Roosevelt Institute
| The Roosevelt Institute | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Carrying forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. |
| Established | 1987 |
| President & CEO | Felicia Wong |
| Location | New York, NY |
| Address |
570 Lexington Ave., 18th floor New York, NY 10022 |
| Website | www.rooseveltinstitute.org |
The Roosevelt Institute is a progressive non-profit organization devoted to carrying forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of restoring America's health and security. It has offices located in New York, New York, Hyde Park, New York, and Washington, D.C..
History
The Roosevelt Institute was initially created through the merger of three Roosevelt family organizations in 1987:
- The Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation, founded by the President’s friends in 1939 with the express purpose of building the first presidential library, an effort directed by FDR to bring order and security to the preservation of the nation’s historical records.
- The Four Freedoms Foundation, founded in 1951 to promote the ideals of FDR’s Four Freedoms.
- The Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, founded in 1972 as the successor to the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation that was responsible for building the Eleanor Roosevelt wing of the FDR Library.
The purpose of these organizations was not to memorialize Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, but rather to promote the study of the momentous era in which they played such prominent roles and to inspire others to carry forward their public legacy.
A series of organizational mergers followed the celebrations, programs, and events that took place around the centennials of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s births in 1982 and 1984, respectively. In 1982, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation merged with the Four Freedoms Foundation to strengthen their shared mission of bringing contemporary relevance to the history of the Roosevelt era. In 1987, the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute merged with the FDR Four Freedoms Foundation and the new organization was named the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
In 2007, the Roosevelt Institute merged with the Roosevelt Institution, now known as the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network. It remains the non-profit partner to the government-run Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the nation's first presidential library. In 2009, it expanded its mission with the launch of the Four Freedoms Center, a progressive policy think tank, and its economic policy blog, New Deal 2.0.
Programs
Both independently and in partnership with the FDR Library, the Roosevelt Institute seeks to generate bold progressive ideas, develop the next generation of progressive leadership, and promote the Roosevelt legacy.
The Institute's Four Freedoms Center is designed to promote a rigorous debate about progressive policies and values and to deploy their strongest proponents in the public sphere. Its Fellows Program includes influential thinkers and analysts such as Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Robert Johnson, former chief economist to the Senate Banking Committee, and its work has informed the consumer protection efforts of Elizabeth Warren.[1]
The Roosevelt Institute Campus Network is a forum of 10,000 politically engaged young people at 86 active chapters who discuss, promote, and implement progressive ideas and policies. The Network comprises a diverse cross-section of backgrounds, with women and people of color leading more than half the chapters. The Roosevelt Alumni & Young Professionals Network, launched in 2010, brings together early-career progressives in order to support and encourage future progressive leaders.[2]
Through the FDR Presidential Library, the Institute seeks to promote the Roosevelts' legacy and attract new audiences to their ideas and values. The library, located in Hyde Park, New York, offers programs and exhibitions and produces white papers and blog content that provide a historical context to contemporary challenges.
The Roosevelt Institute also sponsors a number of awards, including:
- The Four Freedoms Awards Program – Established in 1982 to recognize individual achievement in promoting freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the universal concept of freedom.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award - Established in 1995 by the World Committee on Disability recognizes and encourages progress by nations toward the fulfillment of the goal of the United Nations World Program of Action Concerning Disabled Persons.
- Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Award in American History and Public Commentary – Established in 1998 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the fields of American history, public policy and participation in public affairs.
- Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize – Established in 1986 to honor an outstanding work on American naval history.
References
- ↑ "Elizabeth Warren on Consumer Protection (MMBM)". Vimeo. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ↑ "Rooseveldt Institute Campus Network". Retrieved 1 February 2013.