BARCELONA — A hiring program at the Ford Foundation is helping ex-prisoners reenter the world of work, in an example of how philanthropic organizations could make their workforces more inclusive, according to William Kelley, director of talent acquisition.
Created in partnership with the Bard Prison Initiative, which provides college education to people in prison, the program aims to help formerly incarcerated people develop skills and prepare for the marketplace through work placements.
For an organization like the Ford Foundation, which focuses on social justice, “we do need to walk the walk” and make sure that platforms are being used to advocate for change internally as well as externally, Kelley argued.