preservation of the nation’s historical records; The Four Freedoms Foundation, founded in 1951 to promote the ideals of FDR’s Four Freedoms; and the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, founded in 1972 as the successor to the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation that was responsible for building the ER wing of the FDR Library. The purpose of these organizations was not to memorialize Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, but rather to promote the study of the history of the momentous era in which they played such prominent roles and to inspire others to carry forward their public legacy.

A series of organizational mergers followed the celebrations, programs and events that took place around the centennials of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelts’ births in 1982 and 1984 respectively. In 1982, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation merged with the Four Freedoms Foundation to strengthen their shared mission of bringing contemporary relevance to the history of the Roosevelt era. In 1987, the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute merged with the FDR Four Freedoms Foundation and the new organization was named the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI). With offices established in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, a period of remarkable growth in the organization began. Both independently and in partnership with the FDR Library, FERI organized conferences, events, and educational programs; created grants-in-aid, fellowship, internship, and award programs; renovated the FDR Library’s research room; pioneered the use of the Internet in research and social studies education; began publication of a newsletter and a book series on the Roosevelt period; and helped develop three overseas centers for Roosevelt studies. During the same period, FERI’s financial assets grew from less than $500,000 to over $11 million.