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.
The Atlantic Philanthropies Timeline
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1982
Chuck Feeney establishes Atlantic Philanthropies in Bermuda
Foundation operates anonymously for its first 15 years due to Feeney’s desire for flexibility and a low profile; Makes first grant in US to Cornell.
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1984
Feeney transfers virtually all of his wealth to Atlantic
This unprecedented act demonstrates his philosophy of Giving While Living.
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1990
Opens office in the Republic of Ireland
Builds on Feeney’s business interests in the country and sense that opportunities abounded to help Ireland develop a better future.
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1991
Begins grantmaking in Northern Ireland
Driven by Feeney’s desire to see peace and economic growth in the region within his lifetime.
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1991
Makes first grant in South Africa
Sees opportunity to help country move towards democracy post-apartheid.
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1997
Sheds anonymity
Atlantic begins communicating about Giving While Living as part of its change strategy.
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1998
Makes first biotechology research grant in Australia
Invests in educational and research facilities that over time result in hundreds of medical breakthroughs.
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1999
Begins grantmaking in Viet Nam
Evolves into a 14-year program to help improve higher education and population health, including reinvigorating Viet Nam’s system of primary care clinics.
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2002
Becomes a limited life foundation
Atlantic commits to invest entire endowment in Feeney’s lifetime.
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2002
The Atlantic Charitable Trust makes first grants in Cuba
Develops a 13-year program to strengthen and share Cuba’s successful model for health care.
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2012
Makes its largest grant ever: $350 million
Kickstarts the first stage of Cornell NYC Tech campus, which will be a magnet for world-class researchers, entrepreneurs and business incubators.
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2012
Begins to capture and share lessons learned
Goal is to provide guidance and inspiration to current and future philanthropists.
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2015
Launches Atlantic Fellows
Launches 1st of 7 global Atlantic Fellows programs to empower communities of emerging leaders to advance fairer, healthier, more inclusive societies.
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2016
Concludes all grantmaking
Makes final grant allocations focused on global opportunity, leverage and the Atlantic Fellows program. Shifts to dissemination and ongoing monitoring.
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2020
Concludes all operations
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Human Rights & Reconciliation
Atlantic supported efforts to build the capacity of organizations working to protect human rights and to promote reconciliation.
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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.
