News

Accepting the Council on Foundations 2018 Distinguished Service Award, RBF President Stephen Heintz offered remarks on the state of philanthropy in these turbulent times.

David Rockefeller pledged to auction his collection of art, antiquities, furniture, and other personal items after his death and to distribute the proceeds to a number of charitable organizations. He made a $250 million gift to the RBF, the largest of his philanthropic bequests.

First presented in 1984, the Award “highlights those who not only have accomplished a great deal in the field of philanthropy, but have done so while exemplifying the intellect, integrity, and leadership to which the field aspires.”

The Rockefeller Playhouse and Guest Houses were gifted to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support the work of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

With experience as a reporter on foreign affairs and work as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Ms. Donnelly will be an insightful thought partner in the Fund's support for innovative solutions to global challenges and conflict transformation.

RBF President Stephen Heintz will co-chair a project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to explore evolving concepts of citizenship and examine how citizens interact with democratic institutions in an effort to promote increased civic participation in the United States.

We are proud to add our program reports and third-party evaluations to Foundation Center's IssueLab as part of their #OpenForGood campaign, which provides open access to the philanthropic sector's research and learning.

Stephen Heintz and Heather McGhee, president of Demos and a trustee of the RBF, were both included on the NonProfit Times’ annual list of top 50 sector leaders.

The trustees and staff of the RBF mourn the passing of our former trustee and board chair, Abby M. O’Neill, who was elected as a trustee of the Fund in 1958, the first member of her generation to serve as a Fund trustee and, later, the first woman to serve as board chair.

With deep sadness, the trustees and staff of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund mourn the passing of our founder, David Rockefeller, who launched the RBF in 1940 with his four brothers, and devoted his remarkable life to creating a better world.