This set of general files chronicles management of the philanthropic affairs of David Rockefeller during the period 1992-1996. when he was naturally beginning to curtail his activities.

The 1962-1976 general files chronicle management of the philanthropic affairs of the third generation of the Rockefeller family primarily Abby Rockefeller Mauze, John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Laurance S. Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller, and David Rockefeller.

The collection documents all aspects of the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association's activities from its creation, with the consolidation of the Downtown Manhattan Association and the Committee on Lower Manhattan in 1958, through its most active and successful years of 1958-1974, through the mid-1990s with its participation in the Lower Manhattan Project and its resulting updated Lower Manhattan Plan, and the role played by the DLMA as the supporting organization for Lower Manhattan's Business Improvement District (BID), the Alliance for Downtown New York. The material encompasses the meeting records of the Board of Directors, Members, Executive Committee, Planning Committee, and other prominent committees, a limited selection of officers files, financial records, membership records, projects, DLMA publications, and reports and studies.

The Boards represented in this series are the most important philanthropies that have been developed from the Rockefeller fortune: the Bureau of Social Hygiene; the China Medical Board of the Rockefeller Foundation and its successor, the China Medical Board, Inc.; the Davison Fund; the General Education Board; the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; the Rockefeller Foundation; the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now known as Rockefeller University); the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission; the Sealantic Fund; and the Spelman Fund of New York.

This series reflects primarily the activities of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., but significant documentation on the political and civic concerns of each of his sons is also present. In addition to extensive files on family support of the Republican Party on the national, state, and local level, separate folders exist on specific candidates, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, and New York Governor Thomas Dewey. There are substantial files on family support for Nelson Rockefeller during his first gubernatorial campaign and immediately afterward. However, very little material exists in this series on his presidential effort in 1960.

The 35 boxes in this series cover the years 1898-1961. The Messrs. Rockefeller, Sr. and Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Abby Rockefeller Mauze, the five brothers, and their spouses are all represented in this series. Mr. Rockefeller, Jr., John D. 3rd, and Laurance S. Rockefeller are have the most connection to thse records.

The Housing Files comprise 8 cubic feet of material covering the years 1896-1962. The bulk of the material relates to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s activities in the housing field during the 1920s and 1930s. However, there are significant sections which detail the interests of Mr. Rockefeller, Sr. in Cleveland and New York City, and David Rockefeller in the Morningside Heights project. A few scattered files cover the activities of Messrs. John, Nelson, and Laurance Rockefeller in this field. Substantively, these files deal with Mr. Rockefeller, Jr.'s involvement with housing reform and housing projects during two distinct time periods: the period of great optimism and activity during the 1920s, and the period of destabilization and disengagement from the field after the coming of the New Deal and into the 1940s.

The files found in this series include correspondence by members of the Rockefeller family and their representatives and the officials of various institutions. Most of the material is unsolicited requests for aid. The material on institutions in which the family took an active interest, such as the International Houses, includes analysis, reports, general correspondence, contributions, and administration.

The World Affairs series reflects the Rockefeller family's contributions toward national defense and international relations. The series is divided into seven sections: Foreign Policy, including the Foreign Policy Association and the Council on Foreign Relations; Institute of Pacific Relations; National Defense, which includes material on war preparedness, veteran's organizations, civil defense, the Commander Byrd expeditions and the New York City Airport Authority; Post-War Reconstruction; Peace Plans, which contains material on peace organizations, the League of Nations and the United Nations (including material on John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s gift of the site for the United Nations headquarters); War Relief; and National War Fund.

The Religious Interests series reflects the Rockefeller family's interest in and contributions to various churches and religious organizations. The files contain correspondence between members of the family and the family office, as well as officials and members of the various religious institutions. In some cases, the files include financial information on the appealing institutions. The miscellaneous files generally contain unsolicited appeals for donations. The series illustrates family contributions to religious organizations up to 1962. The contributions were made to a wide spectrum of organizations and activities, such as missionary movements, interdenominational cooperation, and religious education.