Darren Walker

Darren Walker has lived the promise of America. Born to a single mother in a Louisiana charity hospital, the pride of Head Start and public schools in rural East Texas, Walker serves today as the tenth President of the Ford Foundation, among the largest private foundations in the United States. Since 2013, he has overseen more than $7 billion in grantmaking, while transforming philanthropy and inspiring conversations about and commitments to democratic values and institutions around the world. As Walker writes, “I have lived on both sides of American inequality. And I know, all too personally, that the distance between the two has never been greater.” In The Idea of America: Reflections on Inequality, Democracy, and the Values We Share, Walker argues that we can narrow our widening divides by rediscovering our common aspirations and common good. With an original foreword by President William Jefferson Clinton, this prescient, timely compendium introduces us to an essential leader of and for our moment—in his own words—through his most essential reflections, essays, and speeches. Across 72 selected pieces, many published here for the first time, Walker shares from his: Uniquely American story and extraordinary life's journeyBold leadership of the Ford Foundation, whose efforts and assets he marshaled to uproot inequalities of all kindsAudacious vision for a philanthropy that prioritizes justice beyond generosity—and that practices a new Gospel of Wealth for our new gilded ageLifelong passion for arts and culture, wellsprings of empathy and of social changeTrailblazing advocacy for a more democratic capitalism, which ensures that where markets lead, justice followsUrgent reaffirmation of America's enduring promise—that from many, we are one, and that all deserve dignity, fairness, and opportunity Ultimately, Walker calls for courageous, moral leadership from us all—challenging us to step back from the extremes, to lean into nuance and complexity, and to build longer bridges. “Hope,” Walker affirms, “is the oxygen of democracy.” The Idea of America gives powerful testimony to all that is possible “if we renew our fidelity to the values that bind us, both despite and because of our differences.”

“Worth a read for anyone who cares about making change happen.”—Barack ObamaA powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first centuryAs the speed and complexity of the world increases, governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time—from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare. In Power to the Public, Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach—public interest technology—that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems. Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system, the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient. At its heart, public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process, using data and metrics in a smart way, and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up. And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology, technology alone is no panacea—and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech. Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic, Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society’s most serious problems.

Andrew Carnegie wrote his original “Gospel of Wealth” in 1889, during the height of the gilded age, when the country’s 4,000 richest families held almost as much wealth as the other 11.6 million American families combined. His essay laid the foundation for modern philanthropy. Today, we find ourselves in a new gilded age—defined by levels of inequality that far surpass those of Carnegie’s time. The widening chasm between haves and have-nots demands our immediate attention. Now is the time for a new “Gospel of Wealth.” In From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth, Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, articulates a bold vision for philanthropy in the twenty-first century. With contributions from an array of thinkers, activists, and leaders including Ai-jen Poo, Laurene Powell Jobs, David Rockefeller Jr., and Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, Walker challenges and emboldens readers to consider philanthropy as a tool for achieving economic, social, and political justice. That task requires humility, moral courage, and an unwavering commitment to democratic values and institutions. It demands that all members of society recognize their own privilege and position, address the root causes of social ills, and seek out and listen to those who live amid and experience injustice. What began in Carnegie’s day as a manual for generosity now becomes a guide that moves us closer to justice—a guide that helps each of us find a way to contribute. Justice is calling. It’s time we answer.

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“Worth a read for anyone who cares about making change happen.”—Barack ObamaA powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first centuryAs the speed and complexity of the world increases, governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time—from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare. In Power to the Public, Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach—public interest technology—that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems. Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system, the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient. At its heart, public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process, using data and metrics in a smart way, and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up. And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology, technology alone is no panacea—and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech. Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic, Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society’s most serious problems.

This carefully curated collection of the writings and speeches of W. McNeil (Mac) Lowry will provide significant information about and insight into a remarkable period in the second half of the twentieth century, when the foundations of the arts as they now exist in the United States were creatively and firmly laid, primarily through Lowry’s penetrating intellectual perspective and his strategic organizational acumen as Director of The Ford Foundation’s unique Program in Humanities and the Arts. And many of the fundamental issues he raised and analyzed—why the arts should be valued and how they are best supported and governed—are no less pressing today. The significance of the material is framed and underscored by a foreword by Darren Walker, President of The Ford Foundation; an enlightening essay on "W. McNeil Lowry, the Arts and American Society" by the eminent scholar, Stanley Katz; poetic and powerful tributes to Lowry by Lincoln Kirstein and Peter Zeisler; and a context-setting introduction by the editor. Given the substantive variety and depth of the chapters, the volume will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students, artists and administrators, both within and at the intersection of philanthropy, the arts, society, public policy and history.

Charitable giving in the U. S. reached a new high in 2017 of more than $400 billion, with the majority of American households giving to charity. And every giver, from the tech titan to the everyday middle class citizen, needs to answer the same question: How do I channel my giving effectively to make the greatest difference? It's the fundamental question at the heart of philanthropy, whether givers want their donation to improve schools, prevent disease, or protect basic freedoms, and whether they are in a position to give $1 million or $1. Giving Done Right, by Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) President Phil Buchanan, arms donors with what it takes to do more good, more quickly, and to avoid predictable errors that lead too many astray. This is a crucial manual that will reveal the secrets and lessons learned - some painful, some powerful -- from some of the biggest givers. It will bust commonly held myths and demystify an opaque industry - setting donors up with both the practical "how-tos" and the inspiration that is needed for success. Giving Done Right offers the intellectual frameworks, data-driven insights, tools, and practical examples to allow readers to understand exactly what it takes to make a difference.

Satan is fed up and why shouldn't he be? Even in hell, no matter how diabolically imaginative someone is, there are only a finite number of uses for a red hot poker. So, in an enthusiastic and uncharacteristic fit of optimism, he contacts God and calls a truce in the hope that he will be allowed back into Heaven. The chosen location is the finest hotel in Hawaii. And when both summit members go as the President of the USA, the residents do not know what they are letting themselves in for. Not trusting each other, they bring their armies as back up and both sides end up camped next to each other on the same nature reserve -the uneasy truce kept thanks to a seemingly uneven boxing match. Unfortunately, Satan sneaks his weapon of madly assured destruction into the hotel, it escapes, and all Hell breaks loose. Will Heaven, Hell or Earth ever be the same again?