Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City.[3] The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller ("Senior") and son "Junior", and their primary business advisor, Frederick Taylor Gates, on May 14, 1913, when its charter was granted by New York.[4] It is the second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America (after the Carnegie Corporation) and ranks as the 30th largest foundation globally by endowment, with assets of over $6.3 billion in 2022.[2] According to the OECD, the foundation provided $284 million for development in 2021.[5] The foundation has given more than $14 billion in current dollars.[6]
Founded
May 14, 1913
13-1659629
- 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York, U.S.
Rajiv Shah
(president)
$6.3 billion (2022)[2]
The foundation has had an international reach since the 1930s and major influence on global non-governmental organizations. The World Health Organization is modeled on the International Health Division of the foundation, which sent doctors abroad to study and treat human subjects. The National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health are also modeled on the work funded by Rockefeller.[7] It has also been a supporter of and influence on the United Nations.
In 2020, the foundation pledged that it would divest from fossil fuel, notable since the endowment was largely funded by Standard Oil.[8] The foundation also has a controversial past, including support of eugenics in the 1930s, as well as several scandals arising from their international field work. In 2021, the foundation's president committed to reckoning with their history, and to centering equity and inclusion.
Development of the United Nations[edit]
Although the United States never joined the League of Nations, the Rockefeller Foundation was involved, and by the 1930s the foundations had changed the League from a "Parliament of Nations" to a modern think tank that used specialized expertise to provide in-depth impartial analysis of international issues.[73][74] After the war, the foundation was involved in the establishment of the United Nations.[75]