Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI), located in Hyde Park, New York, is as the non-profit funding arm of the nation's first presidential library, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Its mission is to inform new generations of the ideals and achievements of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt.

History

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation, founded by the President’s friends in 1939 with the express purpose of building the first presidential library, an effort directed by FDR to bring order and security to the preservation of the nation’s historical records.

The Four Freedoms Foundation, founded in 1951 to promote the ideals of FDR’s Four Freedoms; and the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, founded in 1972 as the successor to the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation that was responsible for building the Eleanor Roosevelt wing of the FDR Library. The purpose of these organizations was not to memorialize Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, but rather to promote the study of the history of the momentous era in which they played such prominent roles and to inspire others to carry forward their public legacy.

A series of organizational mergers followed the celebrations, programs and events that took place around the centennials of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelts’ births in 1982 and 1984 respectively.

In 1982, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation merged with the Four Freedoms Foundation to strengthen their shared mission of bringing contemporary relevance to the history of the Roosevelt era.

In 1987, the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute merged with the FDR Four Freedoms Foundation and the new organization was named the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI).

Programs

Both independently and in partnership with the FDR Library, FERI organized conferences, events, and educational programs; created grants-in-aid, fellowship, and internship programs;

FERI also renovated the FDR Library’s research room; pioneered the use of the Internet in research and social studies education; began publication of a newsletter and a book series on the Roosevelt period; and helped develop three overseas centers for Roosevelt studies.

FERI also sponsors a number of awards, including:

* The Four Freedoms Awards Program – Established in 1982 to recognize individual achievement in promoting freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the universal concept of freedom.
* Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award - Established in 1995 by the World Committee on Disability recognizes and encourages progress by nations toward the fulfillment of the goal of the United Nations World Program of Action Concerning Disabled Persons.
* Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Award in American History and Public Commentary – Established in 1998 to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the fields of American history, public policy and participation in public affairs.
* Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize – Established in 1986 to honor an outstanding work on American naval history.

As of 2007, FERI has merged with the Roosevelt Institution.

Contact

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute can be reached by writing:

The Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
4079 Albany Post Road
Hyde Park, NY 12538

For the phone number, one can go the FERI Web Site listed under External Links.

External links

* [http://www.feri.org/] Official website