Rockefeller Foundation - American Education

A philanthropic organization founded in 1913 by JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, Sr., “to promote the well-being of mankind around the world.” Originally endowed with about $250 million in personal funds from the Rockefellers, its endowment grew to about $3 billion by the end of 1999, and it was awarding $170 million a year in annual grants and fellowships. In 1918, the foundation absorbed the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial to encourage worldwide childwelfare and social science studies. For most of the 20th century, the broad goals of the Rockefeller Foundation were to promote and support the arts, humanities and “contemporary values,” with major gifts to American colleges, universities, museums and other educative institutions. In addition, its work supported “Conquest of Hunger; Equal Opportunity, International Relations and Population and Health.” By 2000, 70% of its money was flowing overseas, and, as other foundations filled the coffers of American colleges and universities to overflowing, the Rockefeller group veered away from American higher education to focus on four other areas: culture and creativity, employment, food and health care.