Last week, I was asked by a reporter why we do what we do. The answer goes back 80 years when Mr. Hartford established the foundation that bears his name. His wealth came from one of the country's first large retail empires, the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, which was established by his father in the 1850's. John Hartford and his brother George became president and chairman, respectively, of the A&P upon the death of their father. It is a little- known fact that the Hartford Foundation was the largest public and private funder of biomedical research before the growth of NIH. Beginning in the 1930s, and continuing through the 1960s, the breadth of projects funded was extraordinary-pioneering technologies and treatment innovations for organ transplantation, kidney dialysis, premature birth, hyperbaric chambers, eye surgery, lasers, cryogenics, sickle cell anemia, and cancer-among others.
Before his death, Mr. Hartford directed future Hartford trustees "to do the greatest good for the greatest number" and "to carve from the whole vast spectrum of human needs one small band that the heart and mind together tell you is the area in which you can make your best contribution."
Thirty years ago, Hartford's trustees chose improving the health care of older people as that "one small band." They were led to do so by Mr. Hartford's desire to fund in a limited area to achieve maximum impact, his commitment and passion for health, the projected growth in the number of older people, and the fact that no other foundation had that area as a major focus. The accomplishments of Hartford's grantees over this period give ample testimony to the wisdom of the trustees' decision.