AIA

Nelson Rockefeller established the American International Association for Economic and Social Development (AIA) in 1946. An outgrowth of his previous work as coordinator for inter-American affairs under Franklin D. Roosevelt, the AIA aimed to help Latin America in self-development and improved standards of living, and to foster cooperation and understanding among nations. It gave assistance in farming, homemaking, health, and nutrition. Initially it concentrated its efforts on land reform in Venezuela and Brazil, with early funding from oil companies operating in Venezuela. It eventually expanded to other Latin American countries. In 1956, it replaced oil company support with funding from the Rockefeller family and the RBF. Grants from the Fund went to Chilean earthquake relief, model schools and a primary education program in Chile, and agricultural reform, training, and development in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Brazil.