Topic: Issues in Philanthropy

Photo Essay: The Rockefeller Sanitary Commission and the South
How battling hookworm on rural farms laid the groundwork for a global public health system.

The Commonwealth Fund and the “Insanity Defense”: Unexpected Outcomes
Our understanding of the insanity defense relies on a book that was an unintended outcome of a Commonwealth Fund grant.

Timeline: Foundations and the Walker Art Center
Decades of foundation involvement has helped this American cultural organization to grow, thrive, and innovate.

In Brief: The Rockefeller Foundation Supports Renowned Urbanist Jane Jacobs
One small grant gave enduring voice to one of the most famous critiques of postwar urban renewal.

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

The Birth of the Modern MBA
Why would an American foundation transform the field of business education?

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.

Supporting Economic Justice? Ford’s 1968 PRI Experiment
How the largest US foundation began supporting market-based projects in the late 1960s.