Peace and Conflict

The Rockefeller Foundation’s Refugee Scholar Program
Saving scholars threatened by Nazis was not easy, but choosing which ones to save was even more difficult.

Documenting Injustice: Recording the Histories of the Japanese American Incarceration
The origins and legacy of a research project conducted in the American concentration camps for Japanese Americans.

Rebuilding a Cathedral: The Media, American Money, and French Heritage
Stepping in to save French monuments without stepping on French pride.

“Distasteful Regimes”: Authoritarianism, the Ford Foundation, and Social Sciences in Brazil
When the restrictive military regime that had taken power in Brazil in 1964 became even more repressive by 1969, staffers at the Ford Foundation found themselves facing a conundrum.
Just Published

New Research: Universal Symbols, Poland and Democracy, Science in Colonial India, and Thomas Whittemore
In this edition of the series, the authors have used the records of the Ford Foundation, the General Education Board, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, as well as archival materials from the Office of the Messrs. Rockefeller.
Foundations During Wartime

The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations Navigate Civil War in Nigeria
What happened to a massive agricultural development program when war broke out?

Preserving Scholarship During World War II: the Rockefeller Foundation, Libraries, and Microphotography
Using new technology to save threatened world resources and keep free inquiry alive under threat of fascist destruction.

The Rockefeller Foundation’s Role in Creating the Atomic Bomb
In the aftermath, Foundation staff struggled to rectify their organization’s involvement with this weapon of mass destruction.

Timeline: Philanthropy and World War I
The onset of World War I created new demands on American foundations and donors.
The Complicated History of American Philanthropy and Race

Timeline: A Century of American Philanthropy’s Engagement with Race and Racism
Delving into a century of philanthropic engagement with race, from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights era.

“Without Distinction of Race, Sex, or Creed”: The General Education Board, 1903-1964
In the early 20th century, the General Education Board was devoted to the cause of improving education throughout the United States, without distinction of race, sex, or creed.

A “Constructive and Important Failure”: A Foundation Funds Job Training in the 1970s and 1980s
Prompted by Reagan-era budget cuts, a new program serving low-income single parents receiving public aid failed to meet its constituents’ needs.

Can Data Drive Social Change? Tackling School Segregation with Numbers
In the years before Brown v. Board, a philanthropic fund hoped research and data would turn the tide on attitudes toward segregation.
Trailblazing Women in Philanthropy

The Women Pioneers of Global Nursing Education Who Built the Rockefeller Foundation Program
A massive program in nursing education extended to 53 schools across the globe. But it never became a top priority of the foundation that supported it.

The Fairy Godmothers of Women’s Studies
Moving scholarship by and about women from margin to center.

Profiles of Women in Philanthropy
In honor of Women’s History Month, we highlight thirteen individuals from our collections to show the range of contributions women have made in the field of philanthropy and in the world at large.

Photo Essay: A Mother, a Son, and Modern Art
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller’s passion for modern art influenced her children, especially her son Nelson Rockefeller, and continues to reach the public through the museum she co-founded.
New to RE:source
