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Peggy Shepard, Alexie Torres-FlemingAwarded 2008 Jane Jacobs Medals
May 5, 2008
Peggy Shepard, the executive director and co-founder of West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT), is cited for Lifetime Leadership. Alexie Torres-Fleming, founder of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ) and other South Bronx organizations, is recognized for New Ideas and Activism. The Medals will be awarded on September 8th at the Morgan Library. moreOil & Water: Adapting to Scarcity
Judith Rodin Addresses the Regional Plan Association
April 18, 2008
PLUS: Speaker of the House Pelosi's Remarks at the RPA Event
'Over the last 95 years, the Rockefeller Foundation helped to eradicate disease…alleviate poverty by modernizing agriculture to feed millions…established arts and education institutions... Today, the Rockefeller Foundation has lent its power to no less significant a cause: rebuilding and renewing America.'Perspectives on Funding Climate Change Programs
April 11.2008 NYRAG discussion memo
Climate change is perceived as an environmental issue when in reality it impacts every dimension of society. Funders who perceive it that way will never break out of the box. —Maria Blair more; NYRAG
The Role of Science in Addressing Global Warming
April 1, 2008; Transcript of contribution from Maria Blair
Conversations on Sciences's Transforming Impact(CRDF)
Climate Change Adaptation:The Next Great Challenge for the Developing World
February 15, 2008; speech-Judith Rodin
Inaugural Winners of Noguchi Africa Prizes Announced
March 25, 2008
The Rockefeller Foundation congratulates and applauds Brian Greenwood and Miriam K. Were, inaugural recipients of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prizes. Each is worthy of this exceptional honor. We are quite familiar with the crucial work they do in Africa and applaud their selection. The Foundation is proud to be a supporter of the Hideo Noguchi African Prizes, named after the esteemed physician, Hideo Noguchi, who during his distinguished career was engaged in work supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. --Ariel Pablos-Mendez, RF Managing Director; member of the Noguchi Prize selection committees. Japanese Cabinet Office: press release
Ellen Taus Named Rockefeller Foundation CFO
March 20, 2008; Press release
Ellen Taus will join the Foundation as Chief Financial Officer on April 1st. She was most recently CFO of Oxford University Press and previously, CFO for the Electronic Publishing Division of the New York Times Company. A graduate of Northwestern with a BA in Economics, Taus also has an MBA from Columbia University. more
Center for Clean Air Policy Awarded RF Grant
March 18, 2008; Press release
The program will assist nine partner cities and counties in making effective policy and investment decisions to increase their resiliency to the impacts of climate change and to educate key audiences on adaptation. more
RF President Rodin Interviewed on Bloomberg TV
Broadcast March 7, 2008
...in the 20th century, foundations operated more as aid institutions...in the 21st century, foundations are looking to take on big thorny problems, find partners who are willing to work on those problems with them, and often now the partners are in the private sector. --Judith Rodin
video; transcript
A New Grant in Support of 'B Corporations'
February 28, 2008; Press release
The Foundation has awarded a grant to B Lab, a non-profit that supports B Corporations, a new type of corporation that uses business structure to create a public benefit. The grant is part of RF's Impact Investing work, focused on expediting access to capital to generate opportunities for poor and vulnerable people. more
Winners: What if New York...
A Competition to Design Post-Disaster Urban Housing
February 6, 2008
The New York City Office of Emergency Management, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, held a competition for innovative urban housing designs that would function as provisional housing for New Yorkers who lost homes as the result of a catastrophic coastal storm.Winning designs | Jury Report | Press release
Public Health: Bellagio Call for Action
February 4, 2008
Representatives from infectious disease surveillance networks all over the world met in December at Bellagio to share best practices and lessons learned and recommend action to advance the global capacity for public health surveillance... Call for Action | UPI story | moreFoundation Supports Non-partisan Coalition to Rebuild America's Transportation Infrastructure
January 21, 2008; Remarks by Judith Rodin
'The Rockefeller Foundation is immensely proud to provide the funding to seek, implement, and model nonpartisan solutions for our national transportation and infrastructure crisis... As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King this week, we should remember that the civil rights movement started on a city bus – it centered on equal access to public transportation.' --Judith Rodin
Transcript of remarks; video of eventShari L. Patrick Named Foundation's General Counsel
January 22, 2008; Press release
Shari L. Patrick has been named General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Foundation. She will also serve as Corporate Secretary to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Patrick will have principal responsibility for legal matters involving the Foundation. more
A New Approach to Improving Global Health, Humanitarian Efforts, and Disaster Relief
January 17, 2008; Press release
InSTEDD (Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters), a nonprofit organization focused on improving early detection, preparedness, and response capabilities for global health threats and humanitarian crises, was launched today. InSTEDD has received initial financial backing from Google.org, the Rockefeller Foundation and private donors. Press release; Coverage: NY Times; c/net
Learning to Love Climate ‘Adaptation’
January 7, 2008; By Sharon Begley; NEWSWEEK
...Although some adaptations will be modest and low tech, ...others will require herculean efforts...In August the Rockefeller Foundation announced a program on 'climate-change resilience' to help the developing world in particular cope with what's coming. more
2008 Jane Jacobs Medal Nominations OpenJanuary 8, 2008, Press release
Beginning today and through February 1, 2008, the Foundation will be accepting nominations for the 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal on its website. The 2008 Rockefeller Foundation Jane Jacobs Medals will recognize two living individuals whose creative vision for the urban environment has significantly contributed to the vibrancy and variety of New York City. Press release | Nomination form | 2008 Medal Jury | Last year's winners
Green Revolution, the Old Fashioned Way
January-March, 2008; The Africa Report
While some are attempting to boost African agricultural productivity by biotechnological engineering, others prefer the results-oriented, plant-breeding approach. Left, AGRA Chairman Kofi Annan visits recent test crops.more
Opportunity NYC Makes First Payments to Poor Families
December 17, 2007; New York City press release
Opportunity NYC, the first conditional cash transfer program in the US, is underway. New York's Mayor Bloomberg announced that 1,431 families received $740,000 for completing specific activities related to education, health and workforce participation and training. Families earned an average $524 in this innovative pilot program aimed at reducing poverty among New York City’s poorest residents. more; Opportunity NYC
Poll Measures Americans' Feelings About National Service
December 18, 2007
An RF-sponsored Yankelovich survey found that two-thirds of respondents would support a national service policy. A majority feel Americans have pragmatic reasons for non-participation in service; that family, job and income concerns come first. The poll also addressed opinions about possible incentives to spur greater participation. Open PPT
Next Phase of Innovation Initiative Launched
December 13, 2007
Using a variety of proven approaches, including crowdsourcing, collaborative competitions, user/customer-centered innovation and user-generated innovation, the Accelerating Innovation for Development Initiative seeks to increase applications of these models to benefit poor and vulnerable people around the world. The Initiative also aims to demonstrate the efficacy of such approaches. Initiative homepage
Agro-Dealer Networks in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania
December 13, 2007; AGRA press release
Launching an intensive effort to revive small-scale farming and agricultural markets hobbled by the scarcity and high costs of basic farm supplies, AGRA has awarded grants to establish nationwide networks of rural agro-dealers in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. more
Crops and Climate ChangeIn September, a group of experts from the genetic conservation, climate science, agricultural development, and plant genetics communities met at the RF Conference Center in Bellagio for a discussion addressing the management of crop genetic conservation in the face of climate change. Read report
IPCC Head Pachauri Addresses RF Board, Staff
November 29, 2007
Debut RF/InnoCentive 'Challenge' Is Solved
An electrical engineer from New Zealand found a successful solution to the debut RF/InnoCentive challenge: Transforming the functionality of a solar-powered flashlight widely used in Africa into an all-purpose room light. Read about the light's inventor in Newsweek; The Rockefeller Foundation/InnoCentive Partnership; RF's Innovation for Development Initiative.
1st NYC Cultural Innovation Fund Grantees Announced
December, 2007
Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin announced today the first award recipients of the Foundation’s $2.6 million New York City Cultural Innovation Fund. The Fund celebrates innovation and the creative sector through grants for trailblazing initiatives that strengthen the City’s cultural fabric. more | award recipients | Press coverage: Crain's
Pocantoco II: The Global Challenge of Health SystemsOn September 20–21, 2007, 25 of the top leaders in global health joined with officers and trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation to review trends and opportunities in global health, and to discuss new initiatives and programmatic opportunities...the group focused on ways to improve capacity of countries to support their health systems, improve the effectiveness of the large disease-focused global initiatives, and support U.N. and national efforts to achieve health equity. PDF report
A New Vision and Commitment to America’s Cities
November 16, 2007
As part of a new strategy designed to bring opportunities of mainstream markets to urban neighborhoods and residents historically left behind, the Rockefeller Foundation will be making an investment of $4.2 million – over the next three years – in Living Cities. more
Unleashing the Power of Women around the World
November 9, 2007;
Speech to the National Association of Women Judges by Judith Rodin
'...The actions that individuals, public and private organizations, governments, the judiciary and multilateral institutions are taking right now make a profound difference. But they are not enough. It is not enough to provide financing to women. They need more consistent, predictable, and timely access to these vehicles, and the confidence to leverage them...' more
Urban Policy Expert Robert Buckley to Become a Rockefeller Foundation Managing Director
November 13, 2007; Press release
Formerly Lead Economist and advisor on urban housing at The World Bank in Washington, D.C., Robert Buckley is joining the Rockefeller Foundation as a managing director. Among his recent publications is Thirty Years of World Bank Shelter Lending: What Have We Learned. He will assume his new position on January 2, 2008. more
Intellectual Property/Innovation Management Handbook Now Online
November 1, 2007; Press release
The online version of the Handbook of Best Practices has been launched. Electronically accessible, it will aid sound IP management and help the public sector 'put intellectual property to work for a better, healthier, and more equitable world,' said Editor Anatole Krattiger who also thanked the Rockefeller Foundation for its foresight and its project support. more
Jane Jacobs Discussions on YouTube
November 14, 2007
Four excerpts from recent Jane Jacobs program discussions are on YouTube. Is New York Losing Its Soul? on the loss of neighborhoods and diversity. Jane Jacobs and An Activist Press connects virtual with actual community building. A Civic Activist Boot Camp examines protest as a counter to power-brokers. Can One Woman (Still) Make A Difference? looks at Jacobs' work as having enduring relevance.Akin Adesina, AGRA VP, Addresses US Congressional Black Caucus
September 28, 2007
...even the poorest farmers can benefit when they are able to get the products of agricultural science...even a country as small and poor as Malawi can transform its situation and solve its food crisis when the right government policies and resources are in place. more | Written Testimony
Dr. David Jhirad Named RF VP, Research and Evaluation
September 5, 2007; Press release
Dr. Jhirad will integrate research and evaluation concepts and practices into the Foundation’s work. He will also coordinate efforts to identify new programmatic areas where the RF can positively impact the lives of poor and vulnerable people. Since 2003, Dr. Jhirad has been VP for Science and Research at the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based organization that analyzes global environmental policies. more
UPDATE:New Orleans Initiative
September 2007
While progress in redeveloping the city has been slow, and many citizens have yet to return home, the momentum toward the city’s recovery is now gathering speed. Along with the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, several major milestones have recently been reached... Open PDF
A Conversation About the State of Philanthropy
August 22, 2007; transcript from the Charlie Rose Show
Katrina's 2nd Anniversary: Reports on Giving & Progress
August 28, 2007
Giving in the Aftermath of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes, published by the Foundation Center, tracks the corporate and foundation contributions for relief, recovery, and rebuilding...New Orleans Index: Tracking Recovery in the Region is a comprehensive, statistically rich evaluation from the Brookings Institution and the New Orleans Community Data Center... more
RF Commits $70m to Climate Change Resilience
August 9, 2007; Press release
Recognizing that various levels of impact from climate change are unavoidable, and in some instances could be devastating, the Rockefeller Foundation’s $70 Million Initiative seeks to build the resilience of communities most likely to be hardest hit by climate change. more (NYT, Chron of Philanthropy) PLUS: Press release; Climate Change homepage
AGRA Grant to U. GhanaAugust 6, 2007
...a partnership between the University of Ghana and Cornell seeks to train 40 PhD students in plant breeding and genetics. 'The establishment of a West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) has come at a good time.' more
InnoCentive Posts Two Rockefeller Foundation Challenges
July 26, 2007
The Rockefeller Foundation -- which has teamed with InnoCentitve to find innovative scientific or technological solutions to the problems of poor and vulnerable people -- has presented its first two 'Challenges' on InnoCentive's Web site. more; Innovation InitiativeA New Global Call to Stop Cervical Cancer
July 6, 2007; Press Release
'The world cannot afford to wait for new HPV vaccines and screening tests to eventually trickle down from wealthy countries to developing countries where women need these life-saving products,' said Dr. Ariel Pablos-Mendez, a Managing Director at the Rockefeller Foundation. 'Cervical cancer is largely preventable, so we must not let women die for want of access to these products. We have an historic opportunity to save lives.' morePhilanthropy Plays Key Role in Rebuilding New Orleans
June 28, 2007; Greater New Orleans Foundation
We decided our investments would only make sense if we could meet three goals: we wanted to ensure that all voices were heard; we wanted to have the best urban planners, both from New Orleans itself, and from around the country, take part in the planning process; and we wanted the plan to be completed in a timely fashion. I’m thrilled to say that each of those goals has been met, even surpassed.--Carey Shea, RF's New Orleans point person more | GNOF
The Rice Man of Africa
May 28, 2007; All Africa Global Media
With his gentle smile and calm demeanor, Monty Jones doesn't look like the proverbial wild-haired scientist. But there is no doubt that the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) breakthrough achieved through years of his painstaking breeding, with national and international scientists, has changed forever the way the world looks at African rice, and African science. more2007 Jane Jacobs Medal Winners Announced:
Barry Benepe Cited for Lifetime Leadership;
Omar Freilla for New Ideas and Activism
June 25, 2007
Barry Benepe, 79, is the co-founder of Greenmarket, the largest U.S. farmer’s market program with markets in over 30 neighborhoods across New York City. Omar Freilla, 33, founded Green Worker Cooperatives. One goal is to turn the 10,000 tons of construction waste that ends up in waste transfer stations in the Bronx each year, into local 'green collar' jobs. more | Press release | coverageKofi Annan Accepts Role as AGRA Chairman
June 14, 2007; Press release
CAPE TOWN-—The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa today announced the appointment of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as its first chairman. “I am honoured today to take up this important post and join with my fellow Africans in a new effort to comprehensively tackle the challenges holding back millions of small-scale farmers in Africa,” Annan said. “Africa is the only region where overall food security and livelihoods are deteriorating. We will reverse this trend...” more | RF's AGRA homepageA New Fund to Spur Cultural Innovation in NYC
June 13, 2007; Press release
The Rockefeller Foundation has launched the NYC Cultural Innovation Fund to recognize and support innovation and new opportunities in the cultural arena and strengthen the role arts play in the life of the City. Individual grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 will be awarded annually... CIF homepage | press release
Union Plans Advisory Tool for Young Workers
May 18, 2007; The New York Times
Helped by start-up money from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Service Employees International Union has created a nonprofit organization that plans to help young workers who lack health insurance and are saddled with debt. The nonprofit, Qvisory Tools for Life, plans to give career advice and have blogs and forums in which workers 18 though 35 can discuss jobs and various services. The service employees’ union put up $500,000 to create Qvisory, and the Rockefeller Foundation announced yesterday that it had committed $1 million to the new group. more | The New York Times article
Architect Magazine Profiles Darren Walker and Examines the New Orleans Recovery Plan
May 10, 2007
In a May 1st profile of Rockefeller Foundation Vice President Darren Walker by Elizabeth A. Evitts in Architect Magazine, he is described as having done 'the unimaginable' in the planning process to rebuild New Orleans. The article is part of a series called 'Profiles in Power: The most influential people in architecture aren't necessarily practitioners,' and it goes on to say that 'Walker transformed a top-down planning process into an inclusive one.' moreAmerican Workers’ Economic Security Survey Reveals Pervasive Anxiety
May 3, 2007
A comprehensive survey commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation and carried out by Yankelovich Research reveals fear among American workers regarding healthcare coverage, their ability to retire and their overall economic security. Recent statistics compiled by the RF American Workers team demonstrate that the concerns reflected in the survey results are consistent with current conditions: people are worried, and they are right to be. Survey | Snapshot overview | Survey presentation
Diversity the Strength of U.S. Giving
April 24, 2007; Seattle Post Intelligencer, opinion
Philanthropy -- whether initiated by Benjamin Franklin, John Rockefeller, Henry and Edsel Ford, Bill and Melinda Gates or the tens of thousands of less well-known donors and visionaries now putting their dollars to work -- is strong because it is diverse in its ambitions and approaches. --Susan V. Berresford; President, Ford Foundation more
Further Grants to New Orleans
April 24, 2007; press release
The New Orleans Office of Recovery Management has received $1.54m from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further integrate recommendations from UNOP and other planning initiatives into the recovery activities of city agencies. more
Who Needs R&D--Just E-mail InnoCentive
April 12, 2007; ReportonBusiness.com
Prizes work in ways that conventional research doesn't...they expand the range of those who might attempt solutions. Diversity of knowledge can be better than specialization. The more removed an InnoCentive problem has been from a solver's area of expertise, the more likely he or she was to crack it. .. [InnoCentive is part of the RF Innovation Initiative] more
Removing Obstacles to Gulf Coast Recovery:
Ed Blakely's Statement to Homeland Security
April 12, 2007
We based our strategy on five principles that have been embraced by the public: 1. Continue the healing and consultation; 2. Insure safety and security in all neighborhoods; 3. Build 21st and 22nd century infrastructure; 4. Diversify the economy; 5. Design a sustainable settlement pattern. more
Community Congress Participants Overwhelmingly Support UNOP Plan
January 2007
Keeping Research and Leadership at Home
January 18, 2007; BusinessWeek.com
The Rockefeller Foundation's Judith Rodin is one of nine leaders who offer their opinions in a BusinessWeek.com 'Viewpoint' on what the U.S. should do to hold onto its braintrust and stay on the cutting edge of innovation. more | BussinessWeek.com article
Rockefeller Revolutionary; Judith Rodin is shaking up one of the world's most venerable charitable foundations
December 13, 2006; The Economist
In the 21 months since she became president of the Rockefeller Foundation, Judith Rodin has shaken to its core the charitable foundation established by John D. Rockefeller in 1913...She is determined to make the foundation fit for the 21st century. more
A Letter to an Editor in Kenya from Emong’or Ekisa
January 6, 2007; Daily Nation, Nairobi, Kenya
As a beneficiary of a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship I had the opportunity to visit the Rockefeller Centre in New York City, and was impressed by an inscription of the the creed in a marble slab:'I believe that every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity an obligation, every possession a duty...I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law, that the government is the servant of the people and not their master...' more
Available positions at the Foundation
News ArchiveRice: Coping With Climate Change
April-June 2008; Rice Today
Climate change threatens to affect rice production across the globe. What is known about the likely impact, and what can be done about it? more; Rice Today-the magazine of the International Rice Research Institute (April-June 2008)
Rwanda's Kagame Meets Rockefeller Boss
March 13, 2008; By Felly Kimenyi; All Africa--excerpt
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame met a delegation from the Rockefeller Foundation with whom he discussed different areas in which the Foundation would like to invest. 'We mainly discussed agriculture and the progress that has been registered in regard to rural development,' said Foundation President Judith Rodin. more
WHO Finds Highest Rates of MDR-TB to Date, Link to HIV
February 27, 2008; World Health Organization Press release
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been recorded at the highest rates ever, according to a new WHO Report published today. The report presents findings from the largest survey to date on the scale of drug resistance in tuberculosis...WHO estimates there are nearly half a million new cases of MDR-TB a year... more; Fact Sheet
Citing Opportunity NYC, UK PM Proposes 'Contract Out of Poverty'
January 22, 2008; UK coverage
Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes some of the novel elements of Opportunity NYC are worth exploring...the scheme is testing whether temporary cash payments that provide incentives for work, education and health activities can help to combat poverty. more; Opportunity NYC home
An Old Mentor’s New Medium
January 20, 2008; The New York Times; Summary
...the Merce Cunningham Dance Company will begin recording “Mondays With Merce,” an online video program featuring weekly episodes of Mr. Cunningham’s Monday class, on its Web site, merce.org...the program is financed, in part, by one of the innaugural NYC Cultural Innovation Fund grant. more
Communities Across Globe Getting to Grips With Adapting to Climate Change
December 5, 2007; UN Environment Programme
The five-year Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change provides new and inspiring examples of how vulnerable communities and countries may 'climate proof' economies in the years and decades to come. more
United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali
A New Effort to Unleash Expertise of African Women in the Agricultural Sciences
December 5, 2007; Press release
Confronting the disparity between the role of African women in farming and their limited presence in the agriculture sciences, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Gender & Diversity Program today launched an unprecedented $13 million effort that will support the fast-tracking of careers of at least 360 African women in agricultural research. Participating countries include Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. more
African Farmer, World Agricultural Leader Named AGRA President
November 14, 2007; Press release
AGRA named Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi as its first president. He began his career in the fields alongside farmers in his native Cameroon, where he worked as an agricultural officer helping farmers improve yield and diversify and market their crops. He's also served as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme and led the UN peace-keeping mission in war-torn Congo. more
Solar-Powered Light--Basis for RF-InnoCentive 'Challenge'--Featured in Newsweek
November 5, 2007; Newsweek
One of the first 'challenges' in the RF/InnoCentive partnership involves the search for a way to expand the functionality of a solar powered light. Read about the light's inventor in Newsweek; The Rockefeller Foundation/InnoCentive Partnership; RF's Innovation for Development Initiative.
Newsbeat: Fellows Rockefeller
October 30, 2007; New Orleans Magazine
New York-based Rockefeller Foundation started its Redevelopment Fellowship program this fall as a way to help key redevelopment organizations and city agencies hire more professionals and add some momentum to both large-scale and neighborhood-based projects. more
Adetokunbo Lucas Honored for Lifetime Achievement
October 26, 2007
Nigerian Dr. Adetokunbo Lucas, instrumental in UN tropical disease research, was awarded a Centenary Medal from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine in London. In winning, he noted 'the significant role the Rockefeller Foundation has played in my career.'A Green Revolution for Africa
October 26, 2007; Wall Street Journal Commentary
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece, Norman Borlaug praises the Word Bank's World Development Report: Agriculture for Development, saying, 'This World Development Report comes 25 years after the last issue that featured agriculture and rural development. What has happened in the interim? The report card is not all good, particularly for Africa.' more
Consortium Launches Global Pollution Remediation Fund
October 17, 2007; Blacksmith Institute press release
Dedicated to combating toxic pollution in the developing world, the GPRF was launched by a group of environmental ministers, researchers and non-governmental organizations following an RF-sponsored conference in Bellagio, Italy. more
African Cassava Breeders Network Moves to Derail Spreading Epidemic of Devastating Crop Virus
October 18, 2007; AGRA press release
The African Cassava Breeders Network meeting brought together nearly 50 people from eight countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Rwanda...The meeting was jointly convened by AGRA and the Ministry of Agriculture of Tanzania. more
Community Revitalization Fund Hopes to Establish Low-Cost New Orleans Housing
October 16, 2007; New Orleans Times-Picayune; excerpt
The Community Revitalization Fund was launched today by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and nine other foundations...Key players include the Rockefeller Foundation and RF Associate Director Carey Shea who helped assemble money and technical expertise...more | Full Article
Three Heads Are Better Than One
Rice Today October-December 2007
In the face of steeply rising rice prices, three of the world’s leading international agricultural research institutes plan to combine their activities in Africa and so create a powerful new force focused on boosting African rice production. more
AGRA Takes Certified Seeds to Farmers in War on Hunger
October 2, 2007; All Africa, By Allan Odhiambo
As part of a strategy to radically boost agricultural productivity, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) envisages to have in place a special grassroots based delivery system in which a farmer would walk to a shop or kiosk in his rural back yard and readily access high quality certified seeds. more | complete article
'What If New York City…' Competition
September 27, 2007; NYC press release
...the 'What If New York City…' competition seeks innovative approaches to shelter--interim housing--in the aftermath of a disaster. With thousands displaced in a catastrophe, rebuilding communities could take several years. The competition is sponsored by OEM and the Rockefeller Foundation. NYC press release
AGRA Launches PhD Program for Crop Breeding
September 19, 2007; AGRA Press release
AGRA is partnering with the University of Ghana, Legon, to launch the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, to train the next generation of African crop scientists. AGRA will also strengthen a programme piloted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, the African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI)...the programmes will train 120 PhD plant breeders over the next ten years... more AGRA
Mayor Greets 1st Opportunity NYC Families
September 12, 2007; NYC Press release
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed newly-enrolled families to Opportunity NYC, the nation’s first conditional cash transfer program and announced a new partnership with eight financial institutions to offer ‘no fee’ accounts to every Opportunity NYC program participant... more; Opportunity NYC homepage
Jane Jacobs & the Future of New York: An ExhibitionSeptember 12, 2007
The Municipal Art Society of New York offers an interactive exhibit honoring Jane Jacobs at the Urban Center galleries in Manhattan. Order BLOCK BY BLOCK, a companion anthology. more
RF Names New Human Resources Director
September 10, 2007; Press release
Samantha H. Gilbert, 44, has been named director, Human Resources. She succeeds Linda Frank, who has decided to leave the Foundation after two years to return to work in Pennsylvania. Ms. Gilbert was most recently head of HR at Christie’s International... more
Target Recovery Area Project Kicks Off
September 4, 2007; City of New Orleans Press Release
Less than six months after the City of New Orleans announced a plan to focus redevelopment efforts primarily on 17 strategic areas, a second target recovery area project has been established and is set to open to the public. more
Architects Aren't Ready for
an Urbanized Planet
August 20, 2007; International Herald Tribune
The world is racing to the city, and the one group of professionals capable of housing and sheltering the massive human influx to the urban centers - the architects and the planners - freely acknowledge that they are ill-equipped to cope... more
International Spread of Disease Threatens Public Health Security
August 23, 2007; World Health Organization press release
More than at any previous time in history, global public health security depends on international cooperation...new diseases are emerging at an unprecedented rate, often with the ability to cross borders rapidly...centuries-old threats continue to pose a threat...World Health Report 2007; more
From the Ground Up
August 23, 2007; NPR broadcast
Carey Shea, head of the Rockefeller Foundation's New Orleans Initiative, and Shawn Escofferey, an urban planner and new Rockefeller fellow, discuss the Foundation's Fellowship Program in New Orleans for urban planners and the efforts to rebuild and revitalize New Orleans. Listen to the NPR broadcast
Blueprint for Rebuilding
August 20, 2007; Chronicle of Philanthropy
People needed to hear from their city, 'Yes, this is the official plan. These are our rebuilding priorities. Here's where we're going to build the first year. Here's where we'll be in year three. Here's where we'll be in year five.' They needed that kind of certainty, and the plan offered that. --Carey Shea more
Omar Freilla, Green Worker Cooperatives
August 1, 2007; Gothamist, Interview By Jill Priluck
Four years ago, Omar Freilla founded Green Worker Cooperatives, an incubator for eco-friendly worker coops. This fall, GWC opens its first coop, a building material re-use center in the Bronx... The Gothamist recently asked Freilla -- an RF 2007 Jane Jacobs Medal winner -- more about GWC and the burgeoning green movement. Interview
Rebuilding in a Time of Global Change
July 26, 2007; By Ed Blakely, POV in NOLA
'The first day of the conference [on Urban Sustainability at Bellagio] brought a wake-up call when Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the International Protocol on Climate Change, used the situation in New Orleans to illustrate the dangers of climate change impacts on cities.' more
N.O. to Test Solar Power This Summer
August 1, 2007; New Orleans CityBusiness
...said ORM Director Ed Blakely. 'We have a requirement to do this because it’s a part of UNOP to look at smarter and greener technology. We will look at possible new (solar) projects in all 17 recovery target areas. There are so many different avenues in solar power, which is why we have the grant [from a DOE, ORM matching funds program] to study it.' Go to article
Annan Urges Stronger Links Between Farmers and Researchers
July 17, 2007; SciDevNet
Annan announced that over the next four years the AGRA initiative will focus on developing hardier seeds, improving soil health and use of fertilizers, improving water management, and strengthening agricultural markets. The alliance will put special emphasis on problems specific to small-scale farmers. more; AGRA Breeding position paper
Norman Borlaug Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, Highest US Civilian Honor
July 17, 2007; press release, Office of the Speaker of the House
No person, before or since, has done more to answer the call to help liberate the world from hunger. As such, Dr. Borlaug is one of the greatest liberators the world has ever known. --US Speaker Nancy Pelosi more
Louisiana Recovery Authority Approves New Orleans Recovery Plan
June 25, 2007, The New Orleans Times-Picayune
In presenting the New Orleans Strategic Recovery and Redevelopment Plan, city recovery czar Ed Blakely said he plans to get a bank to advance the money to the city so officials can access it immediately...LRA members, who insisted that New Orleans create a plan covering the entire city, not just flooded neighborhoods, lauded city officials for presenting a comprehensive document...more
RF to Fund New Orleans Redevelopment Fellowships Through U. of Pennsylvania
June 18, 2007, Press release
The Rockefeller Foundation announced today a $2.2 million grant to fund a series of fellowships to advance the redevelopment process in New Orleans. The fellowships will be administered by the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania and will enable key redevelopment organizations in New Orleans to recruit talented urban redevelopment professionals... more
UNOP Citywide Plan Wins Approval
June 14, 2007, New Orleans Times Picayune
A New Orleans City Council committee voted to 'support and generally approve' the citywide strategic recovery plan produced by the Unified New Orleans Plan process. The full council is almost certain to follow suit next week, and local officials hope that vote will lead the Louisiana Recovery Authority to quickly release $117 million in federal money to the city. more
Freelancers Union Helps Millions of U.S. Independent Workers Get Health Care
June 5, 2007, Press release
Independent workers comprise more than 30% of America's workforce, and that number is growing rapidly. Freelancers Union will offer health plans to eligible independent workers and their families in 30 states through UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule Insurance Company. more
NYC to Try Buying Good Parenting
May 27, 2007, Chicago Tribune
The NYC plan is based on an approach that has won praise across the political spectrum. A centrist government started Mexico's program, but it took off under a conservative administration. Brazil's Family Fund was founded by a fiscal moderate but expanded greatly under a left-of-center government. Though the health-care components will be similar, New York's education side will be more rigorous. more
As Rebuilding of N.O. Continues, Recovery Plan OK'd
May 23, 2007, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Nearly 21 months after Katrina devastated New Orleans, the City Planning Commission voted to adopt the 'citywide strategic recovery and rebuilding plan' developed by UNOP. more| N.O. Times Picayune article PLUS: Letter-to-the-Editor
Seeds of Capacity Building in Africa's Agriculture
May 22, 2007; SciDev.Net
The Gates-Rockefeller Foundation alliance has allocated $150m to improving seeds through conventional breeding to increase their yields and make them suitable for Africa's unpredictable rainfall patterns. This work will decrease farmers' dependence on hybrid maize seeds, which need sufficient rainfall to grow and already do not yield enough maize. more | SciDev.Net article
May 18th: World AIDS Vaccine Day 2007
May 14, 2007; press release
...an AIDS vaccine remains one of the greatest public health and social imperatives facing the world today. For every person who receives life-saving antiretroviral treatment, seven others become newly infected. According to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), an AIDS vaccine offers the world's best hope of ending the epidemic. Without a vaccine, another 50 million people could become infected with HIV in the next ten years. more
Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network Signs New Agreement
May 15, 2007; press release
Health ministers from the network’s partners -- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand -- gathered in Geneva for the signing. Officials from WHO and the Rockefeller Foundation were also on hand. The MBDS was established with support from WHO, the RF, and other partners, to encourage sharing of information and biological materials on disease outbreaks and to develop the capacity to respond effectively. press release
Renew Media Names 22 Filmmakers, Media Artists 2007 Media Arts Fellows
May 2, 2007; press release
Renew Media announced the recipients of the Media Arts Fellowships for 2007, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, awarding nearly $750,000 to 22 innovative and pioneering filmmakers and media artists. press release; Coverage: Hollywood Reporter; Variety
$47 Million Loan Fund Launched for Louisiana Housing Recovery
April 26, 2007; press release
As many as 4,500 new and rehabbed affordable homes and apartments are expected to be built in Louisiana's most devastated parishes thanks to a new $47 million loan fund assembled by the state, banks, foundations and community development organizations. more
Kresge Foundation Joins Partnership for Higher Education in Africa
April 26, 2007; press release
Rip Rapson, Kresge's new President and CEO, noted that joining the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa expands Kresge's current commitment in Africa, which is designed to build the private fundraising capacity of South African universities and hospitals. more
NYC Mayor Bloomberg, Delegation Visit Mexico’s Oportunidades Program
April 24, 2007; press release
'The Mexican Oportunidades program has helped to revolutionize poverty reduction work by creating a model that allows recipients to make investments for the future,' said delegate Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, which provided the initial research and development capital for the New York City pilot program. more