Statement From Dr. Rajiv Shah on The Rockefeller Foundation’s 2025 Impact Report

Disruption changes how we work, but not who we work for.

Since our founding, we have believed that humanity’s greatest challenges are solvable with bold, committed action. That belief has never mattered more than it does right now. Over the past year, we’ve all watched with deep concern as governments in Washington and other capitals made the decision to pull back from humanitarian work — decisions that are already causing real harm to real people, and it will only get worse.

But the challenges we faced in 2025 also revealed something else: The uncommon courage of leaders — many of them our own grantees and partners — across the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Rather than shrink away from the challenges of a new era, they decided to raise their ambitions and go big: on regional partnerships, new tools, and fresh answers to modern threats. We’re proud to be their partners and stand with them in this challenging time.

The work of those leaders is vitally important, but so is their example. They are showing all of us it’s still possible — with the right partners, the right ideas, and the right commitment — to deliver results for vulnerable people, even with the disruption that makes their lives worse and our work harder.

We share an Impact Report every year because we believe not only that philanthropy can deliver at scale, but that we must show our results. We believe deeply in empowering others: through the partnerships we build, the convenings we host at our Bellagio Center, our Big Bets Fellowship, and reports like this one. We hope it offers something you can carry back to your own work and build upon.

Disruption might change how we work, but not who we work for. The farmer who once worked late nights, the only time electricity was available, who can now power their irrigation pumps in the day. The hungry child who now arrives at school knowing she’ll have a healthy meal waiting for her. The community health workers who, thanks to new early warning systems, can respond to outbreaks faster and save more lives.

Those human stories are the real results we strive for every day. They — and this report — show how The Rockefeller Foundation delivered in 2025, and how we will deliver for hundreds of millions more in the future.

Onwards,