December 3, 2025 • 6 mins
Ford Philanthropy President Mary Culler discusses Ford’s $100 million in contributions has supported nonprofits in 30 countries, including critical disaster relief during events such as last year’s flooding in Valencia, Spain, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2011 earthquakes in Turkey. This achievement builds on Ford’s 122-year legacy of community support, leveraging not only its vehicles but also its network of 9,000 dealers and global employee volunteers. Culler spoke with Bloomberg's Matt Miller and Dani Burger.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. The philanthropic arm of
the Ford Motor Company is the first to have donated
more than one hundred million dollars in partnership with Global Giving.
Here to discuss that milestone and the role of large
companies in charity is Mary Culler. She is the president
of Ford Philanthropy and it's great to have you, marry on.
(00:25):
I guess Giving Tuesday was yesterday, but we should always
be thinking about what we can do to help out
in global crises. Tell us first of all about Global Giving.
You've been in partnership with them for many years and
how you work together.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, good morning and nice to see you, Matt and Danny.
This is a historic milestone and what's really exciting is
Global Giving has been a partner of ours for years.
They really serve as the bridge for connecting with nonprofits
all across the world. And so when we think about
this milestone, it's not only about the money, but it's
the multiplier effect that a company liked Motor Company can
(01:01):
bring with our employees with the expertise we bring with
our vehicles, and of course we have this incredible dealer
network all across the globe that all get involved in
support of these nonprofits.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Mary, the good news is the contributions you're making to societies.
The bad news is how many different things it feels
like they're out there that need this kind of funding,
be it rising inequality, be it issues of climate change,
and by the way, all those things happening in very
many different places in the world. It can be enough
to kind of feel paralyzing. So how do you afford
(01:35):
filmthrop at Ford decide exactly where that money goes and
what projects to take on.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, I think that's a great question because there is
so much need and so what we try to do
at Ford Philanthropy is really bring our superpower to the table,
and so we have really focused on things like disaster relief,
community building because what we've learned is in partnerships with nonprofits,
we not only bring the philanthropic dollars, but we can
bring things like our vehicles. So imagine during a hurricane
(02:06):
or during some kind of disaster, there is a need
for nonprofits to have sort of an increase of vehicles
to get out and do the work they do. So
we have a loaner program through our dealers for that.
We have our people. We've extended our volunteer policy so
that people can deploy when there's a disaster and go
and actually you know, get in there and help. And
then the dealer network, As I said, what I've been
(02:28):
incredibly impressed by is that because we are more focused
in these areas together as a company, we've been able
to network together incredible impacts. So for example, you know,
we have dealers who are doing blood drives, we have
dealers who are doing food drives, all in sort of
support of this combined effort. And just recently, dealers across
the world actually did a food drive and there was
(02:51):
a donation of two million pounds of food. We've done
blood drives where the American Red Cross has said this
is so incredible because you're getting new blood donors. So
I think a company, if we can find our sweet
spot like we have in these areas, can bring the
full power of what you know, we can do to help.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah. So I mean Ford has like something like one
hundred and seventy thousand employees, right, but if you include
the massive dealership network and the supplier network, it's going
to I imagine grow to millions. You're also very global right.
I know that you have production facilities for example, for
example in Valencia where you've been able to help out
(03:29):
with the horrible flooding that they had. You've been able
to help out in Turkey where they had awful earthquakes.
These global crises, do you feel a responsibility to respond
not just to what's going on in the US but
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Absolutely. And I think what's really great is because we
have this focused effort around is US relief. We have
a turnkey, you know kind of moment where we already
have our nonprofits established. You know, we have the dealers
sort of ready to go, we have ourmployees ready to volunteer.
And so recently, for example, during the Texas flooding, within
twenty four hours, the dealers were already activated, we had
(04:08):
vehicles on the ground helping our nonprofits, we had our
volunteers deployed, and we were doing everything we could to
help in that situation. And I think that's the power
of a company like Ford. You know, when our backs
against the wall, there's no better company to kind of
rise to the occasion. We've seen that throughout history, and
our commitment community is so great that if we can
(04:29):
find that sort of sweet spot where we can bring
the entire power of our company to bear. I think
we just have a much better opportunity to make a difference.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
You know, the aim of the more libertarian administrations in
this country is to pull back on what the government
pays for because then the private charity will step in.
And I wonder if you feel more pressure on that
front lately as you cross this milestone.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, we've certainly gotten a lot more. And you know,
at the end of the day, there's not enough money
to sustain all the need, you know, as Danny said,
And so what we really try to do at Ford
Philanthropy is not only to bring whatever monetary resources we
can bring, but I think we have these incredible employees,
these incredible volunteers, and they bring their expertise. I mean,
(05:18):
for example, recently, food has been a real issue and
one of our employees was actually volunteering at a food
bank and she was with our supply chain group, and
she got there and she realized that the way they
had set up the entire supply chain for that food
distribution was not as efficient as it needed to be,
and so she kind of took it on as her
own personal project to help them and so they're much
(05:39):
more efficient, they're getting much more food out every day,
and so I think that's really the exciting thing is that,
you know, I'm proud of our employees who always look
for opportunities to give back and I think in a
really meaningful way.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Can I just quickly ask also how closely you work
with Bill Ford and the Ford family, because I know
he has been a proponent of the environment for many,
many decades now and has tried to do what he
can through obviously the Ford Motor Company assets that he owns.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Oh my gosh, there's no bigger champion than Bill Ford
on the community front. You know, he really is our
north star. You know, he established our volunteer program twenty
years ago. He's always looking around corners, he's always thinking ahead,
he's always looking for innovation. So he always challenges me
personally to look for innovation and philanthropy. And so I
(06:27):
couldn't be more proud to be a part of a
company that has a family like the Fords behind it.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Hey, Mary, so great to hear about the wonderful work
you're doing at Ford Philanthropy. That's Mary Kohler for philanthropy,
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. The philanthropic arm of
the Ford Motor Company is the first to have donated
more than one hundred million dollars in partnership with Global Giving.
Here to discuss that milestone and the role of large
companies in charity is Mary Culler. She is the president
of Ford Philanthropy and it's great to have you, marry on.
(00:25):
I guess Giving Tuesday was yesterday, but we should always
be thinking about what we can do to help out
in global crises. Tell us first of all about Global Giving.
You've been in partnership with them for many years and
how you work together.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, good morning and nice to see you, Matt and Danny.
This is a historic milestone and what's really exciting is
Global Giving has been a partner of ours for years.
They really serve as the bridge for connecting with nonprofits
all across the world. And so when we think about
this milestone, it's not only about the money, but it's
the multiplier effect that a company liked Motor Company can
(01:01):
bring with our employees with the expertise we bring with
our vehicles, and of course we have this incredible dealer
network all across the globe that all get involved in
support of these nonprofits.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Mary, the good news is the contributions you're making to societies.
The bad news is how many different things it feels
like they're out there that need this kind of funding,
be it rising inequality, be it issues of climate change,
and by the way, all those things happening in very
many different places in the world. It can be enough
to kind of feel paralyzing. So how do you afford
(01:35):
filmthrop at Ford decide exactly where that money goes and
what projects to take on.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, I think that's a great question because there is
so much need and so what we try to do
at Ford Philanthropy is really bring our superpower to the table,
and so we have really focused on things like disaster relief,
community building because what we've learned is in partnerships with nonprofits,
we not only bring the philanthropic dollars, but we can
bring things like our vehicles. So imagine during a hurricane
(02:06):
or during some kind of disaster, there is a need
for nonprofits to have sort of an increase of vehicles
to get out and do the work they do. So
we have a loaner program through our dealers for that.
We have our people. We've extended our volunteer policy so
that people can deploy when there's a disaster and go
and actually you know, get in there and help. And
then the dealer network, As I said, what I've been
(02:28):
incredibly impressed by is that because we are more focused
in these areas together as a company, we've been able
to network together incredible impacts. So for example, you know,
we have dealers who are doing blood drives, we have
dealers who are doing food drives, all in sort of
support of this combined effort. And just recently, dealers across
the world actually did a food drive and there was
(02:51):
a donation of two million pounds of food. We've done
blood drives where the American Red Cross has said this
is so incredible because you're getting new blood donors. So
I think a company, if we can find our sweet
spot like we have in these areas, can bring the
full power of what you know, we can do to help.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah. So I mean Ford has like something like one
hundred and seventy thousand employees, right, but if you include
the massive dealership network and the supplier network, it's going
to I imagine grow to millions. You're also very global right.
I know that you have production facilities for example, for
example in Valencia where you've been able to help out
(03:29):
with the horrible flooding that they had. You've been able
to help out in Turkey where they had awful earthquakes.
These global crises, do you feel a responsibility to respond
not just to what's going on in the US but
around the world.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Absolutely. And I think what's really great is because we
have this focused effort around is US relief. We have
a turnkey, you know kind of moment where we already
have our nonprofits established. You know, we have the dealers
sort of ready to go, we have ourmployees ready to volunteer.
And so recently, for example, during the Texas flooding, within
twenty four hours, the dealers were already activated, we had
(04:08):
vehicles on the ground helping our nonprofits, we had our
volunteers deployed, and we were doing everything we could to
help in that situation. And I think that's the power
of a company like Ford. You know, when our backs
against the wall, there's no better company to kind of
rise to the occasion. We've seen that throughout history, and
our commitment community is so great that if we can
(04:29):
find that sort of sweet spot where we can bring
the entire power of our company to bear. I think
we just have a much better opportunity to make a difference.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
You know, the aim of the more libertarian administrations in
this country is to pull back on what the government
pays for because then the private charity will step in.
And I wonder if you feel more pressure on that
front lately as you cross this milestone.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, we've certainly gotten a lot more. And you know,
at the end of the day, there's not enough money
to sustain all the need, you know, as Danny said,
And so what we really try to do at Ford
Philanthropy is not only to bring whatever monetary resources we
can bring, but I think we have these incredible employees,
these incredible volunteers, and they bring their expertise. I mean,
(05:18):
for example, recently, food has been a real issue and
one of our employees was actually volunteering at a food
bank and she was with our supply chain group, and
she got there and she realized that the way they
had set up the entire supply chain for that food
distribution was not as efficient as it needed to be,
and so she kind of took it on as her
own personal project to help them and so they're much
(05:39):
more efficient, they're getting much more food out every day,
and so I think that's really the exciting thing is that,
you know, I'm proud of our employees who always look
for opportunities to give back and I think in a
really meaningful way.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Can I just quickly ask also how closely you work
with Bill Ford and the Ford family, because I know
he has been a proponent of the environment for many,
many decades now and has tried to do what he
can through obviously the Ford Motor Company assets that he owns.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Oh my gosh, there's no bigger champion than Bill Ford
on the community front. You know, he really is our
north star. You know, he established our volunteer program twenty
years ago. He's always looking around corners, he's always thinking ahead,
he's always looking for innovation. So he always challenges me
personally to look for innovation and philanthropy. And so I
(06:27):
couldn't be more proud to be a part of a
company that has a family like the Fords behind it.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Hey, Mary, so great to hear about the wonderful work
you're doing at Ford Philanthropy. That's Mary Kohler for philanthropy,
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