Dr. Rajiv J. Shah

The 2025 impact report, titled Big Bets, Real Results, arrives during a period the Rockefeller Foundation describes as a historic decline in global aid. To counter this contraction, the 113-year-old organization awarded more than US$350 million across 235 grants and program-related investments to 204 unique partners. These direct awards served as a catalyst for larger financial movements, directly mobilizing US$3 billion and aiding the mobilization of an additional US$29 billion in indirect capital.

Disruption changes how we work, but not who we work for. Last year the world’s commitment to helping those in need contracted sharply — and people who depended on this paid the price. But it also revealed the uncommon courage of leaders across the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America who chose to raise their ambitions and go big.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation

Universal Energy Abundance and the 2030 Target

A primary pillar of the foundation’s current strategy is the pursuit of Universal Energy Abundance. The organization identifies a significant gap in global infrastructure, noting that 730 million people currently live without access to electricity. The foundation has entered partnerships with a specific target to electrify 1 billion people by 2030, with a focused goal of reaching 300 million people in Africa within that timeframe.

The foundation frames electricity as a prerequisite for opportunity, dignity, and security in the 21st century. By targeting the most underserved regions, the organization intends to scale technologies that move beyond traditional grid constraints to provide reliable power to vulnerable populations.

Scaling Nutrition and Food is Medicine Programs

The foundation’s health and nutrition initiatives are split between domestic interventions in the United States and systemic school-meal programs globally. In the U.S., the organization is scaling Food is Medicine programs to address chronic health crises. The foundation reports that an estimated 133 million Americans are affected by chronic diseases, specifically citing obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

On a global scale, the organization is targeting the nutrition gap for school-aged children. According to the 2025 report, over 300 million children worldwide lack access to a nutritious meal. The foundation is collaborating to provide 100 million children with access to sustainable and nutritious school meals. This initiative is supported by an economic argument: the foundation asserts that school meals can provide up to a 35x return on investment, functioning as one of the most extensive social safety nets available globally.

American Jobs and AI Displacement

The foundation has expanded its focus to include domestic economic distress, targeting communities where employment levels lag behind the national average. The report states that more than 50 million Americans live in these distressed areas. This vulnerability is compounded by the rise of artificial intelligence, which the foundation claims will soon upend the economy.

To mitigate this displacement, the foundation is working with community partners to create 1.6 million additional jobs. These efforts are concentrated across 250 of the most distressed communities in the United States, aiming to build economic resilience against technological disruption.

The Evolution of the Rockefeller Philanthropic Model

The current Big Bets strategy represents the latest iteration of a philanthropic legacy that began with John D. Rockefeller. Born in 1839 and dying in 1937, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, eventually controlling about 90% of U.S. oil production by 1900. After retiring from the active management of Standard Oil in 1897, he redirected his wealth toward education and medicine.

The foundation he established has evolved from these early interests into a global entity that now integrates frontier technology and data-driven models. While the original wealth was rooted in the kerosene and gasoline commodities of the 19th century, the current organization operates as a mobilizer of capital rather than a simple grant-making body. The disparity between the US$350 million in direct awards and the US$32 billion in total mobilized capital indicates a shift toward a leverage-based model of philanthropy.

The organization’s current focus on energy, food, and jobs reflects a strategy of targeting systemic failures rather than treating symptoms. By aligning its investments with the 2030 timeline for electrification and the immediate needs of 133 million Americans with chronic illnesses, the foundation is attempting to fill the void left by the decline in traditional global aid.

The success of these initiatives remains dependent on the ability of the 204 unique partners to execute at scale. As the foundation continues to push toward its 2030 electrification goals and the creation of 1.6 million jobs, the primary uncertainty lies in the volatility of the global landscape and whether indirect capital mobilization can keep pace with the accelerating demands of climate and technological disruption.