The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller ("Senior") and son "Junior", and their primary business advisor, Frederick Taylor Gates, on May 14, 1913, when its charter was granted by New York. It is the second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America and ranks as the 30th largest foundation globally by endowment, with assets of over $6.3 billion in 2022. According to the OECD, the foundation provided $284 million for development in 2021. The foundation has given more than $14 billion in current dollars.
John D. Rockefeller Sr. in 1919
Frederick T. Gates, 1922
Standard Oil Trust stock certificate, 1896
University College Hospital, London
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.
Herodes Atticus, a Greek philanthropist of Ancient Rome active during the 2nd century CE
The Foundling Hospital in London, c. 1753. The original building has since been demolished.
William Wilberforce, a prominent British philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner
The Red Cross, after the Battle of Gravelotte in 1870
