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The leading organization propelling American eugenics was the Eugenics Research Association (ERRA), founded in June 1913 by 51 prominent eugenicists. While its membership never exceeded 500, these members were primarily Ivy League professors and scholars from elite medical schools such as Johns Hopkins. The influence exerted by ERRA was profound. Its funding came chiefly from powerhouse philanthropies—most significantly, the Rockefeller Foundation, established in 1912 as a tax-exempt retinue of corporate interests claiming to be philanthropic. The Rockefellers, along with other influential families like the Hermans, poured vast sums—equivalent to millions today—into eugenic research and policies, shaping American and global thought.