Topic: Philanthropy & the Private Sector

“A Reverse Technology Transfer:” The Ford Foundation, Grameen Bank, and Microlending in the US

In the late 20th century, the Ford Foundation’s attempt to translate microlending methods from Bangladesh to the United States revealed false assumptions about poverty, social context, and individual entrepreneurial spirit that undergirded microlending experiments.

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s

Understanding the Business Cycle: Funding Economics Research

In nearly a century of activity in the field of economics, the Foundation initiated new research centers and training programs around the world.

1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s

Philanthropy and Good Government: The Rockefeller Foundation and Public Administration

Partnering with public agencies to encourage efficient administration in state, county, and local governments.

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.

Photo Essay: 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.

City Housing Corporation published material, "Radburn Garden Homes". This colorful pamphlet depicts community members playing in a playground and other sports, as well as an illustrated map of the community lay out.

Photo Essay: Radburn, New Jersey – the Town for the Motor Age

Philanthropy helped architects and planners create a new kind of suburban community in the 1920s.

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.

1960s 1970s

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.

1910s 20th Century

“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.