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Rockefeller Foundation to Honor Elton John

Sir Elton John Receives Rockefeller Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award

The Rockefeller Foundation is honored to announce that Sir Elton John will be the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be conferred at our upcoming event—”A Celebration of American Philanthropy”—to be held on October 30, 2013 in Washington, D.C. As part of our award presentation, The Rockefeller Foundation will provide a grant to the Elton John AIDS Foundation to further its good work. The Rockefeller Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually to an individual who, through business, government service, philanthropy or other means, has implemented innovative approaches that have improved the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people throughout the world.

In addition to being one of the world’s most successful and dynamic musicians, Sir Elton John is well known globally as a leading advocate and philanthropist on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS. In the early days of the AIDS crisis, he was one of the first to realize that it was necessary to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS before governments and other donors would devote major resources to fighting the disease. His personal leadership and philanthropy over many years has led to progress in addressing discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and provided major resources to treatment and a cure. We are proud to add Sir Elton John to our list of Lifetime Achievement Award recipients that includes President Bill Clinton and Ratan Tata.

The award will be presented at an inspiring event marking the 100th anniversary of The Rockefeller Foundation. At the event we will showcase some of the “big bets” in philanthropy that are testing new and innovative ways to catalyze positive change in the United States and globally, and will feature some of the cutting edge approaches that mark philanthropic work—not just by us, but also by the many others whose philanthropy is making real change possible.

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