Sharon King Appointed Director of the Ageing Programme at The Atlantic Philanthropies

New York, January 15, 2010 – Sharon King, a recognized leader in philanthropy, has been appointed Director of the Ageing Program of The Atlantic Philanthropies effective February 2, 2010, Senior Vice President Marcia A. Smith announced today. King will lead the global Ageing Programme which supports efforts to address the health and economic security of the most vulnerable older adults.

King is currently the President of the F.B. Heron Foundation, a private foundation established in 1992 and dedicated to helping people and communities help themselves. Heron is internationally known for its innovative approaches to grantmaking and mission-related investing. Specifically, it seeks to deploy as much of its endowment as is prudently possible in support of its mission through market-rate investments, program-related investments, and core-support grants.

With current assets at approximately $250 million, over 50% is committed to its mission. The Foundation developed and recently launched the US Community Investment Index, a portfolio comprised of more than 300 large- and mid-cap companies that have demonstrated successful and proactive engagement with economically underserved communities in the United States.

“It is a privilege to welcome Sharon King to Atlantic to lead our global Ageing Programme,” Smith said. “Sharon’s leadership of the Heron Foundation, which supports organizations that help low-income people to create and preserve wealth as a means of helping them take control of their lives and make decisions for themselves, will be a tremendous asset to Atlantic and its ageing programme which seeks to protect the rights of and opportunities for older adults, particularly those with low incomes or chronic illness, and supports advocacy efforts by older adults to improve the quality of life for themselves and others.”

Prior to joining the Heron Foundation, King served as a philanthropic advisor in the Rockefeller Family Office, as president of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, and a program officer at The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.

“It is an honor to join The Atlantic Philanthropies and work with its Board and staff on critical social and policy issues affecting vulnerable older adults,” said King.“My colleagues within the Ageing Programme and the grantees in the portfolio are an impressive group and I look forward to working with and learning from them. I am particularly attracted to the deep commitment of the entire Atlantic Philanthropies’ community to positive change in the lives of the people and communities within which it works across the globe.”