Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

RPA Launches Funds to Support Afghan Women and the Caribbean
New vehicles expand giving opportunities for donors

New York, NY, June 11, 2002 – Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors today announced the creation of two special donor collaborative funds that will benefit Afghan women’s organizations and the Caribbean region. The funds mark the first time that the advisory service has made such giving vehicles available beyond a select group of clients. The Collaborative Fund for Afghan Women’s Organizations grew out of the interests of philanthropists who, in the wake of September 11th, turned to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to help them provide immediate, direct support to women caught in the extraordinary and historic circumstances of a re-emerging Afghan society, according to Melissa A. Berman, CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

A primary goal of The Collaborative Fund for the Caribbean will be to attract new donor interest and investment in the region, which is now severely under-funded, according to recent statistics from the Foundation Center. The Caribbean fund will directly support local organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children and families, helping to create sustainable livelihoods and enhancing the environment, Ms. Berman said. “We are deeply honored that our donors have entrusted us to develop, expand and maintain important initiatives to aid the populations of two regions – Afghanistan and the Caribbean – where philanthropic investment can have a significant and measurable impact,” Ms. Berman added.

The launch of the two new funds is part of an overall strategy by the advisory service to promote effective philanthropic giving. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors was recently separated from Rockefeller Financial Services to create an independent nonprofit that allows a wide range of people to leverage the capabilities and extensive network built by the Rockefeller family over six successive generations. “Our family has always been acutely aware of the importance of both collaborative and international philanthropy, both of which have become even more important in the wake of the events of September 11,” said Eileen Rockefeller Growald, Chair of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. “These two new funds are precisely the kinds of innovative initiatives we wanted to bring into being by creating Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors,” she continued.

Assisting Most Vulnerable Afghans and Emerging Leaders

“Women in Afghanistan need the support of the international community as they rise out of isolation to rebuild their country in a turbulent atmosphere that mixes hope and optimism with fundamentalism, militarism and a lack of security,” said Ms. Berman.

Extensive research conducted by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors included discussions with numerous Afghan women as well as academic, governmental, non-profit and philanthropic leaders from Afghanistan, Canada, Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States and the United Nations. As a result of this research, the Fund will support effective health, education and service organizations run by Afghan women leaders and will, in its second phase of grantmaking, assist a handful of international organizations that strengthen these leaders’ capacity.

“In this dynamic environment, philanthropy can provide innovative, flexible, immediate and direct support to an emerging civil society, and enhance the role of women in its successful development,” continued Ms. Berman.

Local Empowerment and Environmental Sustainability in the Caribbean

“Strategic philanthropic investment in the Caribbean has the potential to vastly improve the lives of the most marginalized residents and to help preserve some of the world’s most stunning and significant natural environments,” said Ms. Berman. “Although it is a popular tourist destination, the Caribbean has not attracted a large amount of philanthropy from outside the region nor is there a strong tradition of indigenous philanthropy,” she added.

Building on Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ current donors’ deep experience in global philanthropy, including $14 million in grantmaking over the past five years in Trinidad and Tobago, The Collaborative Fund for the Caribbean will have four priorities: children and youth at risk; improved livelihoods; environmental sustainability; and local empowerment. The Fund will focus on impact while striving for equitable and balanced resource allocation across the region as local capacity grows.

“These two funds are an excellent example of the flexibility and creativity that is built into Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors – and of our ability to manage effective giving on a global basis,” said Ms. Berman.

Both funds will be housed at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors within its special-purpose donor-advised charitable gift fund, The Philanthropic Collaborative.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 11th, 2002 at 2:05 pm.