CFR Receives $20 Million Gift From The Starr Foundation to Bolster the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics and the China Strategy Initiative

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to announce a $20 million gift from The Starr Foundation in support of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics and the China Strategy Initiative.

“The Starr Foundation has been an indispensable partner in helping the Council address the most consequential challenges facing the United States and the world for more than four decades,” said Michael Froman, CFR president. “This investment will give the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics the financial strength to pursue its most ambitious agenda yet. It will also ensure that the China Strategy Initiative remains a leading source of independent analysis on the United States’ most consequential geopolitical relationship. We are deeply grateful to the foundation for its vision and generosity.”

For more than twenty-five years, The Starr Foundation has been a strong supporter of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, CFR’s premier hub for research and analysis at the intersection of economics and foreign policy. The center brings together more than twenty fellows whose work spans economic statecraft, trade, international finance, supply chains, and technology competition.

Launched in 2024 with support from The Starr Foundation, the China Strategy Initiative has quickly established itself as one of the United States’ foremost centers on U.S.-China competition. Combining rigorous research with policy engagement, the initiative convenes policymakers, business leaders, technologists, and scholars across political perspectives and sectors to develop practical strategies for strengthening U.S. competitiveness and managing long-term strategic rivalry with China. 

“Since its first grant to CFR in 1960, The Starr Foundation has shared CFR’s commitment to advancing nonpartisan dialogue and public understanding of global political and economic dynamics,” said Courtney O’Malley, president of The Starr Foundation. “We are proud to build on that partnership with this continued investment in the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics and the China Strategy Initiative—two programs that bring rigor and independent thought to some of the most important questions facing the United States.”

The commitment is among the first leadership investments in Campaign 250, the most ambitious capital campaign in CFR’s history. With a goal of raising at least $250 million, the campaign will further build CFR’s capacity to produce independent analysis, convene diverse perspectives, and address the geopolitical, economic, and technological challenges that will shape the decades ahead. 

Established in 1955 by Cornelius Vander Starr, The Starr Foundation supports organizations with strong leadership and the capacity to address complex challenges with durable results across the medicine, education, culture, public policy and international relations, human needs, and environment fields. Guided for decades by former Board Chair Maurice R. “Hank” Greenberg and now by Board Chair Jeffrey W. Greenberg, the foundation is known for long-term commitments and regular operating grants that enable enduring progress. 

With this grant, the foundation has provided $78.8 million in support of CFR. 

For more information, please contact the Global Communications team at [email protected].