Judith Rodin, President, the Rockefeller Foundation: “Social Innovation: What it is and what it means for philanthropy”
Council on Foundations – 2010 Annual Conference Denver, Colorado
Philanthropy is in a period of significant transition – the consequence of sweeping social, political, and economic transformations.
These changes are equal in significance to those that occurred a decade into the last century, when Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller first married America’s singular legacy of charity with the business insights and outlook of its Gilded Age.
Looking back at our foundation’s inception, what most strikes me is how Rockefeller and his advisors assessed and addressed the most pressing challenges of their time.
They saw conditions that needed to change. They invested in cutting-edge research. They called on experts and put many on payroll.
When a young Albert Einstein sent a request for $500 to Rockefeller’s top lieutenant, Rockefeller instructed his prototype program officer, “Let’s give him $1,000. He may be onto something.”