Beginning with a focus on the conservation of natural resources and heritage, American philanthropy has long engaged with environmental issues both in the US and globally. Over the course of the twentieth century, environmentalism has been repeatedly reframed in response to changing contexts and discoveries — from conservation and stewardship to ecology and sustainability, and now to a growing recognition of the human causes and consequences of climate change.
Recently Published
Photo Essay: Mexico and the Launch of the Green Revolution
One foundation’s program in Mexico created the blueprint for ending hunger worldwide.
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund Supports Modern Environmentalism
Environmental education was once an unusual idea. The Audubon Society changed that and became the household name it is today.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Creates a National Park
Who defines the public good? The showdown caused when a wealthy philanthropist bought land and tried to give it to the American people.
Photo Essay: Supporting Minority Enterprise in the late 1960s
In 1968, the Ford Foundation began to make social investments using a new tool borrowed from the for-profit world, the Program-Related Investment.