Rockefeller Foundation Philanthropy and Modern Public Health in China and India

Abstract

The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) was the first major American philanthropic organization to engage in public health issues in China and India. Since the early years of its inception, the RF has been very influential in the global development of public health, not only through its grant-making but also by participating in shaping concepts and policies. Science-based innovations with a biomedical focus have formed the basis of the foundation’s public health approach and there has always been an overt focus on technological solutions to social issues. This article explores the differences in the scope, nature, and depth of the engagement of the RF with health institutions and programmes in China and India in the early twentieth century. Drawing from archival resources and secondary literature, this article traces the RF’s historical development in China and India in depth, its philanthropic giving, its impact on knowledge construction, social policies, and the agenda it has sought to fulfil.