Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding" is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations. Since its inception it has provided grants for research and educational studies in the United States and, to a lesser degree, in other parts of the English-speaking world outside of the United Kingdom. Carnegie Corporation has contributed to the expansion of higher education and adult education; the research on learning and cognitive development; the promotion of educational and public interest broadcasting; and the advancement of minorities. It has funded the writing of books and studies, as well as the organization of conferences and international exchanges, radio shows, legal proceedings and other activities. Over the century of its existence, the Corporation has helped establish or endowed a variety of institutions, including thousands of Carnegie libraries, TIAA-CREF, the National Research Council, National Bureau of Economic Research, Brookings Institution, American Law Institute, American Association for Adult Education, Russian Research Center and other research institutes in Harvard University, Children's Defense Fund, National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the Children's Television Workshop, and many others. In the 1980s and 1990s, it helped heighten public understanding of the education and health needs of children and adolescents, as well as brought to public attention the risks of superpower confrontation, nuclear war, and ethnic and civil strife. For many years Carnegie Corporation provided financial support to Carnegie's other philanthropic organizations. Through its activities the Corporation has had a significant influence on public discourse and policy.

In the Corporation's early years, Carnegie himself was president and a trustee. James Bertram, his private secretary, and Robert A. Franks, his financial agent, were also trustees and, respectively, secretary and treasurer of the Corporation. These three comprised the first executive committee and made most of the funding decisions. The other seats on the board were held ex-officio by the presidents of the five previously established Carnegie organizations in the United States-Carnegie Institute (of Pittsburgh) (est. 1896), Carnegie Institution of Washington (est. 1902), Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (est. 1904), Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (est. 1905), and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (est. 1910). Shortly after Carnegie's death in 1919, the trustees elected a full-time, salaried president as chief executive officer of the Corporation and made him an ex officio member of the board. The presidents since Andrew Carnegie have been: Elihu Root (1919-1920), James R. Angell (1920-1921), Henry S. Pritchett (1921-1923, acting), Frederick P. Keppel (1923-1941), Walter A. Jessup (1941-1944), Devereux C. Josephs (1945-1948), Charles Dollard (1948-1955), John W. Gardner (1955-1967), Alan Pifer (1967-1982, acting 1965-1967), David A. Hamburg (1982-1997), Vartan Gregorian (1997-present).