Crain's New York Profiles Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah
In his 14 months as president, Dr. Rajiv Shah has rededicated the Rockefeller Foundation to eliminating worldwide poverty while also focusing more energy on its U.S. efforts. Ten programs were closed to concentrate on five: food, health, power, resilience and U.S. job growth. Shah has held leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and he was the administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2009 to 2015. He also founded private-equity firm Latitude Capital.
What is the Rockefeller Foundation's impact in New York City?
In the past decade, we've granted tens of millions of dollars to city-based entities. Every month kids from across the U.S. get to see Hamilton thanks to our support. In New York alone, 30,000 kids have participated in the program, and at least 90% of the students participating in the program we sponsor for low-income students have never been to a Broadway show. After Hurricane Sandy, we worked with the city and others to support building a more resilient New York—and that inspired our 100 Resilient Cities initiative around the world.
Is your approach here different from how you look at any other city?
Yes, for sure. We're part of New York. We have deep relationships with civic and cultural institutions, with business leaders. Our work tofound the field of impact investing, for instance, may not have been possible without our presence in the world's financial capital...