The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is a New-York based think tank that advocates for international multilateralism and an “ethics”-based foreign policy. The organization’s ideology mirrors that of executive director Joel Rosenthal, who advocates for a foreign policy in which the U.S. is involved globally but retains a “moral component” at its core. ¹

It engages in programs such as the U.S. Global Engagement Initiative and the Artificial Intelligence and Equality initiative, along with many others which seek to counteract countries which reject “multilateralism, embrace nationalism, [and] attack democratic norms.” ²

The Carnegie Council is funded in part by the larger network of Carnegie Corporation affiliates, include the Carnegie Corporation of New York ³ and the Carnegie Council Fund, which fund the majority of the Council’s program services. ⁴

Background

The Carnegie Council was founded in 1914 by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie as the Church Peace Union, which sought to bring religious and secular leaders together in order to bring an end to war and stand with “moral leadership.” ⁵ Throughout the early 20^th century, the Carnegie Council advocated for wider American influence globally in order to keep peace, supporting the establishment of the League of Nations and the United Natons. ⁶

It renamed to Council on Religion and International Affairs in 1961, and was a supporter of the civil rights movement and opposed alleged torture by the U.S. and its allies in the wake of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It changed its name to its current iteration in 2005. ⁷

Financials

In 2022, the Carnegie Council reported $3,054,823 in revenue, $5,693,485 in expenses, and $37,381,651 in net assets, according to its tax returns. ⁸

In 2022, the Carnegie Council spent a total of $3,910,736 on program services. Among the spending, the Carnegie Council spent $2,077,135 on research sponsorships, $1,282,923 on media distribution, and $550,678 on public education programs. ³

Its programs include the U.S. Global Engagement Initiative, which advocates for more “ethical considerations” in U.S. foreign policy decisions, ⁹ and the Artificial Intelligence and Equality Initiative, which seeks to check AI’s potential to “exacerbate structural inequalities and create new inequalities.” ¹⁰

Funding

The Carnegie Council Fund provides most of the funding for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, spending $2,132,872 in 2022 on programs, and $2,485,154 in 2020. ^{4 11} Carnegie Corporation of New York has been a donor since 2011. In 2022, it granted the Council $300,000, ³ and in 2020 it granted $1,331,200. ¹²

The MacArthur Foundation donated a total of $1,500,000 in 2021 to 2022. ¹³ The Oak Foundation, a left-leaning environmentalist nonprofit, granted $202,692 in 2021. ¹⁴ The Patrick J McGovern Foundation, a left-of-center non-profit focusing on artificial intelligence, granted the Carnegie Council $500,000 in 2022. ¹⁵

The V Kann Rasmussen Foundation is also a large donor, granting a total of $3,200,000 in 2019. ¹⁶

Leadership

Joel Rosenthal has been president of the Carnegie Council since 1995. He has also the chairman of Bard College’s Globalization and International Affairs Program since 2001. ¹⁷ He is the editor-in-chief of Ethics and International Affairs, an academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. ¹⁸

Rosenthal is a self-described “realist” and advocated for an involved foreign policy that still contained a “moral component” in his book Righteous Realists. ¹

1. “Righteous Realists.” LSU Press, October 5, 2023. https://lsupress.org/9780807128046/.
2. “About: Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/about.
3. Carnegie Corporation of New York, Form 990PF – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131628151/202342269349100709/IRS990PF.
4. “Carnegie Council Fund, IRS Form 990.” ProPublica, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/134185528/202121279349301967/IRS990.
5. Carnegie Council history. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217165109/http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/about/history/history.html.
6. ^[1] Carnegie Council history. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217165109/http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/about/history/history.html
7. “History.” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/about/history.
8. “Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Inc – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131573954.
9. “U.S. Global Engagement: American Foreign Policy Analysis: Carnegie Council.” U.S. Global Engagement | American Foreign Policy Analysis | Carnegie Council | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/initiatives-issues/u-s-global-engagement.
10.  “Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative: AI Ethics: Carnegie Council.” AI Ethics | Carnegie Council | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/initiatives-issues/artificial-intelligence-and-equality.
11. “Carnegie Council Fund Inc, IRS Ford 990.” ProPublica, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/134185528/202240639349300829/IRS990
12. “Carnegie Corporation of New York, Form 990PF, 2020.” ProPublica. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131628151/202131949349100773/IRS990PF
13. “John D & Catherine T MacArthur Foundation – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237093598.
14. “The Oak Foundation USA, IRS Form 990PF, Schedule I.” ProPublica, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133321196/202203189349104720/IRS990PF.
15. “The Patrick J McGovern Foundation, IRS Form 990PF, Schedule I.” ProPublica, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/223021586/202333189349103703/IRS990PF.
16. “V Kann Rasmussen Foundation Inc, IRS Form 990PF.” ProPublica, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/462283123/202031849349100733/IRS990PF.
17. Joel Rosenthal – President – carnegie council for ethics in … Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-rosenthal-1a8885209.
18. “Joel H. Rosenthal.” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/people/joel-h-rosenthal.