A Brief History
The Foundation was established in 1952 by New York torch and blues singer Libby Holman Reynolds following the tragic death of her son, Christopher, in a mountain-climbing accident. Early CRF work focused on the economics of disarmament, theories of world government and racial justice. One of the Foundation’s first grants was to support the trip of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to India to study the non-violent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. Early grants also went to the Highlander Research and Education Center and efforts supporting the Students National Coordinating Committee’s work on civil rights.
The Foundation went on to support early work relating to U.S. engagement with the People’s Republic of China. As the U.S. war in Indochina expanded, CRF supported organizations focused on its costs to the people of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and their relations with the United States. Following the war, the Foundation focused on efforts addressing on-the-ground needs in areas of health, agriculture and education, as well as work exploring whether the strict postwar U.S. embargo was in the US national interest from a foreign policy or an ethical/moral perspective.
Following the US normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995, the Foundation began to look at the parallels between the former embargo on Vietnam and current US policy towards Cuba. The Foundation began to support work to strengthen contacts and understanding between citizens and institutions in the US and citizens and institutions in Cuba. This included programs intended to complement the work of Cubans as they determine their future path in a variety of fields.
The Foundation is currently considering work relating to climate justice; climate resilience and adaptation; and ecosystem health and integrity in the face of unraveling global systems. This includes local and bioregional climate justice and ecosystem resilience efforts as well as relevant linkages, collaborations and networks at the regional and global levels–especially as they look to systems change in fellowship with the natural world. Issues of equity and agroecology are paramount.
Foundation Membership
Board of Directors and Staff:
- John R. Boettiger, President
- Suzanne Derrer, Vice-Chair
- Virginia Kahn, Member
- Andrea Panaritis, Member, Executive Director
Finance Committee:
- Toni Johnson, Member
- Gerald Mitchell, Member
- Andrea Panaritis, Member