The New World Foundation is a liberal foundation, based in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. It dispenses funds to liberal advocacy group

Advocacy group

Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...

s. It was founded in 1954 by Anita McCormick Blaine, an heiress to industrialist Cyrus Hall McCormick and a supporter of Henry Wallace

Henry Wallace

Henry or Harry Wallace may refer to:*Henry A. Wallace , U.S. Vice President 1941-1945, presidential candidate for the Progressive Party 1948**Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center...

's 1948 presidential campaign. Its initial funding of about $20 million was noted for progress towards education, ethics, peace, and public health.

In its mission statement

Mission statement

A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...

, the New World Foundation states:

We see the strengths of progressive ideals and committed activists, who every day are inventing democracy and extending its boundaries. But we also know the strength of reaction, inaction, and injustice in blocking democracy’s advance. Our work and our tradition is to tip the balance ...

During the early 1960s, the New World Foundation's goal was to aid education and promote better intergroup and international relations. During the early 1970s, the Foundation supported various civil rights

Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...

 and community projects. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...

, whom Marian Wright Edelman had mentored, was on the board from 1982 to 1988, and was its chair for some of that time, including 1987. During that time, the Foundation gave money to a variety of organizations active in civil rights and other New Left

New Left

The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...

 causes, including the Christic Institute

Christic Institute

The Christic Institute was a public interest law firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan, his wife, Sara Nelson and their partner, William J. Davis, who was a Jesuit priest. Its headquarters were based in Washington, D.C. with several offices in other major United States cities, such as San...

, Grassroots International, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, based in Washington, D.C., is a national activist organization with chapters in various cities in the United States. CISPES supports the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front and the progressive social movement in El Salvador.CISPES...

 (CISPES), FAIR

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting is a progressive media criticism organization based in New York City, founded in 1986.FAIR describes itself on its website as "the national media watch group" and defines its mission as working to "invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity...

, and the National Lawyers Guild

National Lawyers Guild

The National Lawyers Guild is an advocacy group in the United States "dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system . ....

. By the early 1990s, the foundation was giving money to a Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...

 group fighting consequences of computer industry toxins, all the while undergoing criticism for being invested in the likes of Louisiana Pacific, Nike, and Philip Morris

Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...

.