The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a philanthropic foundation created and run by members of the

Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family ( ) is an American Industrial sector, industrial, political, and List of banking families, banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the History of the petroleum industry in th ...

. It was founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle for the five third-generation Rockefeller brothers:

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, Laurance, Winthrop and

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

. It is distinct from the

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. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

. The Rockefellers are an industrial, political and banking family that made one of the world's largest fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Fund's stated mission is to "advance social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world." The current president of RBF is Stephen Heintz, who was appointed to the post in 2000. Valerie Rockefeller serves as RBF's chairwoman. She succeeded

Richard Rockefeller Richard Gilder Rockefeller (January 20, 1949 – June 13, 2014)
'' ...

, the fifth child of David Rockefeller, who served as RBF's chairman until 2013. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is part of the Steering Group of the

Foundations Platform F20 Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

, an international network of foundations and philanthropic organizations.

History

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund was established in 1940 by the five sons of John D. Rockefeller Jr. The five Rockefeller brothers served as the Fund's first five trustees. In 1951, the Fund grew substantially when it received a $58 million endowment from John D. Rockefeller Jr. Initially, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund pursued largely philanthropic interests. Laurance continued his father John D. Rockefeller II's interest in nature conservation, so that the fund's money expanded the family's

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

land trusts, which formed the basis of the Grand Teton National Park. Nelson continued his mother Abby Aldrich Rockefeller's interest in contemporary art, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund became one of the largest supporters of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

. John D. Rockefeller was one of the pioneers of population policy, and the fund was one of the most important supporters of the

Population Council The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts research in biomedicine, social science, and public health and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its re ...

. In 1999, the Fund merged with the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation. In November 2006,

David Rockefeller David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American economist and investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Bank, Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the third generation of ...

pledged $225 million to the Fund that would create the David Rockefeller Global Development Fund after his death. In September 2014, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund announced that it planned to divest its assets from fossil fuels. On disinvesting from

fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geologica ...

, the president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Stephen Heintz, said: "We see this as both a moral imperative and an economic opportunity" (30 September 2014). The Rockefeller Family Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund are independent, distinct institutions.

Special Studies Project

From 1956 to 1960, the Fund financed a study conceived by its then president,

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

, to analyze the challenges facing the United States.

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...

was recruited to direct the project. Seven panels were constituted that looked at issues including military strategy, foreign policy, international economic strategy, governmental reorganization, and the nuclear arms race. The military subpanel's report was rush-released about two months after the USSR launched

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (, , ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space progra ...

in October 1957. Rockefeller urged the Republican Party to adopt the finding of the Special Studies Project as its platform. The findings of the project formed the framework of Nelson Rockefeller's 1960 presidential election platform. The project was published in its entirety in 1961 as ''Prospect for America: The Rockefeller Panel Reports''. The archival study papers are stored in the ''Rockefeller Archive Center'' at the family estate.

Funding of Palestinian organizations

Since 2011, and particularly following a trip to Palestine by its board in 2014, the RBF, under Stephen Heintz, has become the most important source of funding for the

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...

(BDS) political campaign. Since 2013, RBF has donated at least $880,000 to groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, Zochrot, and the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, which support BDS. Since 2018, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has donated more than $3.4 million to groups such as Defense for Children International-Palestine, which was designated a terrorist organization by the Israeli government in October 2021 for acting as an extension of the terrorist group

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP; ) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation ...

(PFLP) and employing leading PFLP members.

Presidents

(1956-1958) * Laurance Rockefeller (1958-1968) *Dana S. Creel (1968-1975) *William M. Dietel (1975-1987) * Colin G. Campbell (1987-2000) * Stephen B. Heintz (2001–present)

References

External links