Topic: Philanthropy & the Private Sector
The Rockefellers, National Parks, and Public Lands
The nation’s parks, perhaps our most remarkable public resource, have a history of development through private giving.
New Research: Public Health in Haiti, the Green Revolution, US-China Relations, and Law of the Sea
This edition of our monthly series features new work on the history of agribusiness, international law, diplomatic relations, and tropical disease control.
Photo Essay: Radburn, New Jersey – the Town for the Motor Age
How philanthropy helped architects and planners create a new kind of suburban community.
New Research: Early Work-Relief Program, Urban Planning, Educational Broadcasting, and International Studies in the 1930s
Four new research reports delve into unique stories drawn from the history of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations.
Philanthropy’s Search for an HIV Vaccine: Building Public-Private Partnerships in a Global Pandemic
How a meeting of scientists and health experts sparked a new international campaign to find a way to prevent AIDS.
From Populist Crusade to Comprehensive Regulation: the Tax Reform Act of 1969
Is private wealth an obstacle to democracy? Fifty years ago, Congress thought so.
Ted Watkins and the Rockefeller Foundation: An Unlikely Partnership
How a charismatic community activist from Watts challenged a foundation’s civil rights strategy through a jobs training program.
“Investment Philanthropy” Investing for Social Good, a Century Ago
An early twentieth-century foundation tried using its endowment to support for-profit projects that also would achieve a social goal.
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.
The Birth of the Modern MBA
Why would an American foundation transform the field of business education?