Recording the foundation’s history
During the Moore Foundation’s 25th anniversary year, we have reflected on the path that has led us to where we are today, celebrating the achievements of our grantees and taking time to explore future opportunities. As we look at how the foundation has evolved since 2000, it has been informative to hear first-hand from people who knew our founders well and had an early hand in shaping the direction of the organization.
Originally conceived in 2021, this multiphase set of interviews was designed to record the institutional history that is not documented in the normal course of a foundation’s operations. The first phase was to capture recollections from some of the earliest and longest-standing trustees of the Moore Foundation Board who were stepping down from board service.
Former trustees Bruce Alberts, Jim Gaither, Paul Gray, Ed Penhoet, and Ken Siebel provide insights about Gordon and Betty Moore’s vision for the organization and decisions made about the organization’s strategic direction. In follow-up interviews, we recorded the perspectives and experiences of the available foundation presidents, including both Ed Penhoet and Paul Gray, as well as Steve McCormick and Harvey Fineberg.
The goal of the project for these and subsequent phases is to produce a record of the foundation’s history, shed light on discussions around the decision-making of the board and executive leadership, demonstrate the throughlines between the Statement of Founders’ Intent and the foundation’s mission, and provide additional context surrounding the foundation’s grantmaking for the benefit of the public and for researchers, foundation staff, leadership and trustees, today and into the future.
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