The Atlantic Philanthropies
Between 1982 and 1997, the Atlantic Philanthropies and its founder, Chuck Feeney, operated under a policy of strict anonymity. It was not until 2001 that grant recipients were permitted to publicly acknowledge the foundation as their source of funding. According to Christopher G. Oechsli, Atlantic’s president and CEO since 2011, this anonymity stemmed from “a combination of Chuck’s humility and a desire to fly under the radar and be nimble,” allowing Feeney “to meet people, talk, learn, and act without attracting a lot of attention or recognition.” This modesty was closely aligned with Feeney’s philosophy of “giving while living,” a principle inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s belief that wealth should be used for the public good during one’s lifetime. Within five years of the foundation and Feeney’s philanthropic work becoming public, Atlantic announced its intention to spend down its endowment, make its last grants in 2016, and cease all operations by 2020. By that year, the Atlantic Philanthropies had distributed approximately $8 billion in grants across the United States, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Bermuda, and Cuba.
Schoolchildren arrive at the Nelson Mandela Gateway in Cape Town before boarding the ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years, undated.
The Atlantic Philanthropies’ grantmaking focused on eight countries, including South Africa.
Photo by Gideon Mendel.
Chuck Feeney (left) with Cornell President Frank H.T. Rhodes (center), and University of Limerick’s founding president, Ed Walsh (right), July 14, 1988.
Notes for a speech Chuck Feeney gave at the University of Limerick, ca. 1993.
Chuck Feeney with scholarship students from the Shannon College of Hotel Management, 1988.
Atlantic Reports, a July 2010 publication by the Atlantic Philanthropies, featuring inset photo of Chuck Feeney with Bui Duc Phu, director of the Hue Central Hospital in Vietnam, 2005.
Photo by Dr. Le Nhan Phoung.