The Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr., to "promote the well-being" of humanity by addressing the root causes of serious problems. The Foundation works around the world to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization’s benefits are more widely shared. With assets of more than $3.5 billion, it is one of the few institutions to conduct such work both within the United States and internationally.

As John D. Rockefeller said, “The best philanthropy is constantly in search of the finalities—a search for a cause, an attempt to cure evils at their source.” This approach has produced such breakthrough work as the professionalization of public health, the development of a vaccine against yellow fever, the “Green Revolution” in Latin American, Asian and Indian agriculture, and the creation of public-private partnerships to develop promising new vaccines.

Now, as at our founding, we work to identify and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Yet, while our mission has not changed, the world around us has, and we and our work must change with it, and are doing so.