News

Jared Duval’s book, Next Generation Democracy: What the Open Source Revolution Means for Power, Politics, and Change debuted as the number one bestseller in Amazon’s Democracy and Civics category on Nov. 9. The book began as a project about youth organizing, climate change, and democratic renewal for Demos.

The 990-PF form provides information on the RBF’s  assets, liabilities, revenues, charitable distributions, operating and administrative expenses,excise tax computations, and compensation of officers, trustees or directors.

RBF President Stephen Heintz and president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Phil Buchanan, share their insight on how new philanthropists like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg can make the greatest impact with their giving. In an op-ed featured in the San Jose Mercury News, they address Zuckerberg and others who have signed onto the Giving Pledge.

The 2009 online annual review features two Southern China slidecasts. Included is a discussion with Richard Rockefeller, chair; Wendy O’Neill, trustee; and Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund about the Rockefeller family’s history in China, and the evolution of the Fund’s Southern China program.

Earth’s future depends on the United States and China acting to curb greenhouse gas emissions. These two countries together account for over 40 percent of global emissions. Yet, both countries remain reluctant to commit to binding climate action, and attempts to find agreement between them veer between useful cooperation on clean energy technology and finger pointing in global climate talks. 

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has a strong institutional commitment to philanthropic excellence. During 2010, the RBF commissioned the Center for Effective Philanthropy to conduct a series of surveys to gain insight into grantee and applicant perceptions of the Fund’s performance. We are pleased to share the Grantee Perception Report and Applicant Perception Report, along with our insights.

The 2009 online annual review features two Southern China slidecasts. The slidecast features Shenyu Belsky, director of the Fund's Southern China program, and two RBF grantees—Ma Jun of the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs and Alex Wang of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.—discussing the importance of environmental information disclosure.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is pleased to announce the election of Kavita Ramdas to the Fund’s board of trustees, effective November 17, 2010.  Ms. Ramdas is a senior advisor to the Global Fund for Women, after serving as its president and chief executive officer from 1996 to September 2010.  She has been appointed to serve a three-year term.

In early 2008, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund launched a foundation-wide project to assess and improve diversity within its operations and grantmaking.  A Diversity Working Group  consisting of staff members from across the Fund was created to explore diversity and inclusion at the RBF, with an initial goal of determining whether the Fund might embark on specific initiatives or strategies to strengthen its commitment.

In 1991, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund leased from the National Trust for Historic Preservation the portion of the Rockefeller estate bequeathed to the Trust by Nelson Rockefeller. Subsequently, through the generosity of members of the Rockefeller family, the Fund created The Pocantico Center as an extension of its grantmaking activities.