NEW YORK, NY — Carnegie Corporation of New York today announced a donation of $1 million to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a global humanitarian relief organization, to assist those being forced to flee their homes in Ukraine. The support will help fund an emergency appeal made by IRC as it works to provide critical aid to displaced people in Ukraine and to refugees pouring into neighboring countries.
Carnegie Corporation of New York unequivocally condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and stands with the Ukrainian people as they fight for the preservation of their independent country. As a major philanthropic funder of programs to reduce nuclear risks and global tensions, the Corporation is calling for an immediate cessation of Russia’s hostility in Ukraine and a negotiated settlement that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence.
“Through the donation to the IRC, the Corporation and its board of trustees seek to help alleviate the humanitarian suffering of Ukrainian citizens caused by the Russian invasion, the horrendous loss of life, and the destruction of cities and critical infrastructure,” said Governor Thomas H. Kean, chairman of the Corporation’s board of trustees, former chair of the 9/11 Commission, and former governor of New Jersey. “The invasion is a repudiation of international norms and the Corporation’s philanthropic mission, which has been dedicated to advancing international peace and security since its founding in 1911.”
Since the end of World War II, the Corporation has worked to improve mutual understanding and help manage the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) through academic research, scholarly networks, and expert-level engagements in order to avoid conflict between nuclear superpowers. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine signals a historic breakdown of Euro-Atlantic security with global ramifications. It is an example of the violent aggression that Andrew Carnegie, the Corporation’s founder, talked about more than 100 years ago when he referred to the inhumanity of war as “the crime of crimes.”
In a 1905 speech, Carnegie said, “Peace wins her way not by force; her appeal is the reason and the conscience of man.” It remains a guiding principle for the Corporation and its many grantees who are working to promote international peace and security through diplomatic means.
