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The Rockefeller Foundation
Foundation · Founded 1913 · New York City, United States
Who The Rockefeller Foundation is.
- Historical Background
- The foundation was created on May 14, 1913, with a charter from the state of New York, by John D. Rockefeller Sr., his son John D. Rockefeller Jr., and their primary business advisor, Frederick Taylor Gates. Its first major public health initiative was the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission, which focused on eradicating hookworm. The foundation later expanded its work to include research into malaria and yellow fever, and also began funding medical education, social history projects, and the arts.
- Source of Capital
- The foundation's capital originates from an endowment provided by the Rockefeller family between 1913 and 1929. The initial endowment has been managed over the last century, allowing the foundation to distribute more than $22 billion in philanthropic capital.
- Major Events
- In 2020, the foundation announced its single largest commitment in its history, pledging $1 billion over three years to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, The Rockefeller Foundation launched a new five-year, billion-dollar strategy focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis.
- Allocation Strategy
- The foundation operates as a grant-making institution, deploying its capital to support organizations and initiatives rather than making direct equity investments in companies. Its strategic priorities include promoting health, food, power, and economic opportunity, with a focus on benefiting vulnerable populations globally. The foundation has recently focused on catalyzing private capital for clean energy transitions in developing countries and has made significant commitments to programs addressing diet-related diseases.
The funds The Rockefeller Foundation backs.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a limited partner in 164 funds. 30 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.
How The Rockefeller Foundation’s fund book is spread.
The 164 funds The Rockefeller Foundation backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.
Where those managers are based
By fund headquarters, across the 162 of 164 with a location on record.
- North America 11973%
- Rest of world 2314%
- Europe 2012%
United States 117 · United Kingdom 13 · China 6 · Hong Kong 4
How established those managers are
Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 93 of 164 with a fund history on record.
The companies The Rockefeller Foundation backs directly.
The Rockefeller Foundation holds 18 companies directly, separate from the funds it commits to as a limited partner. Broken down by headquarters country, sector, entry stage and current growth stage. "Stage entered" is the first priced round the investor joined, derived from the investor’s transaction history.
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USA11
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India2
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Kenya2
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Singapore1
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South Africa1
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UK1
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Fintech6
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Education3
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Jobs Recruitment3
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Energy1
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Enterprise Software1
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Food1
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Gaming1
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Health1
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Seed2
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Series B+2
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Early Growth10
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Breakout Stage4
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Late Growth4
Inside The Rockefeller Foundation’s portfolio.
The 18 highest-funded portfolio companies, of 18 tracked.
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CLWhere The Rockefeller Foundation’s portfolio founders come from.
15 founders across the 18 highest-funded portfolio companies — by current location, university attended, and the companies they worked at before founding. Sourced from the founder records the API links to each portfolio company.
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United States10
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India2
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Kenya1
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Singapore1
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United Kingdom1
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Indiana University Bloomington2
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Indian School of Business1
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Indiana University Indianapolis1
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Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich1
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Northwestern University1
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Red Deer College1
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Red Deer Polytechnic1
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South Carolina State University1
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Stanford University1
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Stanford University Graduate School of Business1
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Adobe Photoshop1
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Advanta Bank1
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Alphabet | Google1
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Claro1
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Connectusers1
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Costco1
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Doctomatic1
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Evolution1
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Expert Sistemas Computacionales1
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Flowserve1
Other LPs.
Other foundations in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to The Rockefeller Foundation by combined power-law score — North America first, then the nearest worldwide.