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Finding Aid to the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Records, 1941-2012, bulk 1980-2012
BANC MSS 2012/183
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Table of contents
Collection Title: Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund records
Date (inclusive): 1941-2012,
Date (bulk): bulk 1980-2012
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2012/183
Creator:
Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund
Extent:
Number of containers: 128 cartons
Linear feet: 160 linear feet
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Records document a history of charitable giving to nonprofit organizations working in the
areas of the environment, Jewish affairs, Israel, population, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English, Hebrew and Arabic
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection is closed to research until January 1, 2062.
Copyright has been assigned to The Bancroft Library. Materials in these collections are protected by the U.S. Copyright Law
(Title 17, U.S.C.) and may not be used without permission of The Bancroft Library. Use may be restricted by terms of University
of California gift or purchase agreements, privacy and publicity rights, licensing terms, and trademarks. All requests to
reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services,
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Even though all reasonable and customary best-practices have been pursued, this collection may contain materials with sensitive
or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are
advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection
without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which the University of California, Berkeley assumes
no responsibility.
[Identification of item], Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Records, BANC MSS 2012/183, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Richard N. and Rhoda H. Goldman papers, BANC MSS 2010/687
Electronic records have been transferred to the Digital Collections Unit of The Bancroft Library.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Goldman, Richard N., 1920-2010
Goldman, Rhoda H., d. 1996
Goldman family
Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund--Archives
University of California, Berkeley--Alumni and alumnae
Philanthropists--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Charities--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Jews--California--San Francisco Bay Area--Charities
Environmentalists--California--San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco (Calif.)--Social life and customs
Photographs.
Clippings.
The Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Records were given to The Bancroft Library by the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund on February
22, 2012.
No additions are expected.
Arranged to the folder level.
Processed by Jeffrey Sahaida in 2013.
In 1951, Richard N. and Rhoda H. Goldman, San Francisco natives and philanthropists, established their philanthropic organization,
the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund. The Goldman Fund was a philanthropic organization dedicated to funding programs of nonprofit
organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as nationally and internationally.
By the time they established their foundation, Richard and Rhoda were already active volunteers and philanthropists. Richard
N. Goldman (1920-2010) was born in San Francisco to Richard Samuel Goldman and Alice Wertheim. Richard graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley in 1941 and served in the United States Army from 1942-1946. Richard married Rhoda Haas
(1924-1996), the daughter of Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Elise Stern, in 1946. Rhoda, also a native of San Francisco, graduated
from the University of California, Berkeley in 1946. In 1949, Richard founded an insurance brokerage, Richard N. Goldman
& Company, later renamed Goldman Insurance and Risk Management. The Goldmans had four children: Richard, John, Douglas, and
Susan.
The creation of the Goldman Fund increased Richard and Rhoda's dedication to philanthropy. As the Fund grew, grant making
evolved from an immediate-needs charity to one of a more strategic nature that emphasized policy and advocacy to address root
causes. Over time, Richard and Rhoda's philanthropic efforts ultimately focused on five main areas: the environment, Jewish
Affairs, Israel, the San Francisco Bay Area, and population, as well as special projects that addressed issues important to
the Goldmans.
The environment was the Fund's largest program area, with a focus primarily on efforts to protect California's environment
- including its air, water, coastline, forests, deserts, wetlands, and open spaces. The Fund also supported groups working
to reduce the impact of industry on the environment, as well as those addressing the effect of population on global natural
resources.
In the area of Jewish affairs, the Goldmans worked to ensure a vibrant and welcoming Jewish community, particularly in San
Francisco. Grants were given to organizations committed to building a more engaged Jewish community, as well as to groups
dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and to providing education to Americans about Judaism, the Jewish people, and Israel.
Israel's present and future was also of paramount importance to the Goldmans. The Fund established an office in Israel to
manage its philanthropic interests there, which included grants for strengthening democracy for all Israelis, protecting Israel's
environment, improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged Israelis, promoting religious pluralism, advocating social
justice, and promoting civic inclusion.
As San Francisco was the birthplace of both Richard and Rhoda, they supported a wide range of San Francisco-based civic and
community organizations dedicated to helping the poor, the elderly, and disadvantaged youth. The Goldmans were also committed
to ensuring that San Francisco's core cultural and educational foundations remained world class and accessible to all.
Another core program area of the Fund was population, as related to women's rights, reproductive freedom, and the environmental
impact of population growth. The Goldman Fund was an early advocate for the protection and expansion of reproductive rights,
and it supported programs that worked to improve reproductive health policies, facilitate access to abortion, and increase
and improve training for healthcare workers providing reproductive services.
The Goldman Fund also supported a variety of special projects and initiatives that addressed a broad spectrum of issues.
Special projects were designed to ameliorate needs that fell outside of the Fund's core focus areas. Projects included support
for elder abuse prevention, advocacy for recycled paper use, funding for the American Cancer Society, support for San Francisco-based
food distribution centers for the needy, and many others.
Throughout its existence, the Goldman Fund distributed nearly $700 million to more than 2,500 nonprofit organizations in the
San Francisco Bay Area, Israel, and throughout the world. Richard and Rhoda Goldman served on the Fund's Board of Directors
until their deaths. The Goldman Fund closed in 2012.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund Records consist primarily of the files generated and received by the Goldman Fund throughout
the life of the foundation. The records are divided into four series:
- Series I: Grant Files
- Series II: Publicity Files
- Series III: Administrative Files
- Series IV: Israeli Office
The grant files represent the bulk of the collection and are comprised of materials documenting the solicitation, approval,
and progress of individual Goldman Fund grant-awarded programs of nonprofit organizations working in the areas of the environment,
Jewish Affairs, Israel, the San Francisco Bay Area, and population, as well as special projects that addressed issues important
to the Goldmans. Grant files include: grantee solicitation letters; program progress reports and overviews; as well as award
letters, recommendations, and grant contract agreements.
The publicity files contain a variety of materials including correspondence, speeches, photographs, listings of awards and
honors, and press clippings - all documenting the activities of Richard and Rhoda Goldman and the Goldman Fund.
The collection also encompasses administrative files from the Goldman Fund, including annual reports and dockets from Goldman
Fund Board meetings, as well as reports, memos, letters, and updates from the Board.
The records from the Goldman Fund office in Israel include grant files specific to programs in Israel, including grantee solicitation
letters; program progress reports and overviews; as well as award letters, recommendations, and grant contract agreements.
In addition, this series also includes administrative records, pertaining to the daily business of the Israeli office, such
as office journals, news clippings, memos, and correspondence.