Unfortunately, there is not much extant biographical evidence on Vivian Beaumont Allen. We do know that she created the foundation with the dream of continuing the work of her father, a pioneer in medical rehabilitation. She specifically sought to advance the well-being of mankind through the support of medical and nursing education (in the form of scholarships for deserving students), the support of religious and social charities (such as the Salvation Army and numerous Settlement Houses in New York City), and the support of the arts (particularly theater and opera). Two major accomplishments of Mrs. Allen are the National Rehabilitation Center at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, which was built in the memory of her father, and the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which houses the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center.

When Mrs. Allen died in 1962, her daughter Josephine Pope took over leadership of the Foundation and helped to tighten the focus on its giving patterns. In order to meet the stipulations set forth in Mrs. Allen's will, the Foundation began to limit its donations to strictly medical and nursing education, international student assistance, population control and family planning, and a few social charities. This was a very pronounced move away from the highly personalized pattern of giving to which Mrs. Allen had been prone in earlier years. During the mid- to late sixties, for reasons not given in the records, the Foundation began to liquidate its assets and in 1971 legally dissolved.

The Board Members included: Vivian Beaumont Allen, President 1938-1962; Mrs. Shepard Krech, Vice-President 1938-1965; Caroline Dent, Secretary ?-1950; Beekman Pool, Secretary 1950-1971; George Warren, Treasurer ?-1971; Josephine Pope, Trustee 1957-1962, President 1962-1971; Dr. Frode Jensen, Vice-President 1965-1971; Mrs. H.A. Inness-Brown, Trustee 1938-1960; Logan Fulrath, Trustee 1960-1966; Arthur W. Pope, Trustee 1963-1967, Director 1967-1971.