News

In considering the specific challenges and opportunities facing today’s democracy and democratic engagement in the United States, the Fund has revised the program guidelines for its Democratic Practice–United States portfolio. The revised guidelines recognize that the goal of advancing a vital and inclusive U.S. democracy is both to improve democratic systems and to enable U.S. citizens and residents to leverage these systems to advance social, racial, and economic justice.

Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), is among four recipients of the 2015 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Ma was recognized for his leadership of IPE and its ongoing work on projects that strengthen public participation in environmental governance.

The Iran Project has released a statement on the April 2nd announcement detailing the framework agreement reached by Iran and the United States along with five other world powers to limit Iran's nuclear program. The statement applauds the achievement reached after 18 months of complex negotiations, while recognizing there is still more work to be done.

In an editorial, Valerie Rockefeller, former chair of the Fund and a great-great granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, explains the RBF’s rationale for joining the global shift toward divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy businesses.

A recent report by Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies highlights the collaboration among civil society leaders to make necessary changes to Kosovo’s judicial processes during its nascent independence.

During one of two Composers Now residencies at The Pocantico Center in October 2014, composer and violinist Mari Kimura wrote "Breuer Vivant," a piece inspired by the historic Marcel Breuer House, and performed it at The Pocantico Center in February 2015.

In his new book, Staying the Course: Reflections on 40 Years of Grantmaking at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, William S. Moody, a former program director, charts the opportunities of working with individuals and communities around the world to make lasting and positive change.

The European Foundation Centre (EFC) has released a paper comparing and analyzing the current landscape for public-benefit foundations and nonprofits in six countries of the Western Balkans. The EFC’s European Center for Non-Profit Law published the report, contrasting the legal and monetary nuances of foundation work in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, spoke at a seminar about philanthropy at the Terry Sanford Institute's Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society at Duke University in December 2014. Mr. Heintz discussed the Rockefeller family tradition of philanthropy, impact investing, and collaboration with other foundations, among other topics.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has made revisions to its Pivotal Place: New York City Program guidelines. Recognizing the many accomplishments of our grantees and the Fund's interest in concentrating limited resources on other areas in which we are currently working to achieve greater impact, the RBF will conclude its grantmaking of civic and political participation of immigrant communities in New York City.