Former RBF board chair Richard Rockefeller with Wang Zhenyao, president of China Global Philanthropy Institute, and Alice Lau, chair of the Guangdong Harmony Community Foundation.

The Richard Rockefeller Fellowship at Columbia Global

Since 2005, the RBF China program has made grants to support sustainable development work in China. The Richard Rockefeller Fellowship, established in 2016, advances RBF grantmaking efforts by supporting the development of emerging leaders in China’s philanthropic and nongovernment sectors.

The Richard Rockefeller Fellowship will be hosted by Columbia University’s Columbia Global beginning in 2025. Through its work with Columbia Global Centers—including in Beijing—and Columbia World Projects, Columbia Global supports the practical development of social impact leaders. 

The fellowship offers a five-week stay in the United States for up to eight social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders from China who focus on sustainable development and climate issues. Fellows participate in a robust program of practical learning from the RBF and other U.S. philanthropies, as well as academic experiences drawing on Columbia’s extensive scholarship and resources. The fellowship also covers the costs of travel and lodging.

Following the fellowship period, participants enjoy sustained networking opportunities with U.S. and Chinese colleagues to support their continued work in China. With these strengthened networks, knowledge, and skills, fellows will be positioned to scale their organizations’ initiatives and create lasting positive change. 

The Richard Rockefeller Fellowship was established in 2016 as a tribute to Dr. Richard Rockefeller, a former RBF trustee who was profoundly inspired by the growth of Chinese philanthropy and the relationships he formed with philanthropic families in China. Before his tragic death in 2014, he became a passionate advocate for strategic philanthropy as a means to strengthen U.S.-China partnership and address global challenges. 

The Richard Rockefeller Fellowship was endowed by the RBF with the generous support of the Lao Niu Brother & Sister Foundation, the Dalio Foundation, and members of the Rockefeller family. The fellowship was administered by the RBF with support from the International Institute for Education from 2016–2022. To date, four cohorts of two fellows each participated in the Richard Rockefeller Fellowship:

Columbia Global brings together major global initiatives from across the university to advance knowledge and foster global engagement. Its mission is to address complex global challenges through groundbreaking scholarly pursuits, leadership development, cutting-edge research, and projects that aim for social impact. The long-term goal is to reimagine the university’s role in society as not only a nexus for learning and intellectual exploration but also as a catalyst for creativity and impact locally, regionally, and globally.