Private philanthropy in the USA started in the 19th century, when prosperous industrialists began redirecting a share of their newly acquired wealth back to the less fortunate. The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) was created and endowed by the US oil entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller in 1913 “to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world.” At the end of 1999, RF’s assets of stocks and financial instruments were worth US$ 3.8 billion. Currently, 5.8 per cent of the market value of the endowment is provided for programme purposes, leading to a grant-making budget of US$ 177 million in 1999. The RF’s general objectives were set out as the promotion of scientific advancements. From the beginning, the RF funded research in life sciences, and its engagement in agricultural sciences was responsible for high-yielding varieties that were distributed worldwide during the Green Revolution. Starting as early as 1941, the improvement of Mexican maize varieties led to the creation of the International Centre for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT) in 1966. Furthermore, involvement in rice breeding led to the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1960 as the first of the international agricultural research centres. In 1971 the RF and a group of donors formed the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to support these and other centres. Present RF contributions to the CGIAR of about US$ 2.5 million amount to less than 1 per cent of the group’s annual budget. In 1983, the Foundation launched an International Programme on Rice Biotechnology (IPRB; see also Monitor No. 15). Up to 2000, some US$ 105 million had been spent on the improvement of rice and on capacity building. By 1999, the RF concluded that rice biotechnology capacity was well established in Asia and would continue to strengthen without RF support.In 2000, a series of final rice grants were awarded in Asia and funding began to shift toward a new course of action with emphasis on Africa. Under this new plan adopted, in 1998, ‘Food Security’ became one of four main themes of the Foundation. In 2000, grants of about US$ 23 million were distributed across three sub-themes: Enabling farmer participation in agricultural innovations (US$ 4 million): Funding is provided, for example, to the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to add research and training on integrated nutrient management to farmer field schools currently focused on integrated pest management. Applying Science and Technology (US$ 9 million): Work will focus on three areas. First, biotechnology for drought-resistant seeds, control of Striga weed and improvements in human nutrition. Second, agro-ecological practices in marginal tropical farming systems. Support goes, for instance, to research by scientists from the University of Zimbabwe on growing promiscuous soybeans in rotation with maize as a strategy for restoring soil fertility and increasing the income of smallholder farmers. Third, prevention of environmental degradation in fragile farming environments. For example, a soil erosion control project is supported, which uses remote sensing to trace the origins of sediments entering Lake Victoria. Strengthening policies and institution building (US$ 10 million): This programme funds, amongst other things, the Forum on African Agricultural Resource Husbandry. This is a peer-review competitive grants programme run by Africans and designed to strengthen field research and training for the degree of Master of Science at agricultural universities in Eastern and Southern Africa. Although the foundation’s financial management is separate from its programmatic aims, the RF has established a small fund, the Programme-Venture Experiment (ProVenEx) to attract venture capital funds. Venture capital, money that is put up for speculative business investment, is the source of financing for many US biotechnology firms that are working on vaccines and drugs. ProVenEx, therefore, will strive to stimulate biotechnology research in line with the Foundation’s programmatic aims. Volker Lehmann Editor Biotechnology and Development Monitor E-mail monitor@biotech-monitor.nl See also in this issue: "Biotechnology in the Rockefeller Foundation's new course of action. Interview with Gordon Conway and Gary Toenniessen" Biotechnology and Development Monitor, No 44/45, p. 15-19. Sources The Foundation Center (2000), Foundation giving trends. http://fdcenter.org/fc_stats/pdf/03_fund_geo/1998/09_98.pdf Rockefeller Foundation (1999), A new course of action. New York, USA: Rockefeller Foundation. Rockefeller Foundation (2000), 1999 Annual Report. New York, USA: Rockerfeller Foundation.