In 1981 Dr. Alfred Zweidler, former president of the Philadelphia chapter of the New Helvetic Society (“NHS”), persuaded its Board of Directors to create a cultural fund which aimed to foster friendship between Swiss and American people through sponsorship of cultural events in the greater Philadelphia area.
The fund was named The Maurice Rohrbach Fund for Swiss-American Cultural Exchange of the New Helvetic Society (“MRF”). The purpose of this Fund was to remember the late Swiss ambassador Maurice Rohrbach, whose dedication and tireless efforts fostered friendly ties between the United States and Switzerland in the mid-Twentieth Century.
Prior to March of 2013, the Fund was managed by the NHS. This was followed by a conversion of the MRF into a separate non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Currently, the Fund is managed by four directors. Two of the directors are elected by the Board of Directors of the NHS and two of the directors are elected by the Founding Members of The Maurice Rohrbach Fund.