The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation headquartered at 420 Fifth Avenue in New York, New York. Established in 1913, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and has maintained tax-exempt status since January 1955. The Foundation works globally to promote the well-being of humanity through strategic grantmaking and partnerships across multiple sectors.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$6.4B
+2.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$233.2M
-15.3% YoY
Grant Count
381
-63.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$612K
+128.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation's mission—unchanged since 1913—is to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. The organization works with partners across sectors and political lines to find new technologies and scale them for impact.
Current strategic focus areas include:
- Power: Advancing electricity access and clean energy solutions
- Health: Supporting health initiatives and well-being
- Food: Addressing food security and nutrition
- Finance: Innovative finance mechanisms
- U.S. Economic Opportunity: Domestic economic advancement
- Innovation: Scaling breakthrough solutions
The Foundation operates the Bellagio Center as a resource for fostering dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. In 2024, the center hosted 62 convenings with approximately 1,448 total participants.
The Foundation also maintains involvement with RF Catalytic Capital, Inc. (RFCC), an affiliated organization established to scale partnerships focused on improving lives of vulnerable people globally, with particular emphasis on power and food portfolios.
Grantmaking
The Foundation makes program-related investments (PRIs) in businesses aligned with its initiatives. Recent PRIs have supported housing development for low-income residents in New York City and Louisiana, as well as agricultural income improvement programs for smallholder farmers in Uganda.
Grant Range
$171,000
Grant Types
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation operates internationally across 20 countries, with particular activity in:
- United States (including District of Columbia, New York, and California)
- Africa (electricity access initiatives)
- Uganda (agricultural development)
- Global operations
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Fiscal Year Ending December 2024:
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,401,585,166 |
| Total Revenue | $415,515,666 |
| Total Expenses | $358,514,671 |
| Net Income | $57,000,995 |
| Total Liabilities | $818,000,000 |
The Foundation ranks in the top 1% of foundations by assets (Rank #26 of 159,619 foundations nationally).
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,401,585,166 | $6,225,179,743 | $6,105,561,455 |
| Revenue | $415,515,666 | $238,147,048 | $335,723,448 |
| Expenses | $358,514,671 | $460,190,655 | $352,601,013 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $395,916,370 | $455,201,320 | $433,934,557 |
| Net Investment Income | $253,907,538 | $177,015,304 | $38,529,319 |
| Distributable Amount | $298,209,260 | $292,052,548 | $342,308,070 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from The Rockefeller Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board Members and Key Personnel (as of 2024):
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Afsaneh Beschloss | Investment Committee Chair |
| Agnes Binagwaho | Trustee |
| Gordon Brown | Trustee |
| Laura Cha | Trustee |
| Mellody Hobson | Trustee (through June 2024) |
| Donald Kaberuka | Trustee |
| Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli | Trustee |
| Paul Polman | Audit Committee Chair |
| Sharon Percy Rockefeller | Trustee |
| Juan Manuel Santos Calderon | Trustee |
| Adam Silver | Trustee |
The Foundation employs 256 staff members (as of 2024), with a multi-disciplinary team bringing diverse talents and backgrounds to their work.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFSANEH BESCHLOSS | INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR | 2.5 | $9,000 |
| AGNES BINAGWAHO | TRUSTEE | 2 | $11,000 |
| GORDON BROWN AS OF 032024 | TRUSTEE | 2 | $11,000 |
| LAURA CHA | TRUSTEE | 2 | — |
| MELLODY HOBSON THRU 062024 | TRUSTEE | 2 | $7,000 |
| DONALD KABERUKA | TRUSTEE | 2 | $11,000 |
| NDIDI OKONKWO NWUNELI | TRUSTEE | 2 | $11,000 |
| PAUL POLMAN | AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR | 2.5 | $11,000 |
| SHARON PERCY ROCKEFELLER | TRUSTEE | 2 | $9,000 |
| JUAN MANUEL SANTOS CALDERON | TRUSTEE | 2 | $9,000 |
| ADAM SILVER | TRUSTEE | 2 | $9,000 |
| JAMES G STAVRIDIS | BOARD CHAIR, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR | 2.5 | $11,000 |
| PATRICIA STONESIFER | BUDGET TALENT & IMPACT COMMITTEE CHAIR | 2.5 | $11,000 |
| RAVI VENKATESAN | TRUSTEESHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR | 2.5 | $11,000 |
| RAJEEV J SHAH | PRESIDENT | 35 | $1,714,646 |
| CHUN LAI | CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | 35 | $1,105,495 |
| NATALYE PAQUIN | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 35 | $887,246 |
| ERICA GUYER | SVP/CHIEF-LEGAL, ETHICS & GOVERNANCE | 35 | $547,612 |
| KEITH OLSON - AS OF 032024 | TREASURER & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 35 | $508,713 |
| IRENA DIMARIO - 012024-022024 | INTERIM TREASURER & CFO | 35 | $291,145 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**2024-2025 Initiatives:**
**Food is Medicine**: Launched a $10 million fund to accelerate Food is Medicine adoption in the United States. Foundation research indicates this approach could unlock $45 billion for states.
New $10 Million Fund To Accelerate Food is Medicine Adoption in the United**Electricity Access in Africa**: Committed an additional $10 million to accelerate electricity connections across Africa by 2030. The Foundation and Global Energy Alliance jointly invested more than $100 million to expand electricity access in Africa.
New $10 Million Fund To Accelerate Food is Medicine Adoption in the United**Development Finance Observatory**: Partnering with ONE Data to launch a new Development Finance Observatory in 2026.
ONE Data and Rockefeller Foundation to Launch New Development Finance Observatory**Climate Investment**: Investing $1 billion over 5 years to advance opportunities and avert climate change's worst effects.
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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