News

On September 15, 2025, the Concordia Leadership Council announced the recipients of its 2025 Leadership Award, including RBF President and CEO Stephen Heintz for the civil society sector. 

In 1928, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller addressed a letter to her sons, who would go on to establish the RBF in 1940. “It is not enough to rid ourselves of prejudice,” she wrote. “We must undo it.” Her charge remains our own, inspiring workplace policies that project empathy, uphold dignity, and help sustain performance through challenging times.

Research indicates that museums boost visitors’ mental and physical health and combat feelings of social isolation. Communities with access to cultural institutions like museums rank better on health, happiness, and social cohesion indicators. In a time when polarization is on the rise and membership in traditional connectors like churches and social clubs is on the decline, the role of museums has never been more critical.

This conversation between RBF CEO Stephen Heintz and author Kim Stanley Robinson explores the interplay between fiction and reality, pragmatism and visionary utopianism.

The U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend was a dangerous military action, derailing ongoing negotiations to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon while bringing the US and Iran to the brink of an all-out war. 

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund will award its inaugural Parent Artist Residency at Pocantico to Marie B Gauthiez.

America’s parks reflect a vision championed by generations of Rockefellers who believed that conservation and public access can—and should—go hand-in-hand. 

Heintz, 73, who has led the $1.4 billion grant maker since 2001, positioned RBF as a significant player in efforts to fight climate change, establish peace abroad, and strengthen democracy in the United States.

Heintz has not only masterfully guided the Fund for the last 25 years, but he has set it up for success in the next 25, says RBF board chair Joseph Pierson.

Stephen Heintz appears on The Commons in Conversation to share how work bridging federal funding with philanthropy has resulted in stronger rural communities in West Virginia and beyond, and how the threats to federal funding are impacting rural communities like those Loudin supports in Appalachia.