Throughout her 37 years at the Ford Foundation, Ms. Berresford has focused on finding talented leaders, particularly in under-represented communities, who are tackling some of the world’s most difficult problems. Following her emphasis on supporting social movements and networks, the foundation has helped build new organizations to create opportunities and improve people’s lives. Ms. Berresford has been committed to cultivating and strengthening civil society around the globe and has served as an innovator and mentor to a generation of nonprofit leaders.

“One of the hallmarks of Susan’s leadership at the Ford Foundation is her mentorship to so many,” said William E. Trueheart, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation and chair of Independent Sector. “Her work has advanced civil and women’s rights movements while creating a positive climate for the nonprofit community as a whole.”

Both as a grantmaker and as foundation president, Ms. Berresford has played a pivotal role in many of the Ford Foundation’s signature accomplishments. Early in her career, she was the driving force behind grants to organizations leading the fight against gender bias. She also helped guide the foundation’s landmark efforts to build a broad civil rights network in the United States, steering critical resources towards programs that increased minority voter registration and reduced housing discrimination.

Photo by Michael Falco for the New York Times.

Ms. Berresford oversaw the creation of a national loan program that has brought home ownership to tens of thousands of minority and low-income Americans. In 2000, the Ford Foundation launched the International Fellowships Program with the largest grant in its history -- $280 million -- to enable talented community leaders in poor countries to obtain graduate education at the best universities in the world. To date more than 2,500 men and women have been selected for the program from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia. More than 1,000 fellows have completed their study and many already have returned to their home countries to infuse their leadership skills in bettering their communities.

Under Ms. Berresford’s stewardship, the Ford Foundation has established institutions that promote international cooperation and support philanthropy throughout the world. In 2006, the Ford Foundation, with a $30 million commitment, launched TrustAfrica, an independent philanthropic foundation based in Senegal. The organization promotes peace, economic prosperity, and social justice throughout the continent and gives Africans a voice in the international donor community. The Ford Foundation also was a prime funder of the International Center for Transitional Justice, which has helped more than 30 countries emerging from conflict foster justice and secure sustainable peace. In addition, the foundation has supported the creation of two dozen new foundations around the world, which are now improving the quality of life in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“Susan’s efforts to invest in organizations dedicated to improving social justice and economic conditions have helped people around the globe to realize their aspirations,” said William S. White, chairman, president and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and chair of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award Committee. “Her efforts are creating a class of leaders and institutions that already are making the world a better place.”

Ms. Berresford’s impact on the nonprofit community in the United States has been considerable. The effectiveness and accountability of the charitable sector has been significantly strengthened under her leadership. As a member of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector convened by Independent Sector and the Board of Directors of the Council on Foundations, she has worked to ensure charities and foundations define and champion high ethical standards that maintain the public’s trust in their work. She was instrumental in bringing together many of the nation’s large private foundations to create and adopt common governance principles.

Her efforts to strengthen leadership in the sector have included counseling individuals working on the frontlines of social change. “Susan has an amazing talent for identifying and mentoring future leaders, and our nonprofit community and civil society worldwide are stronger for it,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector.

Based in New York, N.Y., the Ford Foundation is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. Ms. Berresford joined the foundation’s division of national affairs in 1970. She later became officer in charge of its women’s programs and then vice president for the U.S. and international affairs program in 1981. After serving as vice president in charge of worldwide programming, she was named executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 1996, Ms. Berresford became president of the foundation, which now has assets of more than $12 billion.