Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (WRF) began originally as the Rockwin Fund in 1957. It was a philanthropic foundation that was started by Winthrop Rockefeller to help the people of Arkansas, primarily through educational grants. When Arkansas Governor Rockefeller died in 1973 Rockwin Fund became one of the two primary beneficiaries of the late Winthrop Rockefeller estate. With the large endowment bestowed on the organization, they changed their name and redefined their mission and vision and became the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in 1974. Since Rockwin Fund focused primarily on education, by changing the scope of the grants the foundation was able to incorporate more of the late Governor's philanthropic passions, which was a larger scope of the welfare of the people of Arkansas. The areas of interest now include: education, economic developement and economic, social and racial justice in the state of Arkansas and only in Arkansas. Grants are only granted to organizations that are primarily based in Arkansas and will benefit the citizens of Arkansas over any other population. The mission of the WRF is to improve the quality of life for the people of Arkansas and to promote systematic change. In 1986, then Governor Bill Clinton and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation announced an initiative to end decades of economic decline in rural Arkansas by creating new trends of investment in people, jobs, business and property. Southern Bancorp, a community development bank holding company, and its family of nonprofit development affiliates would emerge from that initiative. A consortium of private foundations, governmental entities, corporations and concerned individuals would come together later that year to incorporate Southern Bancorp.