About RJI - The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation

Ideas Experiments Research

Vision and Mission | Facilities | Missouri School of Journalism | University of Missouri

Founded in 1954, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation seeks to honor the memory of its benefactor, for whom it is named, by filling unmet needs and attempting to gain an immediate, transformational impact in four principal areas of interest:

  • Meeting the greatest needs of communities in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma, primarily through improved facilities for their outstanding local nonprofit organizations.
  • Accelerating the fight against atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic heart disease through cutting-edge, translational research.
  • Improving the quality of life of America’s growing elderly population through better training of physicians in geriatrics.
  • Enhancing the quality and integrity of journalism, focusing particularly on better training of journalists who serve smaller communities and on business journalism.

In pursuing its goals, the foundation is committed to the support of nonprofit organizations and institutions that demonstrate sound financial management, efficient operation, program integrity and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Donald W. Reynolds was a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, and the foundation that carries his name is devoted to preservation of the best of core journalistic principles and processes through investment in high-quality journalism education and practice. In addition to the founding of RJI at the University of Missouri, the foundation has provided funding for programs, scholarships, chairs and more to schools and institutions of  journalism around the country: