Ford Foundation Social Impact Fellowship

Fellowship Description

The Social Impact Fellow will sit within the Mission Investments department at the Ford Foundation, which manages three pools of capital:

A $1 billion mission related investment (MRI) endowment, the largest commitment of its kind, seeking to achieve strong impact and financial returns across several thematic strategies, including affordable housing, diverse fund managers, financial inclusion, global health tech and quality jobs
A $350 million program related investment (PRI) fund designed to catalyze investments in markets and opportunities often overlooked by traditional investors
A grantmaking program designed to build and strengthen the infrastructure of the environmental, social, and governance disclosure standards and the impact investing market

The position offers the opportunity to contribute across all aspects of the Mission Investments department.

Responsibilities

Research on global industry trends and the investment landscape
Research and writing for articles, papers, and reports
Research and evaluation of global philanthropic opportunities to expand the impact investing field
Research and evaluation of global trends and opportunities in the environmental, social, and governance standards field
Assistance in preparation of presentation materials
Depending on experience, assistance in due diligence of investment managers and companies
Other ad hoc projects

Your Host

The Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team was established to invest the foundation’s capital to help solve some of the world’s greatest social problems and aim to influence and mobilize a wide spectrum of capital providers—from institutional investors to banks to retail investors—to develop a more inclusive form of capitalism and create a more economically just world.

Through strategic grantmaking, broader coalition-building, and financial investing through the program-related investment (PRI) and mission-related investment (MRI) funds, Mission Investments aims to grow and strengthen the practice of impact investing, as well as influence the broader capital markets so they deliver equitable and sustainable outcomes for all stakeholders.

SIF Mentor

Roy Swan '86

Director, Mission Investments

Social Impact Fellowship Mentor

Roy Swan leads the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team, responsible for the foundation’s impact investing endowment and grantmaking dedicated to strengthening the ESG and impact investing fields. Before joining the Ford Foundation, Roy held numerous positions at Morgan Stanley, including Co-Head of Global Sustainable Finance, CEO of Morgan Stanley Impact SBIC, and President of Morgan Stanley Trust savings bank. Roy graduated from Princeton University and Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review.