OVERVIEW: The David Rockefeller Fund supports the arts, the environment, and criminal justice and youth incarceration reform.
IP TAKE: This funder is flexible and responsive to the needs of its grantees. It also supports organizations other groups will not, which makes it an ideal grantmaker for nonprofits struggling to secure funding. Grants are highly competitive, however, and extend both nationally and globally. Make sure your proposal is air-tight - meaning you have a concise description of work, how funds will be used, and how your work will extend beyond a one-time grant.
Rockefeller was a signatory of the giving pledge and had a fortune estimated around $3 billion. Rockefeller pledged at least $600 million to various organizations upon his death. It's not clear how much money, if any, will go to the David Rockefeller Fund, but a big bequest is slated for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which will bolster the capacity of that activist environmental funder.
PROFILE: Created in 1989, the David Rockefeller Fund was established by David and Peggy Rockefeller “to address the root causes of problems, working both locally and on a broader policy level.” David Rockefeller was the youngest son of financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. David Rockefeller graduated from Harvard and studied economics at Harvard, the London School of Economics and the University of Chicago, where he eventually earned a Ph.D. He was a captain in the U.S. Army and served in France and North Africa during World War II. A former CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank, David Rockefeller died in 2017, but his children and grandchildren have maintained his foundation. The David Rockefeller Fund is one of many Rockefeller Organizations. Its key funding priorities include the Arts, Criminal Justice and the Environment.
Grants for the Arts and Arts Education
The fund’s Arts program has a national focus and supports “cultivating, showcasing and disseminating the stories of innovative art for social change.” Though the fund does not offer information regarding the specific types of arts organizations it supports, it is willing to take funding risks with organizations having a difficult time obtaining funding from other, more traditional funders. Rockefeller supports music, film, arts education and theater organizations across the country.
Past grantees include Hip Hop Caucus Action Fund, and Fractured Atlas, which received funding for its Scene City project. Theater of the Oppressed NYC, and New Venture Fund, for its IllumiNative program, also received support. To learn more about the arts organizations the Rockefeller Fund supports and at what level, explore its recent grantees list at the bottom of its page dedicated to its arts program.
Grants for Criminal Justice
Rockefeller’s Criminal Justice program focuses on supporting innovative ideas and policymaking that can help to transform the current state of the U.S. detention and incarceration systems. This program also includes the Youth First Initiative, which addresses America's “[s]ystem of youth incarceration” that is “[u]njust, ineffective and costly.” While Rockefeller does not offer specific information regarding the type of criminal justice reform work it supports, it considers funding risks for organizations that address pervasive social problems, which may prevent them from obtaining grants from other, more traditional funders. The program is particularly interested in grassroots organizing, power building, and advocacy to advance decarceration policies.
Past criminal justice grantees include the Bail Project, and the New Venture Fund, which received support for its Community Justice Reform Coalition and the Family Justice Center, which received funding for its New York Youth Justice Initiative. To learn more about the types of organizations Rockefeller supports and at what level, explore its recent grants listings at the bottom of its page dedicated to its criminal justice program.
Grants for Climate Change and Racial Equity
Rockefeller’s Environment program centers on climate change and supports “[n]ew ideas, initiatives, and policy breakthroughs in support of bipartisan U.S. climate leadership. The fund is willing to take funding risks with organizations having a difficult time obtaining funding from other, more traditional funders. The Environment program is particularly interested in funding “bold, science-based leadership on equitable climate solutions. This includes organizing efforts to: address intersecting climate, gender, and racial justice inequities and accelerate and expand movements to keep coal, oil and gas in the ground and shift whole regions to affordable clean energy.” As a result of its commitment to more equitable climate justice, the Rockefeller Fund prioritizes funding “nonprofits run by, serving, and building power for communities of color who have been the most successful in fighting the climate crisis.” Rather than funding only racial equity efforts, the fund conducts climate change funding through a justice lens.
Past climate change grantees include Jolt Action, the YEARS Project, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. To learn more about the environmental organizations the fund supports and at what level, explore its recent grantees list at the bottom of its page dedicated to its environmental program.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts typically range from $10,000 to $50,000. The David Rockefeller Fund accepts 1-2 page letters of inquiry on a rolling basis throughout the year at LOI@drfund.org.
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