Rockefeller Brothers Fund
/OVERVIEW: The Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports efforts to promote democratic values and preserve democratic institutions in the United States and the Balkans. Through its Sustainable Development Program, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) supports organizations that work to advance global stewardship and climate change solutions. It also makes grants to support development in China and the arts in New York City.
IP TAKE: Despite its impressive family name, this is a fairly accessible foundation that accepts applications online. And, especially with regard to its climate change and racial justice grantmaking, the foundation does not avoid political fights and is open to taking a few risks with its support. Grantmaking occurs both nationally and globally, but note that it is competitive, so make sure to polish your application and have it read by industry colleagues or editors before sending it in. RBF is responsive, and generally approachable, but given its call volume, it may take a bit to get back to you.
PROFILE: The Rockefeller Brothers Fund was established in 1940 by Nelson, Winthrop, Laurance [sic], David, and John D. Rockefeller III, the sons of John D. Rockefeller Jr., who provided the foundation’s initial endowment, along with a further bequest from his estate upon his death. Originally founded simply to coordinate the family’s personal charitable giving, RBF is currently on a mission to promote “social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world.” Since merging with the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation in 1999, RBF has been committed to “supporting solutions to climate change, advancing a vital and inclusive democracy, peace-building, and supporting a vibrant and inclusive arts community in our home city of New York.” The foundation’s current program areas are Democratic Practice, Peacebuilding, Sustainable Development, China, Western Balkans, and Culpeper Arts & Culture.
Grants for Security, Civic Engagement and Democracy
The RBF conducts grantmaking for democracy through several of its program areas. Democratic Practice grants seek to “strengthen the vitality of democracy in the United States and in global governance” by supporting efforts related to money in politics, electoral reform, voting rights, movement building, civic engagement, and citizen organizing. The foundation’s Western Balkans program area also seeks to create an environment where “institutions of governance are transparent, accountable, and responsive, and citizens are engaged, empowered, and assertive” in the countries of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia. The Peacebuilding program focuses its grantmaking on “support for policy analysis, collaborative approaches and networks, and constituency building.” It also works to defend “civil society actors who are working to end conflict.”
Past grantees include Democracy Works, Open Markets Institute, Solidago Foundation, New Venture Fund, Tides Foundation, Proteus Fund, and Action Center on Race and the Economy Institute. To get a better idea of the types of organizations this funder supports, grantseekers should look through the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
Grants for Global Development
The RBF currently funds two global development initiatives. Its grantmaking in China supports efforts to address “profound challenges” caused by “China’s rapid development,” which the foundation argues can threaten “the sustainability of development in the region, the country, and the world” if they remain unaddressed. Some of these challenges include environmental degradation and growing disparities between rich and poor, and urban and rural areas. The Western Balkans program works “to build truly peaceful and democratic societies where institutions of governance are transparent, accountable, and responsive, and citizens are engaged, empowered, and assertive—realizing the vision of a just, sustainable, and peaceful Western Balkans.”
While the fund’s current global development funding supports efforts in China and the Western Balkans, its grantmaking in this space is not new. For example, in 2009, Rockefeller ended a longstanding South Africa program that focused on human rights, the anti-apartheid movement, and research for HIV/AIDS. The foundation also previously supported a Human Advancement program with a global purview. All of this is to say that grantseekers should keep an eye on Rockefeller’s website as its global development focus tends to evolve over time, with programs opening and shuttering as required to keep pace with changing needs in “pivotal places” across the globe.
To get a better idea of the types of organizations this funder supports, grantseekers should look through the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy
RBF makes climate change related grants through its Sustainable Development program, which seeks to advance “global stewardship that is ecologically based, economically sound, socially just, culturally appropriate, and consistent with intergenerational equity.” To advance solutions to climate change, RBF pursues strategies that advance the green economy agenda, advocate for increased public and policymaking related to climate change, and those that campaign to reduce fossil fuel or carbon intensive energy reliance. What’s notable about RBF’s climate grantmaking is the range of interests pursued by the fund. Its interests include ocean acidification, more efficient buildings, the national security dimension of climate change, and the all-important big question of how capitalism must adapt to the imperative of ecology sustainability.
Past grantees include Confluence Philanthropy, Inc., The New School, Urban Sustainability Directors Network, and 350.org. While the fund does not make many climate change grants, the ones that do receive RBF support tend to be large. To get a better idea of the types of organizations this funder supports, grantseekers should look through the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Culpeper Arts & Culture program makes grants exclusively in New York City and prioritizes support for small and mid-size community-based and/or culturally specific arts and cultural institutions across all arts disciplines “to provide opportunities for artists of color and other underrepresented artists to contribute to the cultural vitality of New York City.” It also funds mainstream and larger institutions that present underrepresented artists and that “find innovative ways to engage new and diverse audiences.”
Parts arts grantees include Dorrance Dance Incorporated, New York Women in Film & Television, Inc., Climate Museum, and Fractured Atlas, Inc. To get a better idea of the types of organizations this funder supports, grantseekers should look through the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
Grants for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights
In 2020, the fund announced the creation of a new Racial Justice Initiative, “a $10-million, three-year effort to advance racial justice in America through [the] systems and institutions of justice, governance, economy, and civic culture.” However, while this announcement reflects a renewed commitment to racial justice, the foundation has been making grants in this area for years. Most racial justice grants are made through the Democratic Practice program, which supports “movement building for systemic reform of democratic institutions to advance economic and racial justice.”
Past grantees in this area include Dēmos and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. To get a better idea of the types of organizations this funder supports, grantseekers should look through the foundation’s searchable Grants Database.
Important Grant Details:
Grants amounts vary widely, but they generally range from $25,000 to $500,000. Note that while the foundation primarily funds organizations in the United States, it works internationally in select regions, such as China and the Balkans.
The Rockefeller Brothers Foundation accepts applications through a simple online portal. Each program has its own requirements and guidelines, so grantseekers will want to look over the foundation website carefully.
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