Ford Motor Company's involvement with Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, began in 1983 when Ford hosted a JDRF walk fund-raiser at Ford's Research & Engineering Center in Dearborn, Michigan. The event was a great success, and continued annually at Ford until 1990, when JDRF consolidated several smaller walk sites into one large walk site. In 1998, Ford organized a formal walk team with Edsel B. Ford
II as the Corporate Team Chair and the team raised over $180,000 for JDRF at three sites in Southeastern Michigan. The following year, the first "global" walk team was established and Ford employees raised over $760,000 at 11 walk sites worldwide. From the 1998 inception of the employee-driven group known as the Ford Global Action Team, through 2023, $80 million has been raised through creative fundraising initiatives like parking spot raffles, auctions, job-switch drawings, sneaker sales, jeans days, bake sales, dunk tanks, golf tournaments, Ride to a Cure and One Walk donations. Innovation and friendly competition between Ford buildings and plants has proven successful year after year. Over the years, the team has grown by leaps and bounds and expanded to include many national partners that currently include the UAW and many Ford dealerships. Ford Motor Company has also been generous in supporting fundraising efforts through the donation of vehicles for auction, as well as opportunities with many Ford programs, such as Ford Motorcraft and Quick Lane racing contests, Drive One, and Operation Goodwill. Ford Motor Company is the only global sponsor of Breakthrough T1D, a prestigious honor the company holds in high esteem. No other company or organization has had a greater impact on Breakthrough T1D funding than Ford. The Ford Global Action Team continues to raise funds globally in 2024 and is committed to supporting Breakthrough T1D and finding better treatments and a cure for type 1 diabetes.