Rosenwald fund grant

DEFINITION

Derived from the financial success of Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932), chairman of Sears and Roebuck and Co., the grant activity reflected his commitment to social change and justice. From 1911 to 1928, it focused primarily on black education in the American South by giving start-up money to over 5000 schools. In 1928, Rosenwald???s fortune was redirected to a program of individual scholarships with ???no strings attached??? in amounts, normally, between $1,500. to $2,000. Recipients were usually young, and judged to have exceptional promise towards a meritorious scholarly and/or creative pursuit. Most Rosenwald Fellows, but not all, were African-American. Fund directives by Rosenwald were unique because, unlike the majority of philanthropic funding sources, all the seed money was spent until it was gone, and that occurred in 1948. In the previous decade, 34 artists received grants including Jacob Lawrence, Robert Gwathmey, Aaron Douglas, Rose Piper, and Eldzier Cortier. Julius Rosenwald had died in 1932, and his son, Lessing Julius Rosenwald (1891-1979) took over the Fund administration. Some of the grants carry his name. Sources: Daniel Schulman, ???African American Art & the Julius Rosenwald Fund???, ???American Art Review???, February 2009; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lessing_J._Rosenwald#Biography (LPD)