1938: General Education Board

An institution incorporated by an Act of Congress in 1903, with the stated object of 'promoting education within the United States of America, without distinction of race, sex, or creed.' John D. Rockefeller's gifts to the General Education Board, together with smaller gifts from other sources, amounted to approximately $179,754,000. The Board is empowered to expend the principal as well as the income from these funds. The present program is restricted largely to three types of activity: first, the continuance of the existing program in the southern states; second, the support of research and experimentation in relation to the problems presented in the field of general education, i.e., the secondary school through the junior college level; and third, a program, now coming to a close, in child growth and development. At the end of the year 1937 the unappropriated assets amounted to $28,000,000, of which the major portion was definitely earmarked for programs already undertaken, leaving a free balance of funds of approximately $8,700,000.

During the year ended Dec. 31, 1938, appropriations approximating $7,350,000 were made for purposes within the present program of the Board and to bring to a close certain other undertakings under previous programs. Some of the larger grants were made for the following projects: American Council on Education, for conferences, studies, and research, $695,000; the Tulane University of Louisiana, for endowment of its School of Medicine, and for cataloguing additions to the university library, $461,000; fellowships, $215,000; Progressive Education Association, for its service program and researches, $203,120; University of California, for a child-guidance study in its Institute of Child Welfare, $190,000; Meharry Medical College, towards the current expenses of its school and hospital, $160,000; state departments of education in southern states, for traveling expenses and salaries of state agents for rural schools for Negroes, $140,000.

The principal executive officers of the General Education Board during 1938 were: John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Raymond B. Fosdick, President; David H. Stevens (resigned, June 30) and Albert R. Mann, Vice-president: William W. Brierley, Secretary; Lefferts M. Dashiell (died, Feb. 28) and Edward Robinson, Treasurer; George J. Beal, Comptroller. The offices of the Board are at 49 West 49th Street, New York City.