No family foundation in the world has the vintage or the recall of The Rockefeller Foundation. John D Rockefeller Sr. established the foundation in 1913 to promote the well-being of humanity around the world. This institutional philanthropy pioneer’s contribution to medical breakthroughs is largely unknown. Many scientists supported by the foundation have gone on to win the Nobel prize and it is possibly the only one with a 100-year history of publishing annual reports. The latter is a reflection of not only its archiving systems but also the foundation’s guiding principles. David Rockefeller Jr., the current board chair, is the great-grandson of the founder and guides the foundation with the same passion that he has for the environment, ocean conservation and his favourite pastime, sailing.