Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was established in 1926 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. as a not-for-profit educational institution. Its core purpose centers on preserving and interpreting the restored capital of colonial Virginia for public education. The foundation holds direct ownership of the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge, Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, Merchants Square, and Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel. It also maintains the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection. These operating assets sit alongside an endowment portfolio advised by Wells Fargo Advisors since 1975. Geographic focus remains concentrated in Virginia with national reach through museum accreditation and conference programming. The organization employs 1,239 people and runs multiple hospitality properties under the Colonial Williamsburg Company subsidiary. It maintains membership in the American Alliance of Museums and participates in YPO through senior leadership. In October 2024 the foundation served as speaker at the For 2026 Conference Series on Virginia's Revolutionary Histories. Governance separates the foundation's educational mission from its commercial operations through a distinct board structure that includes trustees such as Sheldon M. Stone of Oaktree Capital and Ted Decker of The Home Depot. This architecture allows direct control over both preservation mandates and revenue-generating properties without external fund commitments.