John Raskob's religious convictions motivated a lifetime of philanthropic action. He gave increasingly of his growing fortune as he built it, in sums small and large, to causes personal and international.

Raskob brought coats for paupers, served as 'Santa Claus' to Wilmington's orphans, and provided incomes and scholarships to distant acquaintances and worthy individuals. Equally important to him, however, were his attempts to structurally reform the way in which the Catholic church organized its finances and its charitable mission. He provided the initial funding for a permanent charitable foundation to finance the Wilmington Diocese, and insisted on the active involvement of the laity, a principle that informs the activities of the enduring institutions founded by Raskob during his lifetime, The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities (link), and the Bill Raskob Foundation (link).

Raskob never failed in his obligation to charitable work, although in his later years his bitterness over the political and economic reforms engineered by Roosevelt, the failings and perceived betrayals of partners and protegees, and the increased tax burden on the wealthy affected his giving.

Pastoral letter announcing the establishment of the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Wilmington (view)

Opinion on church fundraising (file 1236) (view)

Dedication of St. Helena's Church (file 815) (view)

Complains about taxation's impact on philanthropy (file 359) (view)

Donations to Commonweal (file 457) (view)

Warm Springs Donation (file 1456) (view)