Public Policy and Philanthropy Series: Darren Walker

The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy seeks to advance the understanding of the vital connections between philanthropy and policy. To this end, it is convening a series of interviews with leaders who can help illuminate how philanthropy can inform and influence key areas of policy that affect human wellbeing, and the ways in which policy shapes the strategies that are available to philanthropy as it pursues the public good. The purpose of these conversations is to inform a research agenda that will advance understanding of how philanthropy can engage policy usefully, and also what kinds of policy architectures are most conducive to the kinds of philanthropy that foster a vibrant civil society.

About Darren Walker:

Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19.

Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization.

Darren co-founded both the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. He serves on many boards, including the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Committee to Protect Journalists, Ralph Lauren, Bloomberg Inc. and PepsiCo.

Educated exclusively in public schools, Darren was a member of the first Head Start class in 1965 and received BA, BS, and JD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been included on numerous leadership lists including Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future and Wall Street Journal 2020 Philanthropy Innovator of the Year. He is the recipient of 16 honorary degrees, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. In 2022, he was awarded France’s highest cultural honor, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, for leadership in the arts. In 2023 he was also appointed by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II to the Order of the British Empire for services to UK/US relations.