A quest for better contraception: the Ford Foundation's contribution to reproductive science and contraceptive development 1959-1983

Abstract

This review describes the Ford Foundation's program of support of research and training in reproductive science and contraceptive development from 1959 through 1983. An appraisal of some of the merits and limitations of that program and of its impact on the field is also presented.

PIP: This report offers a comprehensive review of the Ford Foundation's Program in support of reproductive science and contraceptive development from its inception in 1950 to the present time. Discussion covers the genesis of the program and of the administrative and scientific setting it which it arose and details the methods used and the scope of the activities of the program in research and in training and in institutional development. 1 of the most distinctive features of the original concept of the program is the global approach to the problem of fertility control. Over the years several patterns of funding evolved. The essential features of a selected number of grants adhering to each funding pattern are sketched before the more general issues emanating from the specific experiences are described. "core grant" is used to designate those grants made to universities and other research organizations in order to support an institutionwide undertaking in research and training. Because of increasing sources of support in the US, the regional or countrywide programs were mainly situated in less developed countries. These areas presented a greater urgency for improvement in contraceptive technology among their growing populations, and it seemed desirable to facilitate the local development of contraceptive advances. In 1975 a new pattern of grant development and administration was intiated. This plan entailed an announcement of the scientific community of the availability of restricted funds for investigator-initiated projects of limited scope and adaptable to relatively short-term projects. The Mellon Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation joined with the Ford Foundation in Formulating the Targeted Research Program, 1983-83. The Population Council's Biomedical Division's organization framework and its personnel helped the Ford Foundation staff to sharpen its appraisal of demands made of its resources. In 1970 the Population Council organized the International Committee for Contraception Research [ICCR] to facilitate the pursuit of emerging leads toward better contraceptive modalities, and the Ford Program has provided $9.3 million for ICCR's research program. Considering the program as a whole, the Ford Foundation emerges from the past 25 years of support of research and training in reproductive science and contraceptive development with a creditable record as a donor, initiator, and catalyst.