The Fund Mourns the Loss of Richard Rockefeller

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The trustees, staff, and grantees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund mourn the death of Dr. Richard G. Rockefeller, a former trustee, board chair, and very dear friend. Richard served on the RBF board of trustees for 23 years, starting in 1989. He was chair of the board from 2006–2013 and was an advisory trustee at the time of his tragic death.

Richard was an exceptional human being—a person of great intellect and curiosity, profound common sense, wit, and compassion. He gave generously and completely to all of those with whom he worked and all he met. He was a gifted, caring, and joyful leader.

During his decades of service to the RBF, he engaged deeply in our philanthropic efforts to help improve democratic practice, advance solutions to climate change, and build durable peace in regions afflicted by conflict. His appetite for knowledge was insatiable and he most enjoyed learning from the leaders and staff of grantee organizations, whether here in the United States or abroad. He immediately touched all those he met, who felt his genuine respect and curiosity about them and their work.

Richard was a leader in his generation of the Rockefeller family, continuing the principled philanthropy of his father, David, and uncles who established the RBF in 1940, while responding to the needs of a profoundly transformed world. As chair, Richard thoughtfully guided members of the next generation of family leaders to assume leadership and to shape the future of the RBF to suit the challenges of their time.

Richard’s work at the RBF complemented his many other philanthropic activities—a deep concern for environmental stewardship that motivated his leadership of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Sargasso Sea Alliance; a devotion to science which guided his 30-year association with The Rockefeller University; and a love of humanity which inspired his own practice of family medicine, his founding of the Health Commons Institute, and his long service with Doctors Without Borders. In recent years, Richard was a leader in the exploration of new treatments for those afflicted with severe trauma.

Our hearts go out to all the members of his family, especially his wife Nancy, children Clayton and Rebecca, and their children; stepchildren Maxwell and Griffin; his father David, all his siblings, and the extended Rockefeller family. All of us who knew Richard loved him. And his love was felt by countless others around the world who never met him.

Valerie Rockefeller, Chair
Stephen Heintz, President