Our Story
Investing in a Better Future for All
The Atlantic Philanthropies were founded by entrepreneur Chuck Feeney, who decided in 1982 to devote his wealth to the service of humanity. A champion of Giving While Living, Feeney long maintained that people of wealth should use it to better the world during their lifetimes. That belief, which was a driving influence in our work, led our trustees to decide in 2002 to limit Atlantic’s life to a fixed term.
Atlantic made its final grant commitments at the end of 2016 and closed its doors in 2020. Over 37 years, we invested over $8 billion in promising programs and people and in places where we saw the chance to create opportunity and promote greater fairness and equity for all. Because we believe that it’s imperative to address deeply rooted problems sooner than later, many of our grants were “big bets” designed to bring lasting improvements to people’s lives.
Though Chuck and Atlantic preferred to stay out of the spotlight, both believed in sharing the lessons, experiences, and impact. We invite you to explore Chuck’s and Atlantic’s living legacy, including the Atlantic Fellows and Institute. You can explore our most frequently asked questions, insights, stories, and lessons by topic, issue, and region, and the foundation’s paper and digital records—including an oral history project—at the Atlantic Archives at Cornell University. And if you are considering time-limited philanthropy, we’ve curated some resources just for you.
Here's a quick summary of our grantmaking history.
$8+ Billion in grants around the world.
37 Years of grantmaking; 16 as a limited life foundation.
2016 Made final grant allocations. Close in 2020.
Giving while Living
When asked long ago for the inspiration of his “Giving While Living” philosophy, our founder Chuck Feeney said:
“I see little reason to delay giving when so much good can be achieved through supporting worthwhile causes today.”
The Reach of Our Giving
Chuck Feeney felt a connection to each of the eight regions where Atlantic made major investments over the years. In all of these places, he saw opportunity to make a lasting difference within his lifetime. Explore the regions below for stories and lessons behind our grantmaking.
Today’s Investments Pay Big Dividends for Many Tomorrows
Problems don’t wait for fixes. The longer action is delayed, the more intractable these challenges can become. Below you can explore the issues we tackled and some of our results, showing how funders can help solve intractable problems before they became more entrenched, expansive, and expensive.
-
Atlantic’s Final Big Bets
Our culminating grants aim to address 21st century problems and achieve significant, lasting results in fields and places where we've been historically involved.
-
Aging
Our grants focused on ensuring that people in their later years are economically secure, have access to affordable, high-quality health care and can make meaningful contributions to their communities.
-
Children & Youth
Our investments were driven by the belief that all children have a right to education, health, safety and a comprehensive set of services to help them reach their full potential.
-
Health
We supported grantees to improve health and health care for all with an emphasis on delivering quality primary services in local communities and reducing inequities in care and health outcomes.
-
Human Rights & Reconciliation
Atlantic supported efforts to build the capacity of organizations working to protect human rights and to promote reconciliation.
-
Knowledge, Research & Innovation
Our grantmaking helped promote and generate sustainable scientific progress and improve outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
Different Programs. Common Purpose.
While our grantmaking focused on outcomes unique to each program, our objectives were to:
- Promote and enhance opportunities for people, especially in places where systemic barriers unfairly hold them back.
- Address the root causes of inequity rather than the symptoms.
- Challenge and change destructive and discriminatory practices and public narratives.
An Enduring Legacy
Throughout this website, you’ll find our story, the impact of our grantees and the insights gained along the way.
