History
“Tell the truth and trust the people.”
– Joseph Newton Pew Jr., 1946
“No subversive forces can ever conquer a nation that has not first been conquered by ‘subversive inactivity’ on the part of the citizenry, who have failed in their civic duty and in service to their country.”
– J. Howard Pew, 1953
The Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent nonprofit, is the sole beneficiary of seven individual charitable funds established between 1948 and 1979 by two sons and two daughters of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew.
From its first day in 1948, Pew’s founders steeped the new institution with the entrepreneurial and optimistic spirit that characterized their lives. Early priorities supported a cancer-research institute, a museum, higher education, the Red Cross and a pioneering project to assist historically black colleges.
As the issues of the late 1940s and following decades evolved, Pew has remained dedicated to our founders’ emphasis on innovation and an entrepreneurial approach.
Now, as we enter our seventh decade, we look back on a record of thoughtful, creative responses to the crucial issues of the day, as our legacy directs. This has meant constantly adapting to the times, reinventing ourselves in order to be relevant to the next generation. As a result, we became a public charity in 2004. This status gives us more flexibility to engage in new initiatives and operate programs for maximum effectiveness and efficiency. Through our Donor Relations team’s outreach, we can find and work with external partners to raise additional resources—and others can leverage Pew’s expertise and experience—to achieve our mutual goals.
In 2008, the National Environmental Trust (NET)—which Pew helped establish 14 years ago—merged staff and operations into the Pew Environment Group, which now constitutes one of the nation’s largest environmental scientific and advocacy organizations. The consolidated team is comprised of more than 80 staff, located in the U.S. and throughout the world. Our environmental efforts have delivered major successes over the past 20 years.
For more information about our history, read A History of The Pew Charitable Trusts. (PDF)
