atlanticphilanthropies.org

What It Is

The Atlantic Philanthropies is the official website of the charitable foundation founded by entrepreneur Chuck Feeney in 1982. The foundation is best known for its “Giving While Living” philosophy, which argues that people with wealth should actively use it to improve society during their lifetimes. Atlantic made its final grant commitments in 2016 and completed its operations in 2020, so the site now functions primarily as its official digital archive, a record of lessons learned, and a public-interest knowledge base.

Core Features

The site focuses on the foundation’s 37-year grantmaking history, including more than $8 billion in global philanthropic investment, timelines, regional programs, issue-area outcomes, and major “big bets” grantmaking cases. Its coverage spans regions such as Australia, Bermuda, Cuba, Ireland, South Africa, the United States, and Vietnam, with topics including health, children and youth, aging, human rights and reconciliation, knowledge, research, and innovation. It also provides sections such as Grants Database, Lessons for Funders, Resources, and Archives, making it useful for researchers who want to trace project histories and funding strategies.

Pricing

The site is free for the public to access, with no subscriptions, memberships, or paid services. It is important to note that The Atlantic Philanthropies has closed and no longer accepts grant applications or provides new project funding.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are authoritative materials and a clear historical narrative. It is especially useful for understanding how a limited-life foundation planned its exit strategy and used large-scale grants to drive long-term institutional change. It has strong reference value for philanthropic funders, foundation managers, and researchers in philanthropy. The downsides are also clear: the content is mainly in English and largely archival, with limited real-time updates or interactive features. If users are looking for currently available grant opportunities, this is not the right place.

Who It’s For

Best suited for professionals working in charitable foundations, nonprofit managers, public policy researchers, historians of philanthropy, and high-net-worth donors or family offices interested in learning from Chuck Feeney’s giving philosophy. It is not particularly suitable for general users looking for a donation portal or grant application opportunities.

Access from China

Given its nature as a standard English-language public-interest information site, it is generally accessible directly. However, in-depth reading requires English proficiency, and some archive resources may redirect to Cornell University-related pages. Overall rating: 8/10.