FAQs

About the Rockefeller Brothers Fund

When was the Rockefeller Brothers Fund founded?

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is a private, family foundation dedicated to advancing social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.  The Fund was created in 1940 by the sons (John 3rd, Nelson, Laurance, Winthrop and David) of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 

The idea for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund emerged from meetings among the five brothers in the early 1940s. The siblings had been seeking ways to cooperate with one another and decided that a unified approach to their charitable and civic responsibilities was the best place to start.  Over the years, the Fund provided the brothers with a significant and reliable source of research and advice.  In addition, the Fund enabled the brothers to combine their philanthropies to greater effect. Their sister, Abby ("Babs") joined the Fund's board in the early 1950s.

What are the Rockefeller Brothers Fund's main areas of focus?

The RBF's grantmaking is organized around three themes:  Democratic Practice, Peacebuilding, and Sustainable Development.  Though the Fund pursues its three program interests in a variety of geographic contexts, it has identified several specific locations on which to concentrate cross-programmatic attention.  The Fund refers to these as "RBF pivotal places": subnational areas, nation-states, or cross-border regions that have special importance with regard to the Fund's substantive concerns and whose future will have disproportionate significance for the future of a surrounding region, an ecosystem, or the world.  The Fund currently works in three pivotal places:  New York City, Southern China, and the Western Balkans.

How is the Fund managed?

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is governed by a board of trustees and managed by the professional staff in New York City (475 Riverside Drive) and Tarrytown (the Pocantico Center).  The board of trustees meets three times a year in March, June, and November.

Is the Rockefeller Brothers Fund connected to the Rockefeller Foundation?

While the two organizations share a history with the Rockefeller family, there is no current connection between the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Rockefeller Foundation was created by John D. Rockefeller in 1913.   The Rockefeller Brothers Fund was created in 1940 by the sons of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.  Currently, Rockefeller family members make up half of the Fund's board.

Where is the Fund located?

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is located at 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 900, New York, NY 10115.  The Fund also manages The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown.

How can I apply for a job with the Fund?

Current openings are listed on the employment page.

How can I obtain a financial and investment information about the Fund?

Please visit the Finance and Reporting section of this Web site.

How many grants did the Fund award last year?

In 2010, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund approved 274 grants totaling $22,754,317.  The average grant size was $83,045. The Fund paid $28,027,249 in grants during the year.

The difference between these two figures stems from the fact that a significant number of grants awarded by the Fund are for more than one year's activity; therefore, they are approved in one year, but paid out in more than one fiscal year.

What is the David Rockefeller Global Development Fund?

In 2006, David Rockefeller, one of the RBF's founders and advisory trustees, announced that he would make a $225 million bequest to the RBF endowment to create the David Rockefeller Global Development Fund.  David Rockefeller's bequest marks the largest single gift to the RBF since his father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., established the Fund's endowment in 1952 to which he made a testamentary gift after his death in 1960.

The David Rockefeller Global Development Fund will significantly expand the Rockefeller Brothers Fund's capacity to address critical global challenges-including poverty, health care, sustainable development, management of the global economy, international trade, and multilateral system-and the need for farsighted, collaborative, and constructive U.S. foreign policies with regard to these global issues.  This fund will be managed within the RBF's general endowment.  During Mr. Rockefeller's lifetime, the RBF and Mr. Rockefeller will undertake cooperative projects that are consistent with the goals of the fund and its mission to help build a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.