Leaders from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation unveiled a multi-million dollar investment on Monday. It's called the Ford50 campaign, in honor of the 50th anniversary of President Ford’s inauguration in 1974.
August 25 marks the beginning of the Ford50 Campaign’s public phase. Its focus will be on civic education, and it serves as a reminder of Gerald Ford’s legacy, according to Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the foundation. The late President Ford served as 38th President of the United States for 895 days.
The Ford50 campaign is a $12 million dollar endeavor to teach people across Michigan and the country, including college students, young professionals, and lifelong learners. Whitney said the campaign has already raised $10 million dollars of the $12 million dollar goal during its quiet phase, the initial period before public launch.
According to the Ford Foundation’s website, the campaign has a 5 year plan (2026-2030) that it says will implement programs to build the next generation of civic leaders, empower young adults to lead with character, and modernize the Ford legacy.
This includes expanding in-person K–12 engagement by more than 200% through DeVos Learning Center programs, Scouts initiatives, and museum class visits, as well as creating virtual programming for high schoolers.
To amplify student engagement and prepare students for public service, the campaign plans to launch high school leadership cohorts and work to double participation in the national Student Writing Challenge.
For young adults, the campaign will start a Lansing legislative staffers program to "foster bipartisan dialogue and build principled leadership" in the state’s capital. The foundation also plans to launch a podcast.
Honoring Ford’s legacy
The Ford Presidential Foundation was established in 1981. According to Whitney, President Ford and his wife, First Lady Betty Ford, reminded Americans of integrity in action, courage embodied, and hope enduring.
President Ford entered office with the goals of healing the nation after the wounds of Watergate and the Vietnam War, restoring integrity to the government, and deregulating our economy, Whitney added.
“Every generation must be reminded of the stories that we the people dare not forget,” Whitney said.
According to its leaders, the foundation offers a civic reset, with values that go beyond Republican or Democratic versions of America.
“The Ford brand stands for values that transcend red America and blue America: integrity, decency, respect, constructive dialogue, and principled bipartisanship.”
The director of the foundation explained that the campaign is prioritizing expanding the educational infrastructure, with physical infrastructure coming in the later stages.
Steve Ford, the youngest son of President and Betty Ford, said that the Ford museum is not a monument to any one man or presidency, but a classroom of American democracy and a place where schoolkids as well as scholars can enjoy access to the workings of the government.
A statement on the campaign’s website said that “The Ford is more than a museum. It is an ideal by which President Ford lived: integrity at the helm.”
“We want this to be kind of a town square where young people can come and learn about how you become a public servant and serve others,” Steve Ford said.
Ford’s youngest son explained how his Republican father would often have his friend Thomas “Tip” O'Neill, the Democratic Speaker of the House, over to dinner after disagreements with one another on the Senate floor.
“That’s how it worked. And that’s what we need to show young people, how to be civil, and how to participate in the public square,” Steve Ford said.
His son added that President Ford acted as a healer for the nation during a time of constitutional crisis and widespread public disillusionment in the wake of the Vietnam War and Nixon’s resignation. In his first speech to Congress as President, Ford said, “Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule.”
Mike Ford, the oldest son of President and Betty Ford, said he remembers his father’s legacy as an example of principled, compassionate leadership and public service.
According to Mike Ford, integrity, empathy, courage in the face of adversity, honor and respect for others, even those who share different points of view, and seeking common ground to solve shared problems were some of the civic qualities President Ford sought to embody. But the President was very aware of his human frailties as well, according to his son.
Marc Halsema, a co-chair of the Ford50 campaign and a member of the Ford Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said that the campaign will focus on teaching civil discourse that reflects Ford’s values, passion, and vision.
Doug DeVos, the co-chairman of the campaign, said the program will serve as a reminder that principled and virtue based leadership is still important today.
DeVos said the story of President Ford isn't just how presidents or political leaders live principled lives, but it's about how the rest of us do it, as citizens, as friends, as family, and as neighbors.
