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The Commission on Foundations and Private Philanthropy was formed by John D. Rockefeller, III, in 1969, and chaired by Peter Peterson, to objectively investigate foundations and their role in society. The Peterson Commission, as it was known, was designed to be influenced by neither the government nor the foundations they investigated. An objective appraisal of foundation activities was necessary to give the Commission the credibility it needed to influence Congress' decisions on foundation activities. By researching the roles of foundations in society, the members hoped to construct policy recommendations that made foundations more accountable while allowing them to maintain their independence from outside interference. This collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, the House of Representatives and Senate Hearings on the Tax Reform Law, and the foundation research collected by the commission that includes annual reports, surveys, articles, and correspondence.

John J. Schwartz, fund raising executive and author, worked hard to assist in the development of standards and ethics for fund-raising professionals and to influence legislation on the national and state level. During his 41 active years in the field, Schwartz was employed by various philanthropic organizations including John Price Jones, Inc., Fund Raising for Traveler Aid Society of New York, Development for the Community Service Society, G.A. Brakeley & Co., the American Cancer Society, and American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Inc. (AAFRC). Schwartz spent a majority of his career, 1966-1987, at AAFRC, advancing to become the President of the organization in 1973 until his retirement. Throughout his career, he has served on various boards and committees promoting the understanding of philanthropy and was instrumental in the establishment of Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations (CONVO), Independent Sector, and the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy. The papers consist of records documenting his involvement with several philanthropic organizations as an employee and as a member of professional organizations. Included are organizational information, correspondence, meeting minutes, project reports, conferences, articles and papers.