The Rockefeller Family Fund (RFF) is a philanthropic foundation created 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 ...

, that “initiates, cultivates, and funds strategic efforts to promote a sustainable, just, free, and participatory society.” The president of the RFF is Miranda Kaiser, a great-granddaughter of

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 ...

. The RFF is active in areas such as

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

, promoting economic equality for women, and supporting socially disadvantaged citizens and refugees.

History

The Rockefeller Family Fund was established in 1967 by

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

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 ...

Laurance Laurance is a surname or given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * John Laurance (1750–1810), American lawyer and politician from New York * Matthew Laurance (born 1950), American actor * William F. Laurance (born 1957), Ameri ...

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 ...

, and

. The “Cousins,” as the grandchildren of John D. Rockefeller Jr. were called, were already important supporters of the left-wing counterculture in the 1960s. When John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s widow, Martha Baird Rockefeller, died in 1971, she left $72 million to charity, including $10 million to the RFF. This new foundation asset sparked heated discussions among the cousins about what the money should be used for. Laurance Rockefeller's daughter Marion wrote in an internal memo to her cousins: “We believe that the fund has a duty to support organizations such as the

American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends ('' Quaker)-founded'' organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by ...

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conce ...

, American Documentary Films ..regardless of their tax status.” The Rockefeller Family Fund has since become a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

foundation.

Activities

Today, the RFF primarily supports three areas: * Environment, in the area of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and the decommissioning of

coal-fired power plants Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is a type of ...

. * Economic equality for women, whose main focus is to lobby for an increase in the number of paid sick days for working women. * Democracy work, with a focus on the “adoption of laws for the automatic and permanent registration of all voters.”

Criticism

RFF has been accused of

astroturfing Astroturfing is the deceptive practice of hiding the Sponsor (commercial), sponsors of an orchestrated message or organization (e.g., political, economic, advertising, religious, or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from ...

in order to achieve its goals.

External links

*{{Official website, https://rffund.org/

References

Institutions founded by the Rockefeller family 1967 establishments in New York City

History

Activities

Criticism

See also

External links

References